New job or nightmare?

[hool10]

Ok so I'm in a bit of jam here and I'm just wondering what you folks might do, may have been in, or are in. I have been laid off since March 28 and had a few job offers as a welder but I'm leaning more to a robotic welding operator. I turned offers down because it wasn't what I wanted and the shop was cruddy. Anyways fast forward to late August and I get an interview for a corporation through a temp agency. This place literally has everything. They give me everything I want and then some and the highest pay for myself to date. Fast forward to the starting of this week, and 3-4 other candidates that didn't make the cut, I get the job!

Now I have had prior experience with a company like this yet there are normal hours at this company. Now this is part of my jam. I have to make 100 of these parts every day. I actually jokingly thought of Walter White making Crystal Meth and his predicament. These parts go to machine's and they have to have 1000 on hand at any time so they like to have 1,500. Now my foreman said it will get easier as I go along and I will hit that mark. I actually put out 137 parts half done in 3 hours and this is day 3! It hit me though that doing this every single day is just impossible physically and mentally.

Part 2 of my jam is getting home from this job. It's near Salem, MA and it's about a 42min drive. Going home though it feels like your driving 30MPH in an Indy Car race ("Don't Fear the Reaper" actually started playing yesterday when this happened on the radio) but most importantly is the traffic. This traffic is really a killer on time, gas, and wear on my car. I have to figure something out on this but either way, it's bad. In fact it takes me 1 hour to get home.

Now to wrap this all up I have been warned by my temp agency about this company. I already told myself today that I'll give it my best shot putting the parts out and they can let me go if they want. My foreman said he did this for 6 months (I hope it won't last that long for me). He also said he wants to buy a new robotic welding arm for me, that I would probably pick it out, and I would be the robot guy *cough*WalterWhite*cough*. Provided I like the company and survive. Anyways my temp agency has said that this company spits out rookies all the time. The last guy actually was my age and he just didn't show up for work one day. Then I just found out who he was as a high school friend of mine on Facebook. Another friend also worked at the company and met the same fate. My friend only lasted 8 months and holds a grudge in fact against my foreman now. Just knowing this now makes me feel uncomfortable.

What would be your take on this scenario folks? Oh and there are 4 other people with me in my department but only the rookie gets the cruddy 100 parts per day job.

 

[Raziaar]

So in other words, you're going to get executed in a back alley somewhere? We'll miss you hool. Those other guys didn't have a chance, and neither do you.

WHY'D YOU HAVE TO GET IN WITH THE WRONG CROWD MAN!? WHY!?

But seriously, shit does get easier, but repetitive jobs are mind numbingly boring. You get faster at it, but sometimes it's also couneracted by how boring it is. I dunno though, I do much more boring data entry and not welding shit for a drug cartel... so yours probably is much more physically and emotionally demanding.

Just hang in there, if you can't take it, you can't take it. Don't kill yourself trying to. Be honest with your supervisor, tell him if shit's too unrealistic unless you work at an absolute breakneck and reckless pace every second of the day. Companies that leave no breathing room for stuff like that are terrible anyway.

 

[Krynn72]

Raz has my thoughts on it exactly. Try it out, see if you actually don't like it before assuming you do. If it turns out you don't like it despite being able to keep up, ask around for advancement opportunities. If there are none, start saving up some monies and quit. If you can't keep up, see if theres a way to ease the load, if there isn't, then quit (unless they plan on laying you off, then just get laid off). You don't want to fall behind so bad that they fire you.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

I'd quit. But I'm in no position to be talking about jobs.

 

[Adabiviak]

Is there an awkward situation with your friends about asking them why they left?
If you manage to crank out 100 of these items in less than 8 hours (I'm guessing that's your shift), will you still get paid for 8 hours? Some jobs where I work have incentives like that.

 

[sinkoman]

Granted, I know nothing about welding, but i'm sure it can't be that bad. I know this thread isn't about me, but I do some of the most mind numbingly repetitive and boring shit in the world, on top of the most blazing hot warehouses you can imagine, with a 30 minutes to work, and 45 to an hour back home commute time (with a lot of the guys I work with going an hour + both ways daily), and I probably make a fraction of what you're making right now. I say, unless you're like a journeyman/certified welder, and thus in a position to pick and choose job offers as you see fit (which from your description sounds like it may very well be the case), you may as well stick it out until something better comes your way. Work is work man, and even if you just get fed up and dig out, I don't think you really stand to loose very much if you just try it out. I mean, even if it sucks, at least you're making money.

What exactly is it that you're building?

 

[Krynn72]

What exactly is it that you're building?

Meth lab equipment.

 

[Eejit]

Perhaps it is both a new job and a nightmare?

 

[ríomhaire]

Repetitive jobs are a bitch. If you're allowed bring in a radio and listen to something. I found it helps pass the time.

 

[unozero]

shit man I envy for having a skill set...I think half of america would kill to have a skill like that and get job offers.I know people that have written 50-70 app and sent out resumes and shit.Times are tough if I was I would just be a trooper annd try it out for a while.

 

[morgs]

Repetitive jobs are a bitch. If you're allowed bring in a radio and listen to something. I found it helps pass the time.

Tell me about it. The only thing that changes about my job each day is the date. I'd listen to an ipod or something if it were allowed.

 

[Hectic Glenn]

It sounds, based on the amount of rookies which don't make the grade, to be a 6 month probationary period test to see if you've got the stamina and drive to make it in the company. Last in the door ends up with the crappy jobs but a lot of those people aren't up for the challenge and will just quit. Since it is a big company I would recommend you persevere for a couple months and show them you can consistently hit that target and be reliable and they will see you're not just some young irresponsible lad. That is probably why he gave you the 6 month target too. I would say knuckle down and do it to begin with, motivate yourself with reward of a much nicer job after.

Be careful though, if you're really good they might try push you to keep doing for 7 months. Getting in a new rookie will be much slower than you and they may try and squeeze an extra few weeks from you. Don't let them take control, late in the 4th month ask what could be happening post 6 months. If they aren't forward about it mention your agency has other positions which you're going to look into. If you've passed their test in the last 5 months of working hard, they won't want you to go and will move you onto better things, hopefully that cool sounding robotic arm.

As for the journey...what can you do, rush hour is rush hour. Trains? Ask to start earlier to leave earlier to miss peak traffic times?

 

[dfc05]

I agree that you should keep trying at least for a while. If it starts draining on your health and they don't help improve working conditions, then quit. My impression of welding is that it can be a pretty strenuous job? so it'd be bad to overexert yourself and end up with problems that don't go away after the job. It'd be pretty crappy if the company's unofficial policy is to use up a bunch of temps and then spit them out as soon as they're too tired or pissed off to work anymore.

As for repetitive jobs, I'm a little ashamed to admit I actually enjoy repetitive (but non-strenuous) activities like stuffing envelopes or sorting papers. Sometimes it's nice to go on autopilot and not have to think for a while. Also, high-volume jobs make me feel more accomplished, like "I just stuffed and sorted 200 envelopes!" instead of "I spent all day getting 1 data set which is total crap and makes no sense."

 

[Lucid]

I think you should just stay there for your probationary period and see where it goes.
Though, that 40 minute drive would be unacceptable for me especially since I have an older car.

 

[CptStern]

Now I have had prior experience with a company like this yet there are normal hours at this company. Now this is part of my jam. I have to make 100 of these parts every day. I actually jokingly thought of Walter White making Crystal Meth and his predicament. These parts go to machine's and they have to have 1000 on hand at any time so they like to have 1,500. Now my foreman said it will get easier as I go along and I will hit that mark. I actually put out 137 parts half done in 3 hours and this is day 3! It hit me though that doing this every single day is just impossible physically and mentally.

Part 2 of my jam is getting home from this job. It's near Salem, MA and it's about a 42min drive. Going home though it feels like your driving 30MPH in an Indy Car race ("Don't Fear the Reaper" actually started playing yesterday when this happened on the radio) but most importantly is the traffic. This traffic is really a killer on time, gas, and wear on my car. I have to figure something out on this but either way, it's bad. In fact it takes me 1 hour to get home.

you've been out of work since march and you're complaining about the commute? sheesh welcome to the real world. the job is repetative because that's the nature of the job: you're manufacturing parts

 

[hool10]

Ah thanks for the replies folks, it means so much to me. These parts go to machines that prevent vibrations. Have a laser or something that is sensitive to seismic activity? A lot of businesses and universities want them. The parts I make are sorta simple. You have to assemble them, add 3, 1" welds, then once 100 are done you have to seal them up. Most people can't make the welds good or would turn the part into molten ooze. I was thinking about it today and I'm positive I now know what hazing is. People shouldn't be hazed especially at work. I have had a job like this before (another corporation) and I got laid off from it. My last job I was making parts to save soldier lives and my foreman basically said "make as many as you can" because these parts were critical. This corporation is just like "get them done fast crappy even though we put tons of pressure on them". I actually loved my last job as it was a medium sized company. I asked a guy if this would stop in a month and he said "no, it's every day". I mean they have a f'ing robot and they just hired a temp that knows how to program it! Only 1 guy does this every day and it's always the new guy meanwhile the rest get to jerk off most of the day.

Now something tells me from prior experience from my last corp is this is what they do. They hire the temp, temp gets burned out and quits. This prevents the corp from having to pay for unemployment and they bring in the next gullible person. The whole robot thing I think was a scam to get me in. Those 3-4 other potential candidates most likely said "I can't do 100 parts a day" and I said "I probably can't but I'll try". I never was supposed to move up. Tomorrow is the last day of the first week and it feels like I joined the Army. What I will most likely do is try to work this out with my foreman because he seems like a reasonable guy. My gut feeling is he will say it is, what it is, and I'm going to have to put in a 2 week notice. Hopefully they let me go instantly and call up 1 of the candidates.

Driving conditions I actually found a route today that would take me only 45min which is much more tolerable.

Somebody mentioned a radio or iPod and something actually funny happened. I'm trying to think why is this happening to me when this guy smiles and hands me a paper. I'm thinking it's some paycheck or something good. It's a memo on radio usage conditions. It says that all radios have preset stations and only certain stations can be listened to on certain days. There are other rules as well such as "don't have it too loud", etc. I listen to an old rock radio station and I like to listen to the early morning talk show on it (everybody from my last work listened to it as well so everybody was happy). That policy really confirmed my suspicions on this corp.

 

[Raziaar]

See my boss is awesome. We just had a talk today based on an e-mail I had sent her being honest about my growing workload and responsibilities and my inability to keep up with my previous responsibilities.

She liked the honesty and understood completely and we're going to get my goals and shit restructured to be more realistic and fitting in with my new important responsibilities.

May not have a cool boss like that as a temp... but it couldn't hurt. I'd stick with it for a while though first to see how you adapt over time... and maybe try to pry into a little bit of how well previous candidates and job holders did being able to maintain the workload for long durations.