Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Looking for a job

Me too buddy!...It's amazing how "long" a couple weeks can be when we're being good!

Thought you'd appreciate that one, bud!

I just got a new job today. Frantic phone calls last night, had to rush to get a haircut, and do laundry. Had a meeting for a while. Asked me what my needs were, I said make me an offer. My jaw dropped inside my head, Which I accepted. Looks like I have to go to work Monday morning!

Todd, I never took advantage of getting my PE, but I am really darn good at what I do!

Hey, congrats, JKB! Wonderful news, my man! Tell us about it once you get your feet wet. I am sure that, PE license or not, you'll do a bang up job for the new employer. Congrats again. As so many obviously know, it can be a very tough market for job hunters right now. Way to go.

Great news JKB ! Good luck on the first day.

Months. I'm like the boy who gets pegged in school for being a trouble maker. No matter what happens -- even if he's behaving -- he gets the blame.

What's PE? Professional Engineer certification?

My brother is trying to get his CPA for better job prospects. From what he's told me I could never do it.

Cecil, Everyone knows PE stands for Physical Education.....

Oh boy wait until JKB sees your post!

Thanks all. The job market is tough out there. This job came by referral. A friend of mine called me Wednesday night and told me about it. I had worked with my new employer on a couple of projects in the past, so he was confident in my abilities. I doubt the offer would have been what it is had our paths not crossed in the past.

I'll initially be doing Automation control systems and plc programming. I am also going to help him expand his company by offering customers complete automation and robotic systems, rather than just control systems. My first job will be quoting two robotic weld cells. This will also create a number of new jobs. He just hired a new salesperson and the RFQ's are piling up.

This is going to be a fun job.

JKB,

I graduated from college with a guy that works in that field and owns a company specializing in robotics. Does Paul Demarco originally from southeastern Michigan ring a bell? H'ed be in his early to mid 50's.

Nope, no bells ringing.

But, get this,

I was designing a plasma spray cell for the USAF, and we were mounting a Fanuc robot on the wall inside the chamber. I needed to call the Fanuc rep. and accidentally dialed the wrong number, but I got a guy with the same first name, middle initial and last name. It was strange! Everyone said I should have played the lottery that day

I like the way my new boss thinks! I am going to do everything I can to help him create new jobs, and these will be Skilled Trade and Engineering/Design jobs.

I also have a passion for training people in new skills. This job will allow me to continue to do that.

Can't wait!

Good for you JKB. Does this mean you won't have time to tinker with the RAS though?

Congratulations

I'll still be tinkering.

I am going to have to move closer, preferably on the south side of the draw bridge. If you have ever been through Grand Haven in the summer time, you would know what I mean. Traffic is terrible.

Finding a place with well water is going to be difficult. The only area I know of around there that has wells, is where Dan Vogler had his first Trout Farm. Plenty of places on the north side. I'll just have to see what I can find.

I would rather stay where I am, but it is a long drive. Plus I know I'll be getting the occasional 2AM call to get someone back up and running.

That sucks. I've only moved 5 or 6 times in my life and would hate to have to do it again. Congrats on getting the new job tho!

I decided to stay put. Gas was 167.00 last week to get to work, but it is quite a bit more expensive to rent a house with a garage in that area, so I'll just stay here and do the drive.

I'll also be kicking my brother off on a number of projects around here. One being the RAS building. It will only be 12ft x 16ft, but I can put (2) 850's in it.

My brother is on permanent disability and cant get a job anywhere, even though he can work. So this will help him out.

Job is going really well, in fact excellent. I wont bore you with the details, but it sure is fun!

I hope and pray that Chris can get the work He desires, and it is a good fit.

BTW Todd: Even with the EH rated footwear, I like to keep my feet dry!

Did you know, that if you warm your feet up before going to bed, you will fall asleep much faster!

JKB, I drove a vehicle that got in the low 20's (mpg) to work, and did some numbers crunching. I was driving 75 miles a day round trip, and buying a VW Jetta Diesel was a logical choice. Even with higher diesel prices, the savings in $$ spent on fuel was enough per month to equal a car payment.

I bought one and was glad that I did. The only drawback is in the deep snow - it doesn't have the ground clearance that a truck does. But, with snow tires on it I've never gotten stuck.

I'll be looking into a more fuel efficient vehicle. I was thinking about a Jetta because of the pic you posted towing a trailer, and how well it has worked for you.

Jetta shopping it will be! Thanks Scott!

I am also going to try a couple different routs in. Currently I take M46 to 31 and head south. (you and Cecil passed that on your way to Crystal Springs) I call it "Junk Yard Alley" because of all of the wrecks. One I saw last week was really bad. Head on collision, and they were cutting the car apart to get the driver out. I sure hope they made it, it was really bad. I almost got nailed twice last week. One kid pulled out of a parking lot right in front of me while I was clipping along at 60mph, glad my truck has good brakes. On the way home Friday, I was right next to a young gal who was playing with her phone. She tried to pull into my lane, and I was right next to her. How could she miss a big red truck Fortunately the center lane was clear and I could pull into it. Big truck -vs- little car = bad outcome.

JKB,

If we knew how many accidents there are due to people talking on cell phones or texting while driving I think we'd be amazed (or not). Glad you lucked out on the potential accidents. I know of a couple that was hospitalized for several weeks after being hit head on by a teenager texting while she was driving.

Right after I got my present dog from the humane shelter she got loose and was standing in the highway oblivious to cars. A woman on a cell phone missed her by inches and as far as I could tell never saw here. Never mind the dog is really white as she's about as white as they come with big brown patches. She's also a large dog.

One day I had to rush to UPS to ship off some frozen fish. It had taken longer to get things done that day then I had planned and it was a rush to get the fish in boxes etc. I also like to get them out of the freezer as late as possible for obvious reasons. Anyway not long out of my driveway I got behind this woman that was going 40 mph and talking on her cell phone. I could see it clearly as I tried to pass her a couple of times but backed off as it was a winding road. Behind me there must have been 20 cars all packed together. I couldn't pass her and even tried to get her attention by turning on my lights etc. I was hoping when she saw the caravan behind her she would speed up. Never did for about 20 miles and I almost missed shipping my boxes by a minute or two. (The UPS terminal was a hour away).

Hey Chris I hear the budget cuts will probably close several southern federal trout hatcheries. Hear anything about that? It would seem the revenue generated by these hatcheries would more than make up for their costs. And of course this adds more to the unemployment lines.

Hey Cecil, it sure is crazy out there on the roads. Everyone, be careful!

I have the option of working at home if I am just doing CAD work or PLC programming. The only problem with that, is our crappy internet available up here. Last week I had to download a 1,900 MB file that was zipped. It took almost two hours at work. I could never even think about that up here.

What really ticks me off is that AT&T ran dedicated DSL lines about a quarter mile from here and stopped. They wont go the extra distance for a couple of customers. No chance in hell of getting cable out here. The closest people with Comcast is about eight miles away. I got Virgin Mobile which runs off the Sprint network. Virgin is by far cheaper than Sprint, but I would kill my 5 GB/month limit in short order if I worked from home. That could really be just a handful of emails

In a couple weeks, after I get some financial balance, the little RAS building will begin. I am going to keep it under 200 sq ft to avoid dealing with the local gestapo on permits and property tax increases

Pictures and videos to come!

On a side note:
There is an absolutely beautiful house next door. About six years old, stick built, on about 5 acres in the woods that is in foreclosure. Bank wants 114K, worth quite a bit more! I have known these people for quite a few years even before they built the house, and they are good people. Kid was hanging around with the wrong crowd and got busted for blowing up mailboxes (federal stuff, and pretty serious) Some 30 mailboxes were blown up in the area with M80's and home made devices, plus vast amounts of vandalism. Pretty sad picture, but, I can not take advantage of someones misfortune.

Their Grandma was the glue holding everything together, but she can only do so much. I brought her fresh veggies from my garden on a number of occasions, and I still do not know her name. Very sweet lady! Family is broken up pretty bad, and fixing it will take some time.

It really is a nice house, and well built. Someone is going to buy it at that price!

Calling on PB members for Moral and Ethical guidance on this one. It really is a nice place, but they are friends. It is lost to them, and no chance of recovery.

I could end up with some really crummy neighbors, or they could be total gems.

Go for it. Since it is lost to them they would most likely like to see it going to someone they know and will care for it.

I'm with Lassig. If it makes you sleep better at night, talk to the Bank and arrange for the owners to get a couple grand out of the deal if possible....It would only mean a few bucks extra a month to you, but could mean a lot to them.

I say go for it as well if you really like the place. What you do will have no effect on the people that owned it, and they might like the notion of you owning it. You'd be kicking yourself if a year from now some lowlife bought it.......

Thanks lassig and Rex.

Last I heard is that Mom and Dad are gone. One kid is going to be a resident in a State or Federal Hotel. The other kid is at home with grandma, and on SS, she can not cover the costs. Being abandoned like she was, and left high and dry by her own children, I dont get it!

I dont feel so bad about it now.