And I think it's this kind of attitude they want to weed out.
You are not above the "lowly" factory workers. You were hired to be a part of a team that manufactures and sells a product.
A degree doesn't give you inherent superiority over any one single worker in that place. You contribute no more to that company than anyone else, barring any sort of slacker.
No, no college degree yet, but I am doing that part time while working full time and raising two children.
I started at my company fixing phones for customers, and through various promotions I now work in network engineering. My experience has definitely made me a more well rounded employee to the point than many managers have praised me for my knowledge of the industry.
Without either a cushion of $$$ and/or a free place to stay to fall back on, I probably would have stuck it out long enough to either get to the sales job or find a different job. I'm sure the work sucked, but income is better than no income.
My theory is that the company needed another person on the line more than they needed another salesman in the near term. One or more of their line workers quit, was fired, was injured (a real possibility), or for some other reason wasn't going to come back to work. They figured it could take up to 5 weeks to find new people, so they decided to stick the OP on the line in the interim. I wouldn't put it past the manager of a smaller, non-Union company. In a Union facility, this sort of shit wouldn't fly.
That being said, kudos to the OP for knowing what his limits were and taking a stand for himself and his career.
R
My theory is that the company needed another person on the line more than they needed another salesman in the near term. One or more of their line workers quit, was fired, was injured (a real possibility), or for some other reason wasn't going to come back to work. They figured it could take up to 5 weeks to find new people, so they decided to stick the OP on the line in the interim. I wouldn't put it past the manager of a smaller, non-Union company. In a Union facility, this sort of shit wouldn't fly.
That being said, kudos to the OP for knowing what his limits were and taking a stand for himself and his career.
R
DrPizza
Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Maybe they hand picked you as the right person to mold into an employee who could fill some pretty big shoes later on? By customizing all your training and getting you to know more about the place and understand the entire process from start to end, they were sculpting you into the perfect employee who would advance very far within the company. You blew it.
I have a PhD and I wouldn't be above picking up garbage or cleaning the toilets if that is what it took to earn a living. However, given the option I would rather put my education to use on something less physically demanding, more intellectually stimulating, and more fiscally rewarding. Does that mean I'm above the janitor?
The OP doesn't want to do robot work on a factory floor all day long, and I can't blame him. If he is able to float himself financially until he finds another job, then why should he do something he doesn't want to do? Why work a job you don't like if you have the means to float yourself until you find one you do like?
R
wheresmybacon
Diamond Member
- Sep 10, 2004
- 3,899
- 1
- 76
God you guys couldn't be more soft. If he's going to be selling nuts and bolts, he better have a god damn good understand of wtf they do, and not only that, know the difference between materials, processing, etc etc. He's going to need to know his nuts. And it's not like they put an MBA on the floor for 5 weeks. No offense, but this guy has his 4-year. He needs to pay his dues.
I had a similar experience. My first job after graduating with a Business and Econ double major was manager in an up and coming healthy foods restaurant. Thing was, they not only didn't start me on the floor, they put me as a line cook. Look I'm not saying it was fun, but you need to know the product.
After several months I quit, but it's because I started working in IT. I didn't want to smell like onions anymore. I love technology. I hate onions.
I had a similar experience. My first job after graduating with a Business and Econ double major was manager in an up and coming healthy foods restaurant. Thing was, they not only didn't start me on the floor, they put me as a line cook. Look I'm not saying it was fun, but you need to know the product.
After several months I quit, but it's because I started working in IT. I didn't want to smell like onions anymore. I love technology. I hate onions.
Having worked in places like this before, I highly doubt that this was something as deep as a "weeding out period" or some kind of test. I would imagine it's more like rgwalts theory of "the company needed another person on the line more than they needed another salesman in the near term. One or more of their line workers quit, etc..."
When I worked these kinds of jobs whether it was in a sales position or shipping/recieving, working on the floor wasn't necessary to learn how to do my job. I had schematics and parts lists that gave me all the information I needed without having to call anyone.
I would be worried, as I'm sure the OP was, that he might get stuck on the floor with sales thrown in as a small part of the job.
When I worked these kinds of jobs whether it was in a sales position or shipping/recieving, working on the floor wasn't necessary to learn how to do my job. I had schematics and parts lists that gave me all the information I needed without having to call anyone.
I would be worried, as I'm sure the OP was, that he might get stuck on the floor with sales thrown in as a small part of the job.
Exactly. No offense to the OP (or anyone else, for that matter), but this is 2008. Many (most?) BA degrees are worth as much now as a high school diploma was 25 years ago. If you don't want to pay your dues making $14.75, stay in grad school & pay them making nothing & going into debt.
I started out in the warehouse with my current job (right after getting my degree). I learned the product and the processes first hand and could relate to the workers there. They were also more willing to help me out if I needed a favor for a customer. Being able to talk to customers about the process is a very important part of selling. Hopefully you'll find a job that doesn't require a high degree of product knowledge.
Exactly. I would be worried that the company would decide I was so good on the line they would want to keep me there, or rotate me off of the sales job I wanted to do in the first place to fill in gaps in the line where needed.
$14.75 isn't aweful for someone with a BA. About $31,000 a year. Definitely not great, but depending on the area of the country it isn't bad either.
R
Robert Munch
Senior member
- Oct 11, 2006
- 899
- 0
- 76
Set your PhD aside and ask yourself:
Would you feel that you are any more important than the janitor, that would be telling.
As far as the question about finding a job he would like doing, how exactly does 3 days set the tone for a career with the company?
The one factory job I worked at, printing circuit boards, the positions were static. The employees wouldn't hop from station to station. However, I am ignorant as to whether or not this is the case in most manufacturing jobs.
I'm a semiconductor process engineer. Every new job I've started, four over a thirty year career, I've started out working in the lab alongside the lab rats learning the company's processes. Not too unusual since I am a process engineer. I actually consider myself a lab rat now and have for some time.
Only argument I'd have is I've always, always, been told before hire that I would be working as a technician for some period of time. I was also, however, paid as an engineer.
Only argument I'd have is I've always, always, been told before hire that I would be working as a technician for some period of time. I was also, however, paid as an engineer.
I spent three years as IT manager for a manufacturing company in the midwest until 2006'.
The production manager, upon directive from the owner to save costs (even though he would't admit it), deliberatley under scheduled hourly workers on several production jobs so salaried people in the office had to work on the production line. Their excuses was "to learn the product".
It's a rather sneaky way for manufacturing companies to save costs by having salaried workers take up hourly workers slack. Non union of course.
I didn't mind doing the junk because I simply turned my brain off and we all could use more excercise, except that it was in the middle of summer and temps inside the plant would reach 120F.
I ended up getting fired anyways because I kept complaining to HR about my boss making physical threats (the dude had a major screw loose), and didn't realize he was boinking our HR manager.
The production manager, upon directive from the owner to save costs (even though he would't admit it), deliberatley under scheduled hourly workers on several production jobs so salaried people in the office had to work on the production line. Their excuses was "to learn the product".
It's a rather sneaky way for manufacturing companies to save costs by having salaried workers take up hourly workers slack. Non union of course.
I didn't mind doing the junk because I simply turned my brain off and we all could use more excercise, except that it was in the middle of summer and temps inside the plant would reach 120F.
I ended up getting fired anyways because I kept complaining to HR about my boss making physical threats (the dude had a major screw loose), and didn't realize he was boinking our HR manager.
Setting my education aside is rather difficult, considering a spent 9 years getting 3 degrees. I studied and worked very hard in high school and college to get where I am, so it is a part of who I am now. If I were doing a janitor's job because it was the only work I could get, then I wouldn't feel any more important than any other janitor. If I didn't have the educational opportunities growing up and had to do janitorial work because I wasn't qualified to do much else, I wouldn't think I was more important than any other janitor. However, doing the job I do now I am more important than the janitor (education or not) because I can do things for the company that the janitor can't. This being said, I am not the most important person in the company either. The men and women working out in the plant with years of experience are far more valuable than I am, and know more about the plant than I will probably ever learn. On the other hand, I have a technical background they lack and understand the science behind the process in better ways than they do. There isn't necessarily a strict heirarchy at any location. I am valuable in certain ways and worthless in others.
In response to your second question, I would be troubled that I wasn't told about working the line during the interview or when offered the job. It actually does set the tone for your career with the company. If you are willing to tolerate being told to do anything and are willing to do anything, then good for you. Not everyone is like that though.
I view a job as a job. I owe the company nothing more than doing the job they are paying me to do, which in general is to add value. Likewise, the company does not owe me anything more than the paycheck and benefits agreed upon when hired. If the company decides that I am better off adding value in a different roll than my current position, they can move me at their discretion. However, it is within my rights not to want to do that job and quit.
R
Looking back at this job, I view it as a sign of mistrust between employees and managers. I like to be informed about the duties I will be accomplishing, and for something as the need for training which I feel is very important... I do not like the way the company told this to me minutes before I was leaving work after the first day. After doing the job for the past two days without any supervision, what am I supposed to take from this? What will moving the nuts/bolts around help accomplish?
I see that the board is split almost 50/50 with the situation and how I handled it. I told them for the past 2 days of my concerns for the "training" and since no supervisors were actually supervising me, instead I was just hearing it from the temp workers right next to me, I figured enough was enough.
To me, I look at this job as a step backwards. I already have worked a factory before in case people skipped and I didn't want to do it again, in fact it inspired me even more to go back to school in the fall to finish. I was not happy, I was misinformed, and I believe I was misled throughout. That's why I left and was basically told if I wasn't compliant to that sort of training, no bother to come to work.
I see that the board is split almost 50/50 with the situation and how I handled it. I told them for the past 2 days of my concerns for the "training" and since no supervisors were actually supervising me, instead I was just hearing it from the temp workers right next to me, I figured enough was enough.
To me, I look at this job as a step backwards. I already have worked a factory before in case people skipped and I didn't want to do it again, in fact it inspired me even more to go back to school in the fall to finish. I was not happy, I was misinformed, and I believe I was misled throughout. That's why I left and was basically told if I wasn't compliant to that sort of training, no bother to come to work.
ultimatebob
Lifer
- Jul 1, 2001
- 25,134
- 2,450
- 126
I hear ya... but 5 weeks of that? It makes no sense.
I gotta admit that I know a few IT guys who could stand to use a week or two of manual labor building servers, though! Perhaps they'll stop acting like primadonnas and learn some real hardware troubleshooting skills!
actually it would be more beneficial for some IT people to get out in the business and understand what their company actually does
This reminds me of the time way back in high school I took a two day temp job and the job description was something about moving files between servers (I put down computer experience on my resume) and when I showed up they said "Here are the boxes of files. The new server room is down the hall to the left, just put them against the far wall."
They kept boxes of various files in the server room, and when they moved server rooms, they moved the boxes with them.
Server room=storage room to them I guess!
They kept boxes of various files in the server room, and when they moved server rooms, they moved the boxes with them.
Server room=storage room to them I guess!
5 weeks only? I would've stuck it out. They're moving you position to position, so I'm assuming you'd learn about the whole manufacturing process. The more you know about the product, especially with hands on experience of the entire production, the better you'll be able to sell. You'll be able to identify key strengths and weaknesses of the product, especially if you do some research about competing products.
That being said, it definitely was a little shady they didn't disclose you'd be doing grunt work for the probation period. And without insurance or benefits, I'd definitely be hesitant about working on the line.
That being said, it definitely was a little shady they didn't disclose you'd be doing grunt work for the probation period. And without insurance or benefits, I'd definitely be hesitant about working on the line.
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