Started My New Job

I noticed after I left OEMA that my custom JavaScript that I wrote for one of the online applications had my comments cut out. I always try to comment on my work so others who maintain the software understand it and can contact me if they either don't understand it or are having difficulties with it. Thus, it irked me to see that; then you wonder why I had no problems leaving there! I have been at my new position for about 8 months now and thought I'd put in for a higher level here. Of course I though it would be nice to include some previous works, yet when I visited the OEMA sites on the public network, to my surprised they have been TRASHED! I basically automated several sites and explained thoroughly how it worked. Even a static site for the public, which composed of some 500 pages and many more doucments can be changed in one place, not 500! But naturally, it has been ripped up. Besides the automation, I compacted much of the client code and scripting code to make the job easier and less redundant. Server processing was lessened, network bandwidth was tramatically reduced (from compaction and page.caching), and web accessibility was developed so everyone could use the sites. Yet those people much higher than me don't understand, now have trashed it so they have job security and little other responcibilities. What was a 5 minute job a week is now a fulltime position. I am not into critisizing others, but that is a waste of my time and tax payer money. I don't even feel comfortable acknowledging that work anymore. Not all is bad, my new position isn't too bad; challenging at first, now becoming easier and much more productive.

Yep, I am doing a transfer to the Ohio Department of Public Safety from the Ohio Emergency Management Agency. Pretty excited, should be able to learn a lot and move up the ladder until it is time to turn in.

Oh, yea, I did the entire OEMA website, except for the first or portal page and some others in the back; nice to get back to some real programming for a change.

Six months have come and gone and I still feel like a new employee. But I have enjoyed my position so far and excited about the future. My feeling is that it was a good decision to ground my career with the state rather than do consulting positions that aren't so stable.

It is nice to have health insurance and tuition reimbursement, and very nice to get a raise for being me rather than having to save burning babies out of buildings or some or super natural feat. So I am now an advocate of unions, I work in one and know that I don't have to be scared of losing my job and know they will take care of me; unlike most private companies. So I guess I can forget about working at McDonald's or Walmart when I am a senior, I'm retiring in 24 years and 6 months and don't have to worry anymore about it!

Eighth week is gone with the wind. Not bad so far, I do have some work to do this weekend; off the clock. They have a very important Windows program written in VB 3.0, yes that's VB 3 ☻. I am supposed to make some layout changes to print in landscape format; unfortunately the deprecated VB 3.0 printer.orientation is not comprehended my the printer drivers. See back in the stone age, 12 years ago when the VB 3.0 was still going and when the program was printed the OS talked to the printer, not the driver talking to the printer; consequently creating a no win circumstance for me. And the nice thing is that I am going on 4 years of Web Development, mostly in VBS 5.0, VB.Net and a very minute amount of VB6 with a smaller amount of WinApps, so this should be fun!

So this weekend I will install VB6 and then VB3 so I can port the VB3 prog to VB6, then hopefully get it to VB7, also know as VB.Net so I can utilize its robust language.

Since I have spring fever as well as grad school fever I guess it's time to reinstall Java and brush up on that so I'll be ready if I can find someone who'll teach me. I think I'll be able to, have a couple in mind and will probably put together a letter and application very soon to get the ball rolling.

Yep, into my 6th week already! Things have gone well so far, have taken on more responcibilities and getting to understand the goings on of the agency. I have to admit I am surprised, normally when I work somewhere I feel conflicts with one or more of my fellow employees, but at EMA I don't have any of that. Everyone is polite and respectful, easy going and neighborly

I actually have a bit of excitement every morning, which I haven't had in awhile. We'll see what happens, I am actually busy and have some crucial projects to complete, but again things couldn't be better.