JohnC Posted September 26, 2023 Author Share Posted September 26, 2023 I think I'm finally getting tired of my job.... Who else is feeling this way? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstrpth Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 16 hours ago, JohnC said: I think I'm finally getting tired of my job.... Who else is feeling this way? I've been counting the days to retirement since covid hit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley P Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 I've noticed that I need ANOTHER job. We've burned through some serious dollars just a little each week. Inflation is eating us up. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 (edited) I've been tired of my job since 2009. It's gotten progressively worse since then. The stupidity has grown exponentially the last two. Our leadership is a bunch of imbeciles. They are reorganizing the department of transportation again. I will have to re-apply for my job for the 2nd time in 8 years. I talked to the retirement board about 3 months ago. They told me that you can apply your sick time and it is as good as time served. I have 26 years and almost 4 months. I have almost 2.5 years of sick. If it gets worse (I'm betting it will), I will be leaving this place in early June 2025 and going to work for a consultant/contractor. It benefits you to retire just after your anniversary date. I am going to save all my sick and annual I can and hopefully, I can leave in Feb. 2025 and retire officially in June. They will let you use annual time for "terminal" leave like that. Imagine getting nearly half of your salary to retire and then adding 25%-40% to your current salary working for someone else, who isn't as idiotic as your current employer. That's what I plan to do. I'm telling every contractor and consultant about my plans. I've had a few tell me they want to talk to me. Edited September 27, 2023 by Kevin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted September 27, 2023 Author Share Posted September 27, 2023 6 hours ago, Ashley P said: I've noticed that I need ANOTHER job. We've burned through some serious dollars just a little each week. Inflation is eating us up. Before inflation struck, I was doing very good. After, I feel like my income shrank 35% to 40%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted September 27, 2023 Author Share Posted September 27, 2023 22 minutes ago, Kevin said: I've been tired of my job since 2009. It's gotten progressively worse since then. The stupidity has grown exponentially the last two. Our leadership is a bunch of imbeciles. They are reorganizing the department of transportation again. I will have to re-apply for my job for the 2nd time in 8 years. I talked to the retirement board about 3 months ago. They told me that you can apply your sick time and it is as good as time served. I have 26 years and almost 4 months. I have almost 2.5 years of sick. If it gets worse (I'm betting it will), I will be leaving this place in early June 2025 and going to work for a consultant/contractor. It benefits you to retire just after your anniversary date. I am going to save all my sick and annual I can and hopefully, I can leave in Feb. 2025 and retire officially in June. They will let you use annual time for "terminal" leave like that. Imagine getting nearly half of your salary to retire and then adding 25%-40% to your current salary working for someone else, who isn't as idiotic as your current employer. That's what I plan to do. I'm telling every contractor and consultant about my plans. I've had a few tell me they want to talk to me. I feel your pain. All the old-heads with near time served are getting their paperwork for retirement ready in my Dept, too. Unfortunately, I got hired at the state after they got rid of the old state pension and longevity (05/2016 hire date), so I won't have that luxury when I retire. We just have that crappy 401k and we have to pay in ourselves. The other 401k the state funds is hardly anything at all and you definitely couldn't retire on it. We had regime change again and you know how that goes in Govt. People have been moved around, forced to resign and fired from Commissioner on down to Sergeants. They are on a firing spree again and micromanaging everyone. We're over 60 positions short at our location alone. Last I heard, we lost 20 people and they were only able to replace 11 in the last hiring spree. Some of those have already quit. We've been on mandatory overtime so long I can't remember when we weren't. I'm really sick of it and considering going to work for DCSO. I just hate starting over and that is the only reason I haven't done it yet. But if it gets any worse, I'm out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 Morale is lower than I've ever seen it. Almost everybody I talk to is upset. I wake up every morning DREADING to go to work. I wake up Sunday mornings DREADING Monday morning. I'm losing staff positions and they add more work. I have guys getting tons of overtime to run the mobile reflectometer (test reflectivity of pavement marking) and now they are harping on overtime. They've added research garbage that I'm having to do most of it myself because I have nobody to do it. They gave all the directors huge raises. People are quitting left and right. 30+ year people are all talking retirement. They promised nobody is losing money or employment a while back, but I'm not hearing that lately. They call meetings to talk about EPIC, the new agenda (I call it Every Person Immensely Confused) and all we hear is "I don't know". Everybody leaves the meetings even more confused and upset. I think they have a big mess they've created that they have no real plan for. They are just shooting from the hip. They recently put GPS on all of the vehicles and the safety guy gets in your face for doing 1 mph over the limit. They are always changing everything and coming up with something new to waste time on. I sat in a meeting the other day for an hour and a half about cubicles. They tell us we have to conduct meetings even if there's nothing to say. I had more fun when I made $40k less. I tell the old retired people that they wouldn't recognize the place if they came back. I'm still pissed about the garbage they put me thought 8 years ago with that stupid employee I had. I'm done, but I can't leave yet. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstrpth Posted September 28, 2023 Share Posted September 28, 2023 Sounds like everyone is dealing with the same things. We're on a hiring freeze and they tell us we need less employees than we've ever had. Exception being management positions where they have no problems creating $250k+/yr jobs for their buddies, while the rest of us are drowning in work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted September 28, 2023 Author Share Posted September 28, 2023 Same here.... Like you said, they still want all the work done plus all the new crap ideas they've come up with done with short staffing and after having eliminated positions. Some days we can barely run the place we're so short staffed. And like you said, upper management enjoy big salaries and bonuses! They're too out of touch.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstrpth Posted September 28, 2023 Share Posted September 28, 2023 I don't care anymore, i just tell people - I'll put you on my list, it's a long list but i'll eventually get to you. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley P Posted September 28, 2023 Share Posted September 28, 2023 I'm about 6 weeks behind. And nearly fed up with people who have NO CLUE about what I have to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaceAll Posted September 29, 2023 Share Posted September 29, 2023 Not to brag or anything, but I actually really enjoy my job. I have great people around me, the whole company (approx. 1100 people) acts like a big family, pay is good, and I have a four day work week. I couldn't ask for much more. Then, I have the church. Things are amazing, there, as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted September 29, 2023 Author Share Posted September 29, 2023 4 hours ago, RaceAll said: Not to brag or anything, but I actually really enjoy my job. I have great people around me, the whole company (approx. 1100 people) acts like a big family, pay is good, and I have a four day work week. I couldn't ask for much more. Then, I have the church. Things are amazing, there, as well. I used to love my job. Took a pay cut to do it. But not now. Upper management has made it awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted September 29, 2023 Author Share Posted September 29, 2023 Why can't people secure their loads? Ran over some metal I couldn't avoid that must have fell out of the back of someone's truck. Had to wait over 3 hours for a tow truck in west Nashville after a 12hr shift and that cost me $355. Got it to discount tire and they said the flat tire is not repairable anyway, so another $524. Gas in F150 for my wife to come pick me up and take me home, $40. I didn't make that much (on OT 12hrs) for going to work on my day off, so that was a loss of time/money for me. They didn't get the car in the bay until 11:30am. So I was too tired to go back to work for OT that night. So with the cost tow, tire replacement, gas and extra OT day I didn't work, I lost $1,375. If I stayed home and took both my days off, I'd actually saved time and money. Yes, I always look at everything on a time/money basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted September 29, 2023 Share Posted September 29, 2023 As covered up as we are, I will try to help people out, especially if they are nice. There was a woman who worked in the Clarksville construction office who I could not stand. She retired a little while back, thank the Lord. One day, she asked me to help her with something, that wasn't my job, and was less than kind to me when asking. I would have helped her if she'd have been nice about it. So, I pretty much ignored her for a few weeks. Finally she came to Nashville and she looked me up. She asked me why I hadn't answered her. I looked at her and asked her if I could explain something to her. With a surprised look, she said, "sure". I then asked her if she knew what a totem pole was. She replied with "yes". I proceded to tell her that the people I answer to or REALLY care about were the head at the top. That head would include my supervisor, my wife, and my children. I also told her that the people are less important to me as you go down the totem pole. I then asked her if she knew where she was on my totem pole. She said "no". I then said, "you are the feet". She looked at me with this incredulous look and stomped off. I never did help her, nor did she ask me to. Now that I think about it, I don't recollect her ever speaking to me again. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley P Posted September 30, 2023 Share Posted September 30, 2023 ^ Ouch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted October 28, 2023 Share Posted October 28, 2023 (edited) I almost bought a new motorcycle today. I have kinda outgrown my Kawasaki Versys-x 300. It is slow and kinda inadequate on the rougher back roads. I've been looking at midsize adventure bikes. I've seen a Suzuki V-strom 800DE, Aprillia Tuareg 660, and a Yamaha Tenere 700. I've sat on all 3, but haven't ridden them. I've also been looking at the new Honda 750XL Transalp. I heard that they had 2 of them at Columbia Powersports, so my riding buddy and I rode over to see them. I really liked the riding position and the overall look. The salesman asked me if I wanted to test ride it. SURE! I rode it around the old mall loop and love it. The engine is a parallel twin and I love it. The transmission shifts smooth especially with the quick shifter. It's a great bike. The sticker price is $9999, which makes it the cheapest of the 4 bikes. It has my favorite riding position, but it is less capable off road than the others. For the kind of riding I do (dirt/chert/gravel), I think it will be a huge upgrade over what I have. I'm not going to single track it or ride over boulders. I hate the look of the Suzuki. The Aprillia is the most expensive, but offers the most. However, it's an Italian motorcycle and less reliable. The Yamaha is awesome and probably the most capable off road. It's top heavy and tall. It's probably the best bang for the buck with the 4 bikes. I'm not a fan of the riding position. It's only $500 more than the Honda. It was in the lead, but I think it is probably too much bike. I would never push it near its limits. Back to the Honda. Reliability? It's a Honda...duh. It has the least ground clearance of the 4 bikes, but a skid plate would probably help and keep the oil pan and exhaust from being damaged. The salesman asked me if I'd buy it for a good deal. Well, tell me what you got. He offered me $3000 for my Kawasaki, which is twice what I was expecting him to offer. He shot me an OTD price of $8500. After a little back and forth in text messages, he knocked it down to $7995. He waived the delivery and setup fees! My wife said she is cool with it, so I almost jumped on it. I told her that I would buy a bike next year, so I really don't want to spend the money right now. We've just spent a lot of money on house upgrades and a new bedroom suit this year. I would have no problem paying cash, but feel kinda guilty spending the money, I guess. Edited October 28, 2023 by Kevin 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstrpth Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 On 10/28/2023 at 6:43 PM, Kevin said: but I think it is probably too much bike. I would never push it near its limits. Pretty sure you said this about the first one too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 (edited) 10 hours ago, mstrpth said: Pretty sure you said this about the first one too. I didn't think I would at first, but I knew I would outgrow it sooner or later. It just happened soomer than I thought. Edited October 30, 2023 by Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 Well, the salesman texted me this morning, as I thought he would. I asked him for the $7995 OTD plus they throw in a Honda bash guard and charge port. That's around $550 worth of parts retail. I told him he could hand them to me in a box. I'm not sure what the invoice price is on parts. We are at "I'll see what I can do tomorrow morning and get back to you". 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley P Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 https://www.neom.com/en-us/about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disney Posted November 2, 2023 Share Posted November 2, 2023 On 10/28/2023 at 6:43 PM, Kevin said: I almost bought a new motorcycle today. I have kinda outgrown my Kawasaki Versys-x 300. It is slow and kinda inadequate on the rougher back roads. I've been looking at midsize adventure bikes. I've seen a Suzuki V-strom 800DE, Aprillia Tuareg 660, and a Yamaha Tenere 700. I've sat on all 3, but haven't ridden them. I've also been looking at the new Honda 750XL Transalp. I heard that they had 2 of them at Columbia Powersports, so my riding buddy and I rode over to see them. I really liked the riding position and the overall look. The salesman asked me if I wanted to test ride it. SURE! I rode it around the old mall loop and love it. The engine is a parallel twin and I love it. The transmission shifts smooth especially with the quick shifter. It's a great bike. The sticker price is $9999, which makes it the cheapest of the 4 bikes. It has my favorite riding position, but it is less capable off road than the others. For the kind of riding I do (dirt/chert/gravel), I think it will be a huge upgrade over what I have. I'm not going to single track it or ride over boulders. I hate the look of the Suzuki. The Aprillia is the most expensive, but offers the most. However, it's an Italian motorcycle and less reliable. The Yamaha is awesome and probably the most capable off road. It's top heavy and tall. It's probably the best bang for the buck with the 4 bikes. I'm not a fan of the riding position. It's only $500 more than the Honda. It was in the lead, but I think it is probably too much bike. I would never push it near its limits. Back to the Honda. Reliability? It's a Honda...duh. It has the least ground clearance of the 4 bikes, but a skid plate would probably help and keep the oil pan and exhaust from being damaged. The salesman asked me if I'd buy it for a good deal. Well, tell me what you got. He offered me $3000 for my Kawasaki, which is twice what I was expecting him to offer. He shot me an OTD price of $8500. After a little back and forth in text messages, he knocked it down to $7995. He waived the delivery and setup fees! My wife said she is cool with it, so I almost jumped on it. I told her that I would buy a bike next year, so I really don't want to spend the money right now. We've just spent a lot of money on house upgrades and a new bedroom suit this year. I would have no problem paying cash, but feel kinda guilty spending the money, I guess. Didn't @JohnC spend a lot of words telling you this would happen and to get a bigger bike? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disney Posted November 2, 2023 Share Posted November 2, 2023 On 9/28/2023 at 7:41 PM, RaceAll said: Not to brag or anything, but I actually really enjoy my job. I have great people around me, the whole company (approx. 1100 people) acts like a big family, pay is good, and I have a four day work week. I couldn't ask for much more. Then, I have the church. Things are amazing, there, as well. x2. I really love my job. Yeah, there are times I struggle, but I work through them. I'm able to work VO whenever I need and usually go in the office 1 day a week. I feel the company values me and the work I do. I have been getting increasing responsibilities the last couple of years, but with that comes less mundane work (if that exists in my role). Granted, I say all this and i've been the busiest i've ever been since May and every time I think it might let up, something new pops up. It does help time go by! My company pays me well for what I do, lots of fringe benefits, and perks too. 4 years ago, I was actively looking for a new job outside the company. I was able to switch roles and departments and now I love my job. This satisfaction comes from the top down though, and I have a great director at the top of my department. Even if his boss is difficult, he takes it for us and goes to bat for us. If any of the BS rolls down hill, he's already turned it into bite sized pieces. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstrpth Posted November 2, 2023 Share Posted November 2, 2023 9 hours ago, Disney said: This satisfaction comes from the top down though, and I have a great director at the top of my department. Even if his boss is difficult, he takes it for us and goes to bat for us. If any of the BS rolls down hill, he's already turned it into bite sized pieces. This is key Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley P Posted November 2, 2023 Share Posted November 2, 2023 What if you've been a mechanic for 25+ years and the folks you work for now are set to retire soon? Buy the business? Change careers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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