Job Squad

In case anyone reading this isn't aware of my current status, I am extremely dissatisfied with my job with the truck reseller and am actively seeking a new one. The owner is very self-assured and cocky and has some shifty ways of doing business, and the shop foreman took exception to the fact that I was hired without his knowledge or consultation, which is subsequently taken out on me. When talking to the owner originally and in listening to him talk about his company, I was sure that I would be getting loads of experience - engine troubleshooting, suspension modification, and diesel engine mechanics, just to name a few. Unfortunately, when trucks are brought in for refurbishing, anything requiring diagnostic testing or anything more complicated than "bolt off, bolt on" is shipped out to another shop for work. This company is little more than a glorified parts-changing business, and the only real experience I've gained lies in the fact that I can now Armor All like a champ.

Fortunately, I have some new opportunities on the horizon. I recently went on a ride-along with an established motorcade company and got to know their business pretty well. This one (unlike MVP, the previous company I worked for) has been around for 15 years and does a good amount of business. The owner, however, is a bit tight-fisted - the per-job pay is almost half what MVP paid, and when he found out that I was an MMI grad (Motorcycle Mechanics Institute), he tried to recruit me as his main technician for what was actually a very laughable rate of pay. I'd take it on as a part-time or as-needed job, but certainly not as my main source of income.

Now, though, I have two new opportunities. Yesterday brought me a solid interview with a property management company - actually the same one that Brittany works for. Incidentally, the interview was supposed to be on Monday, but I was caught up in traffic and was a bit late, by which time the manager had already left. Before leaving the property, I sat down and wrote out an apologetic email to the manager explaining what had happened - I had explained that I would be leaving from work at 4:00pm and wouldn't be able to get there until about 4:30pm at the earliest on account of traffic. Unfortunately, Phoenix traffic reared its ugly head and kept me from getting there until about 4:45pm or so, missing the manager by just a few minutes. She wrote back and thankfully gave me another shot, adding that she wouldn't be leaving until 5pm that day. The interview was good, and she said that pending the usual battery of checks (background, drug, credit, etc) the job was as good as mine. The commute is a bit long, and the starting pay is not spectacular, but given what I've been doing, I'll take it. Besides, the growth opportunities is excellent, and there are many bonuses and commissions to be had, so there is a lot of potential here.

My other interview (which I am currently waiting on right now) is with Apple. I am sure to get a good deal of flak for it, especially from my techie brothers, but there is a strong chance this will work out well. Most of you know that Brittany and I are heavy iPhone users, to the point that we don't have a regular internet connection in our apartment - 98% of our internet needs are met by the iPhone. I have also read up on and played around extensively with the iPad, which operates very similarly to the phone, and I have come to know my way around them rather adeptly. My hope is to become a specialist or tech support worker (referred to in Apple-speak as "Experts" and "Geniuses", respectively) for either of the two mobile products. The first group interview went well, and I am waiting now on a personal interview. I could definitely have fun with this job, and it would also provide a bit more flexibility with its schedule, which would allow me to (hopefully) work the motorcade business as well.

Time will tell how things progress, but I'm excited for the future.