…Cause I’m one step closer to the edge…

…and I’m about to break!!

RANT ALERT! RANT ALERT!

Temping SUCKS!

A few years back I used to be a technical recruiter for a high-tech placement firm. I liked my job and the people I worked with. Well, most of them anyway. My boss was a spineless blob of mush but I delt with it because the money was excellent. The only drawback was the commute. It would range from 45 minutes ( a breeze) to 2 hours or more ( a real bitch).

But about 4 years ago my marriage started coming unglued (I won’t go into the reasons on this post). My ex was not capable of caring for my son and my in-laws (now out-laws) were not much help either. I had no choice but to relocate my job closer to home.

I was lucky to find a decent paying job 10 minutes from the house (still a 40% pay cut, local jobs don’t pay as much as jobs closer to L.A.). Unfortunately it was a temp position. But I knew that temp positions always have the potential to go permament. Hell, I’ve been on both sides for years, hiring temps and being one myself. Well, here it is almost 3 years later and they still haven’t opened a slot for me. And nothing so much as a cost of living increase either ( my other temp job had automatic yearly increases). All the previous temps in this position before me were let go at the end of their contract, usually one year. So WTF?!!!

Turns out I’m working for another spineless yes person. My supervisor won’t lift a finger to see what it would take to convert me to perm. And they’re the only one that can initiate the change. So I’m stuck for now. That doesn’t mean I’m not looking. I still scour the job boards online and I’m keeping my ears and eyes open here for an opening in another dept.

One thing in my favor (sorta) is that the company I work at, not for, is processing me for a Security Clearance. It’s a background check the gov’t performs on people who might be handling classified information to make sure you’re not a terrorist or anything. Just having a clearance makes one more valuable in the job market due to the fact it takes so long to get one.  This process takes 18 months to 2 years! My position originally didn’t require a clearance but last year they said “Wait, now you need a clearance to do what you do.” Thanks. If that had been initiated when I started here, I’d have my clearance by now! Helloooooo!!!

Last straw-

If you are a moral upstanding citizen that hasn’t beaten their wife or tried to overthrow the government, then you may be granted a temporary clearance. That only takes a few days and is good until they complete the entire process for a full clearance. Unfortunately, I had a few bills that became delinquent during the divorce, which were taken care of, and that led to the declination of my interim/temporary clearance. No problem. I’ll hang on for the full ride. But just this morning my boss(knowing my situation both financially and home-wise: single full-time dad) just HAD to mention to me that an employee we recently processed, that had over 18 entries of delinquent bills just got his interim clearance! What a fucking bitch!

In the immortal words of Eric Burdon and the Animals- “We gotta get outta this place, if it’s the last thing we ever do”.