BS bucket is filling up

[kgtest]

On one hand there are a lot of things going well, on the other my work BS bucket is filling up. Been with megacorp 8months and it is wearing on me

Titles don't really mean much at this MegaCorp.

Work seems to be doled out by anyone and everyone with little direction or communication.

Gold Stars are issued to those who have the golden handcuffs, I am a contractor, SO I am held to a standard of never ending Status Reports and updates.

It might be time to move and stop this vicious cycle if things don't get better...the bigger the megacorp, the slower the change...this one has the same double standards we all come to adore.

Working with offshore is over rated as well. Also working to a due date instead of defining work and acceptable amounts of effort needed is irritating as all he$$.

They want me to start issuing Gold Stars and I am not even a FTE but a contractor. Help me please.

 

[CoolChange]

MegaCorp budgets generally free up sometime during the first quarter; so, now is a good time to start looking for your next gig.

By the time you get it, you will likely have a full year under you belt at the current one; so, not too much of a resume red flag.

Life is too short.

 

[Car-Guy]

I worked for two different Mega Corps for a total of ~40 years. If you think your BS bucket is full now, just wait until you become FI and are still working. The BS buckets start to overflow really fast at that point. (Or maybe it's intolerance to BS)

Titles were really important at my last Mega Corp. It was hard enough to get anything done in the base case, but without the right title , well good luck.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Watchewant? Off-shore is big, pretty soon if not now. There are so many damn rigs being built and everyone is retiring. Yes, the majors are targeting contractors. Bide your time. Your big time will come.

 

[FireBug]

Might have written that exact same post as OP.


Now contracting at a Megabank. I used to be for many years on the IT side, but over time my old COBOL programming just got usurped by new languages and an onslaught of off-shore folks. Eventually I moved into IT project Management and actually enjoyed many years there (but still within the IT arena).


The last couple of years I'm now on the 'business' side of things. Talk about filling up a BS bucket! Everyone is an expert. No one seems capable of providing answers and management's primary purpose in life to ask questions. How much status can one person provide or need? And you are correct, as a contractor you are simply the lowest on the totem pole. At least FTE to FTE people can have an exchange of hard ideas. As a contractor, any question can easily be interpreted as a challenge or worse....and you are gone tomorrow.


PROCESS in megacorps is killing creativity, originality and teamwork.

 

[Sunset]

Well hopefully as a Contractor you had the wisdom to insist on hourly pay. So if you are working towards a date, just put in the hours required. I was pretty happy at one time to put in 85 hrs in a week.
Employees had to do the same, but they only got paid for 40 and a nice pat on the back.

 

[Sunset]

And working with offshore is something I agree with you on, it was a real eye opener. I concluded that only the accountants were happy as offshore cost less, didn't matter that the project took longer and didn't work in the end.
Until entirely re-written by on-shore programmers in literally 1/30th of the time !

 

[FireBug]

And working with offshore is something I agree with you on, it was a real eye opener. I concluded that only the accountants were happy as offshore cost less, didn't matter that the project took longer and didn't work in the end.
Until entirely re-written by on-shore programmers in literally 1/30th of the time !

Yep, all true. I'm not technically an early (ie young - 61) retiree but I'm ready and hopefully positioned ok. DW is willing to do another 2 years before going into full blown retirement (both of us) and until that time we can live on her salary without too much pain. Just working the last year to shore up some travel and home expense $ in preparation for the ultimate transition.

One great thing is, I know I can quit at any time. Its such a great feeling. I I still wish I could handle the BS bucket stress a little better, but who knows, I just may say tomorrow...."Thanks, but I'm done"


..and oh boy, I remember those late night installs and weekend work as well. Paid for 40 hours, all the while putting in 50-60. But I got all the "atta-boys" I could handle.

 

[Hyper]

Started and worked the majority of my career with much older coworkers that were brutal if you didn't earn your keep which I def did. Last ten yrs I worked everything started going touch/feely and you couldn't discipline younger workers that kept screwing up. They pretty much placed anyone anywhere regardless of qualifications which left you picking up the slack. Couldn't hurt their feelings! Bunch of dang girly men anyway! BS bucket overflowed many times!

Real glad I don't have to do that anymore. Not good at touchy/feely!

 

[kgtest]

Lol, touchy feely, I understand that.

 

[kgtest]

Might have written that exact same post as OP.


Now contracting at a Megabank. I used to be for many years on the IT side, but over time my old COBOL programming just got usurped by new languages and an onslaught of off-shore folks. Eventually I moved into IT project Management and actually enjoyed many years there (but still within the IT arena).


The last couple of years I'm now on the 'business' side of things. Talk about filling up a BS bucket! Everyone is an expert. No one seems capable of providing answers and management's primary purpose in life to ask questions. How much status can one person provide or need? And you are correct, as a contractor you are simply the lowest on the totem pole. At least FTE to FTE people can have an exchange of hard ideas. As a contractor, any question can easily be interpreted as a challenge or worse....and you are gone tomorrow.


PROCESS in megacorps is killing creativity, originality and teamwork.

You nailed it. I think that is where my stress is coming from, I was pulled into business work instead of technical work and its really rubbing me the wrong way.

I definitely know where on the pole I reside....in the muddied dirt and soot, trampled and battered close to the near bottom haha. I sometimes forget nobody cares, and then I visit this forum!

 

[Options]

Excellent observation, kgtest. Megacorp work of any kind will always contain some element of BS, only to get worse as labor has absolutely no leverage anymore. OTOH, for many people realizing they flourish on the technical and not business side is a key to attaining peace of mind at work. Business side has/will always have more BS than technical (unless you're in leadership). Is it possible for you to move back into a technical role where you can fly under the BS radar?

 

[timo2]

I used to work with a guy who would make this statement about changing to another employer "same circus, different act". With that in mind there were a couple times I had to either get a larger BS bucket and/or redefine my definition of what BS went into the bucket.