I Called In Sick Today

[beans-n-icewater 18]

Never fear...Mr. Las Vegas will soon be hereIve intended to go into fine detail about how strat can survive on pennies a day in the middle of the desert but at the moment my cup runnith over. Literally.Many fires to put out....also part literally... but Ill find the time late tonight. Keep refreshing that page. Youll probably get in four to five reloads before I log back on around midnight. MaybeAlso in the works is my personal recomendations on another sickies upcoming vacation. Ive only traveled that route via air and two wheeler but hopefully some assistance will be given...Did I mention that the fridge in the shop quit? The one full of deer heads waiting for the taxidermist? The ones that stunk so bad when the door was opened that the smoke detectors went off?Currently the wife is investigating if our policy covers hazmat operations....

[beans-n-icewater 18]

AND NOBODY DARE TALK STRAT OUTTA THE VEGAS JOB!Im working with discovery channel as we speak on a new reality program. Just trying to figure out how to get the required number of episodes in for syndication before he dies

[ShakeZuma 585]

haha

I'm not sure if you want honesty, or if you want us to pander to you.Part of me wants you to go, because it will be entertaining.But the serious side of me can't believe some of the decisions you have made. I think the biggest one that stood out was refusing to call back the firm who placed you in the temp job. You have quit a couple jobs with nothing to go to. You have high expectations for what you can do and should receive, but you haven't done anything to prove yourself.Sorry if I am being too harsh. We all know you are smart. You could probably do very well in a world that could utilize your technical analysis. Unfortunately, you have to exude a personality that makes people want to hire you and give you a shot. If they think you are just going to bolt to the next thing, then people are not going to hire you. I could be wrong, but if any part of the disdain you show on here eeks out of you at your jobs or interviews then you are doing yourself a disservice.Hiring firms have 1,000s of options right now, don't give them reasons not to like/hire you.As for this Vegas thing, I would guess you would end the 3-6 months there a net negative money wise.If it were me, in your shoes, I would garner as much experience as you could, keep in good relationship with the HR firms and keep them working for you to find a good permanent job. It was just last year you could not find any job besides McD's oryour parents, now you have had multiple opportunities. Granted, they have been shit jobs, but it's not like they are landscaping jobs.

whoa whoa whoa, let's save the serious advice for me. we're trying to get strat to vegas here.

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

But the serious side of me can't believe some of the decisions you have made. I think the biggest one that stood out was refusing to call back the firm who placed you in the temp job. You have quit a couple jobs with nothing to go to. You have high expectations for what you can do and should receive, but you haven't done anything to prove yourself.Sorry if I am being too harsh. We all know you are smart. You could probably do very well in a world that could utilize your technical analysis. Unfortunately, you have to exude a personality that makes people want to hire you and give you a shot. If they think you are just going to bolt to the next thing, then people are not going to hire you. I could be wrong, but if any part of the disdain you show on here eeks out of you at your jobs or interviews then you are doing yourself a disservice.Hiring firms have 1,000s of options right now, don't give them reasons not to like/hire you.As for this Vegas thing, I would guess you would end the 3-6 months there a net negative money wise.If it were me, in your shoes, I would garner as much experience as you could, keep in good relationship with the HR firms and keep them working for you to find a good permanent job. It was just last year you could not find any job besides McD's oryour parents, now you have had multiple opportunities. Granted, they have been shit jobs, but it's not like they are landscaping jobs.

they do not field phone calls from every temp they've placed on every friday. there is literally no way that happens. I exaggerated my email back to her, but the gist of it was, just email me, it's worlds easier. I think that is completely reasonable.no one has allowed me to prove myself. getting in the door anywhere is impossible. this job is not in the door. this is being a bitch for a company that knows they can just cycle an infinite number of temps and save money until the job market improves. their policy is for every temp to do two contracts (a full year) before getting the ability to apply for full-time status. and that's actually kind of a joke, because there's a woman in my department on her fourth contract...I'd have a different attitude if the job had any positive aspects to it. like, if there was some actual possibility of a career path, or if the pay was reasonable, or if the commute wasn't idiotic. basically, the only reason I'd be staying would be to network through my five coworkers+boss. that MIGHT be worth it, but then again, why am I not just moving to chicago to do this on steroids, nearer to where actual trading happens?I know you bring up the dot com bubble when I say you don't understand the complete lack of opportunity out there, but what happened to shake and I and everyone else in my age group that went into business is a completely different animal.

[Ron_Mexico 4,219]

To be fair...East High is full of blacks and brvs team had probably never seen one before and was obviously shaken.

That's even worse. Down here, the all or mostly black schools are terrible at baseball

Yes, that was on purpose."You can stuff your sorries in a sack, Mister!" is one of my favorite Seinfeld lines. Also, that episode probably deserves consideration for the Mt. Rushmore

Which ep is that? I know the ref but can't place it. And while Ocho's advice my be semi ok on the surface, I would gather its a lot more nuanced. Screw it, he's young, smart and always has the parent fall back thing.

[Ron_Mexico 4,219]

Also, excellent work Beansey.

[DJ Vu 176]

It's the India one that works backwards.Also, has any recommended to strat that he pull himself up by the bootstraps? I think he should pull himself up by the bootstraps.

[Ron_Mexico 4,219]

Ahhhh, sorries. Gotcha. Timberlands. Candy bar heiress and Peter/Pinter. I think that was the grooms Indian name.

[ShakeZuma 585]

see the truth is between ocho and ie's posts. yeah, the job market for people with <10 years experience is one where there are opportunities to "work," but lots and lots of difficulty for a "career." it's part the fact that, like strat said, companies can get by with a combo of poorly trained temps that they never intend to hire and forcing full time employees to simply produce more, and part the fact that there's just an absolute plethora of highly trained unemployed people out there looking for jobs so it's near impossible to even get notices (though being currently employed does help). however, I think strat is really underestimating what his current position can lead to. I understand a year is a long time, but just because the other jack legs you work with don't get hired to do something else doesn't mean you can't. and unless you're in a separate building of only temps doing what you do with absolutely no contact with other departments, then you will get noticed if you go the extra mile (a lot). but you have to do that even though you're not getting paid what you deserve: you have to ask for more work, look for improvements on your own, hell, suck up, and you'll have to do it all for a while. but thems the breaks.but I think the thing that worries me the most about the vegas job is how are you going to explain that piece of your resume when you're interviewing for something aftwards? aren't you at a trading firm now? even if you aren't doing what you want to do, you're still going to have to explain how you had your foot in the door, then backed out to go to some completely unrelated contract position in vegas. and that's if you're resume get's passed the hr rep, which it probably wouldn't. however, you stay at the trading place, even if your'e doing shit data entry, you still have that name up at the top, and you'll still be able to spin it well and show how you've progressed and things you've accomplished. I just think the vegas thing is a shitty long term move.

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

this isn't a trading firm. it's a data entry arm of an accounting shop that happens to process trades. zero knowledge of finance or anything at all required.

[ShakeZuma 585]

doesn't matter if finance knowledge is required, it's about the name. is it a recognizable name you could use? everything after that is all spin. always is. your finance knowledge is from your degree, you don't necessarily have to use that in what you do. what you do (i.e what goes on your resume) shows your initiative, your ability to learn, your flexibility, really your total value. that's what companies care about when they hire, not whether you worked at such and such division at such and such company.edit: not to say that having "trader at goldman" doesn't help, cause of course it does, but since nobody here went to harvard business, that ain't gonna happen.

[Tiltinagain 973]

I know you bring up the dot com bubble when I say you don't understand the complete lack of opportunity out there, but what happened to shake and I and everyone else in my age group that went into business is a completely different animal.

Heh, it's not just your age group. After going on 9 months of unemployment, I'm having to look at moving to places like freaking Mississippi to find a position at the same level and reasonably close income to what I've done for the last 8 plus years.

That's even worse. Down here, the all or mostly black schools are terrible at baseball

That's because all the real athletes are playing basketball and football. Who is the last black "star" baseball player, bonds?

doesn't matter if finance knowledge is required, it's about the name. is it a recognizable name you could use? everything after that is all spin. always is. your finance knowledge is from your degree, you don't necessarily have to use that in what you do. what you do (i.e what goes on your resume) shows your initiative, your ability to learn, your flexibility, really your total value. that's what companies care about when they hire, not whether you worked at such and such division at such and such company.edit: not to say that having "trader at goldman" doesn't help, cause of course it does, but since nobody here went to harvard business, that ain't gonna happen.

Wow. I'm not used to all this serious, grown up talk that el Ocho and shake are bringing today. They both bring up really, really good points though.

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

I keep coming back to asking why I'm not doing this in chicago instead of KC. I don't really think it'd be a big deal to bail on state street. it's a temp job, it's designed so that either party can step away if they're unhappy.

[JubilantLankyLad 1,957]

I love it when Shake posts good job advice.No, wait, no I don't. It confuses my worldview. I fear change!

[Tiltinagain 973]

I agree about bailing on the temp job. The fact is, you haven't been there long enough, that if you were to leave now, you'd even need to put it on your resume.Shake and Ocho made good points as I said before. The fact is you've got to do what you want to do. You're not happy where you are and, from personal experience, there is nothing worse than having a job you loath. And like you said before, maybe taking a short term trip to LV out on your own will give you the confidence or whatever it is you need to move to Chicago or somewhere else where you can persue the career you really want to do.

[beans-n-icewater 18]

we're trying to get strat to vegas here.

Thank you

Also, excellent work Beansey.

:bigtoothygrinface:Also... Andre, Cooks, or Arbor Mist?And the room requests was sweet in a weird way...I didnt even have to know the name it was booked under.....it was way too obvious

I just think the vegas thing is a shitty long term move.

What the hell....Alright, Im about to begin paying strat back for the abundance of information he relayed about his local casinos but I dont want to waste it if hes not goingIll grab a bite to eat and cover the necessities first before venturing out further.... actually Im just writing out what I can before I fall asleep at the keyboard

[runthemover 39]

If I said I sent this as a PM to someone and they might've been inspired to post something else on this subject earlier today then I'd totally be lyingPay is $15-17 an hour, we could fly you to SoCal for training and getyou an extended stay hotel or you could stay with me for a few days,and then get you a hotel in Vegas until you found a place. [me2]: off to a wonderful startJob couldbe anywhere from 3-6 months, but they can't guarantee things won't gobad and end at anytime. [me2]: it somehow got worseWe expect it to go for 3-6 months tho. Workhours would probably go from 5-1 or 6-2 to beat the heat so you'd havea lot of afternoon free time. [me2]: well it's 8 hours at least. or maybe 7 paid depending on lunch/breaksThe guy we had out there went down inflames, he had no experience and a possible learning disability so youcould tell he wasn't experienced. We promised to send someoneexperienced out there and it was obvious he wasn't. [me2]: they made a promise and they broke it. you're promising him (strat) nothing. conclusion: strat will have to work a second job to pay the first job for the hours he's working. hopefully the second job has air conditioningYou're capable of learning the concepts in a week and going out andacting very experienced so I'm not worried about that. [me2]: we're ok lying a second timeThere would bea little faking though on your part. [me2]: I guess that's status quo for real jobs.If you're interested and have adecent phone interview you could be out here next week if that worksfor you. Let me know what you think and think of any questions youmight have, I'll try to answer them for ya. [me2]: I think you're like a coffee table book about coffee tables but the legs are broken and the pages are all stained. your job is to get people jobs and to fill jobs for companies but you suck, sir/madam/gaylord

[beans-n-icewater 18]

Alright... this is intended to be a summary but you all know how I enjoy rambling. Plus I drank all day in hot weather and Im cramping like a mofo. Not sure how that relates but throwin it out there just because...First off, you need a car. One with air conditioning. That works. Excellently. Vegas is the least pedestrian friendly city in the world. Its amazing that almost all tourists fly in and cab it everywhere, but they do. Probably even more so now that they moved the car rental places off McCarran. If you have one now just drive it out there and make them reimburse the fuel. If you dont holy shit what the hell. Its time to make the plunge. Get it in MO and tag it there since I dont think you guys have smog tests and the registration cost has to be lower. Same reason my cars all have AR plates. No smog and twenty five dollar registration anually. You wont be harrassed by the cops since so many folks drive from all over the country out there.Plus you can clean it up and sell it when the job is done and keep footing it if ya want. Maybe make a few bucks in the process. Get something cheap on gas because its not out thereNow we move on to accommodations...It is entirely possible to stay in a decent place complete with a buffet, water, sewer, electric, soap, shampoo, and maid service for thirty bucks a day or less. Yes, Im speaking of in a casino. Not on the strip of course...who in their right mind would want to stay there anyway. Many options around the valley like Railroad Pass, Hacienda, Buffalo Bills, Whiskey Petes, Gold Strike, etc, etc....Sit at the poker table for a few hours or so and ask for a room break. At the very least get a meal comp. These joints are hurting now and are really handing out the goods to keep asses in chairs. All are within a half hour or less depending on traffic. Bills, Petes, and Gold Strike are best got to by driving straight south on LVB on Sundays. Same for returning on Fri evenings. Damn fornians anyways.... Closer in but riskier are a few joints north of downtown. Fri and Sat are usually pricier even at the sawdust joints but if you arent working a jaunt to Mesquite, Laughlin, Searchlight, etc for some exploring will be super cheap.Plus the best part will be not be meeting me because unfortunately I wont be in town that week...So if you have plenty of spare time in the evenings until beddy bye then a place to stay and meals could be virtually all free.... especially if youre good at pokerI have one gal that keeps an eye on various joints in town for times that we bring in subs. Usually put the up at the strike since its remote and little chance of having to bail them out during their stay. According to her the best value around now is at the Plaza downtown. Brand new remodeled rooms using furnishing from the bankrupt fountainblu for like twenty five bucks a night. Im sure fri and sat arent that cheap, thoughIn part two we'll cover other ways to make a few bucks to cover expenses out there...You have a spiderman costume??

[beans-n-icewater 18]

Oh before I go beddy bye one more thing before I forget.... this may help all of you one dayIf you intend to use you play at a property to knock the price down or get it free, never book it through a third party like the one that captain kirk barks for. Orbits or something I think. No matterMy host and floor buddies are always talking about upset patrons when they find out that all they can get is free grub instead of a room because they saved five bucks by booking somewhere elseIll also cover how to get a better rating and more comps without betting at that level....For those of you out there who want even more in depth knowledge that isnt covered here, I suggest you joint VegasVT©®FIRST MONTH IS FREE!*Lessons begin in month two

[JubilantLankyLad 1,957]

Never book hotels through anything but the hotel directly. They pay 25% or more in commission to OTAs (online travel agents) and will almost always be willing and able to beat any price offered such a website if you call them directly (but can't admit to it publicly!). And yeah, once you've booked through an OTA, there's not much the hotel can do to help you out...

[Essay21 2,385]

feeling like shakey over here. went to sleep at 10:30 last night and woke at 4:30.

[ShakeZuma 585]

if you're feeling like me today then you should also barely be able to move from total body soreness. I worked on the united way day of caring thing yesterday. they have that in other places? not sure if it's just local or not. but either way, it's where a bunch of local businesses take the day and volunteer for various united way projects, like cleaning up parks or helping at daycares and shit like that. my group worked at a daycare. half the team cleaned toys while the other half (me of course) worked on the playground, dissassembling old equipment and shoveling several tons of gravel. really makes me glad I don't work in a physical labor job even though I make shit money. screw that.bright spot though was that this intern chick, one that worked for us last year and came back again this year, was there, and I swear to god she flirted with me all day. normally I'm pretty oblivious to stuff like that or missread the signs alltogether, but I swear it seemed like she was. probably wrong but it was still nice anyways.

[Tiltinagain 973]

So obv you got her number and asked her out to "dinner" Friday night, right?Heh

[brvheart 1,752]

So obv you got her number and asked her out to "dinner" Friday night, right?Heh

There is no way Shake put the moves on her and got her number. Who do you think he is? NapaDon?!

[DJ Vu 176]

Also... Andre, Cooks, or Arbor Mist?

Haha

my group worked at a daycare. half the team cleaned toys while the other half (me of course) worked on the playground, dissassembling old equipment and shoveling several tons of gravel. really makes me glad I don't work in a physical labor job even though I make shit money. screw that.

Whoa, they let you around kids?