NicholasYax.com

I want to start out by pointing out to the many of you that are reading this on Facebook that I don’t post these as Notes, but as blog posts at nicholasyax.com.  Thought you might want to check it out some time.

Second up, I have another interview, August 6th.  This job is in Pittsburgh as well, as is it with a nuclear power engineering company.  Hopefully it goes well.  I fly out on the 5th, stay the night in a hotel nearby, then interview most of Thursday, flying home in the evening.

My uncle and family are in Bay City visiting, so will be heading there this weekend, then packing the first couple days of the week, then the interview, then Jenn’s bridal shower next weekend, then more packing until Wednesday the 12th when we move.  Looking like a busy few weeks.

Where we are moving we still don’t know.  We just know our lease ends on the 15th, so we need to be out.  We are looking at some furnished cabins for a couple weeks, until I know how the interview went.  After that, either we are off to Pittsburgh or Jenn signs up for travel nursing and we go do that for a while.

Wedding invitation should be out soon.  We have them all printed and are in the process of assembling them.

That covers al that I wanted to say, I believe.  Will let everyone know how the interview went either the night of the 6th or on the 7th.

So, I finally got my first response to an application, that was the possible “good news”.  This was back on June 12 as we were on our way up to go camping.  It was a call from Westinghouse Nuclear about a new grad engineer position.  I missed the call, and tried for most of the day to return their call to no avail.  Finally, on Monday, I got through and was immediately put through an initial phone screening, and told that there would be at least one more before I made it to an interview, but they would let me know either way.  This, needless to say, got Jenn and I very excited as it was something, which is more than I had gotten so far.

Two weeks pass with no response, so I call back.  I am told that they haven’t made any decisions yet, and they were being bogged down due to people taking vacations and the upcoming July 4 holiday.  OK, understandable.

Another two weeks, still no response, so I call again.  ”Sorry, but we decided to go with a more experienced professional for this position.”  Damn.  I had to bite my lip, as I was extremely disappointed at the time and really wanted to go off on “what happened to we will let you know either way?”  But, they do have dozens of positions open, and are hiring hundreds of people per year as they are undergoing major expansion, and I am still in the running for several of those positions.

I would think, that making it to the first phone screening for the position I did would put me in the upper tier for the several similar positions I applied for, but who knows.  It was kind of implied no, so maybe I am just not meant to work for them.  I do have to wonder how a position posted as for new grads becomes a 10+ years required position though.

I also wonder how Magna Cum Laude, #1 in program can’t find a job.  What exactly are companies looking for if I am not good enough?  It’s not like I am applying for 5+ req. positions that I have no shot at.  I have applied for, honestly, hundreds of positions, all of which are listed as entry level, for new grads.  Of those, the only responses that weren’t “We’re sorry” form letters were Westinghouse and a position in Idaho that called because they upped the ante to requiring an MBA and wanting to check if I had one (if I did, wouldn’t it be on my resume?).

I would say f’ it all and go back for a masters degree, but I can’t afford to do that.  I could go try for a part time job to try and at least cover the bills, but there are two problems with that.  One, as soon as they see I have a BS in Engineering they will pass me over as “overqualified”, knowing I will split at the first sign of something better (which I would).  Two, it’s no good for my morale if I did get it.  I would hate and loathe the job, and feel more like a failure because all I can get with 8 years of college is 20 hours a week at a convenience store.

I started off college very unguided.  I figured put in a year of something, and GM will call, then I will be all set.  Sure, the Astrophysics thing was there, but not a real goal.  One year at delta became two, I got a transfer degree (AS Pre-Engineering) that is pretty much good for nothing, and started just taking classes that sounded fun.  My grades were not great, as I had no reason to keep them up, and I ended up just quitting after the third year.

Finally, I got a goal, realized I kind of liked it at GM, and decided to go for Manufacturing Engineering.  My grades soared, I boosted my GPA by over half a point, and transfered to Ferris. At Ferris, I pulled off a 3.75, several honors, and have been on the Dean’s list all four semesters at Ferris plus my last 5 at Delta.  I put in all that effort, pushing toward a goal, all to get a better job with better pay.  I graduate, and flop.

Now, I question what the work was for.  Sure, I will find something, but it wont be the awesome job I worked for.  It won’t be the job that only #1 in a program could be considered for, it will be a job that I take because it’s a job.  I will work it for a few years until something better comes along, and take that.  By that time, only my performance at work will matter, and the only thing anybody will care about my school career is that I graduated.

I know, nothing can be done about it.  We play the cards we are dealt and that’s that.  Still, I had an awesome hand going.  It’s a bit like being dealt a royal flush, then somebody saying “nah, lets play blackjack, somebody reshuffle”.

So, I just added everything up, and here is what it took for me to get my education.

Which leaves me with a theoretical profit of $24,650.37.  That does not include books (I didn’t add up, but likely around $3000.00) or room and board or food.  According to Ferris’s math (which is the Dept. of Edu.’s math), Room and Board is about equal to course fees, so the total cost for everything would be around $50,000.  This explains the theoretical profit, which is meant to cover Room and Board.

All that considered, the theory goes that, I have 4 pieces of paper, 8.5″ x 11″, that are worth a combined $49,141.90.  Wonder what I can get for them on eBay?

My actual, out of pocket cost (gift aid minus fees, cash paid, and loans to repay) is only $5,581.43.  That is around a tenth of what most people pay, so I really can’t complain about the costs.

The bottom line:  That I actually figured all this out proves that I am, most certainly, an engineer.

I have been stalling on posting because I hopefully have some big news.  I am being a little superstitious about it even though most people know about it by now.

Anyway, I did feel that some update should be made, before I let the entire month of June slip by with no post at all.

Our camping trip went well.  We went up to Garland for our tasting for the wedding, stayed in Alpena at a hotel, Jenn did the fitting for her wedding dress, then we went to Clear Lake State Park for 2 nights.

On the way up I first got word of my possible good news, and on the way home I had the first bit of confirmation.  Now just to wait for more confirmation.

Jon came in Saturday morning and we went tubing, had dinner at Schuberg’s, and went to the gate for a while.  He headed back home Sunday just before noon.  Todd is supposed to be coming in late next week for a short stay to go to the county fair and check out the demo derby and figure 8.

OK, hopefully more info soon.  Next post should be less vague and confusing.

Well, as you can obviously see (if you have ever been here before) the blog has a new theme. I have been looking for a month or so on and off, and I think this one will keep me happy for a year or so.

Some highlights…

• Links to my facebook, twitter, and youtube profiles at the top of the sidebar, more to come (Amazon wishlist, etc…).
• Links to random posts about halfway down the sidebar.
• Static page links (about, projects, etc…) have been reorganized and are now in a drop down at the top.
• Comment links are at the top of the post, rather than the bottom where they were.  If people complain, this might change, but it was the default in the theme and for now I am leaving it.
• Pretty little icons spread all over (comments, tags, author, etc…)
• Total visits and word written moved from the footer to sidebar.  Clicking on “visitors” will take you to the visitors page, where you can see yourself if you want.
• List of all pages at the bottom of each page.  Instead of just “Next” and “Previous”, actually specifies page 1 of 115, with links to page 2, 3, 4, beginning, and end.

That should be the gist of the new stuff.  There is plenty more new in this theme, some that I haven’t even found yet I’m sure.

Outside of the blog update, I have just been relaxing and looking for jobs.  With the rumor of GM announcing bankruptcy and closing 14 plants and 22,000 lay offs tomorrow, I think I am leaving Michigan.  With that many GM layoffs and closings, even spread nationwide, Michigan is going to be hit really hard.  Add in the effect on suppliers and them issuing layoffs and closings and you are left with a bleak outlook for job seekers, especially new grads without experience yet.

Alright, thats more than I have written in two months right there, so I will leave it at that.

nick