Career changes

[clayton86]

Well looks like it’s time for another career change or at least employer at this point. I was thinking and hoping with the job I’m at now this would finally be it for me something I could stay at long term but now especially this last few weeks I can’t get out of this fast enough. 
 

Currently I work for Loomis armored servicing ATMs, banks and commercial stops like grocery stores, gas stations various stores in the mall and casinos. Pay is meh it could be better for what we deal with especially my route but it doesn’t bother me as much as it does a lot of the other guys. I’m normally on route 14 it’s called which covers down town Rochester, NY inner city in the hood corner stores atms I gotta fill. So anywhere between $8k-$180k I’ll be standing in a isle by myself putting the cash into an ATM at a lot of places there’s drug deals going on non stop and people are getting shot or stabbed there. I haven’t had anything happen YET while doing my job but a few instances I got a funny feeling and kept my gun hand at the ready while filling the cassettes with my non gun hand one handed. 
 

It’s not that that’s turning me away though. This place is by far the worst managed place I have ever worked. Schedules are only posted 12hrs out if that 1 day at a time. I didn’t have tomorrows schedule till 745pm today and I gotta start at 0740 tomorrow. We only do a 4 day work week and it’s completely random what day we have off. Some weeks it’s a Monday off the next it’s Thursday the following a Wednesday it’s always random. Same with start times Monday I didn’t have to go in till 11am Tuesday I was off Wednesday it was a 07 start then off again today and tomorrow is 0740. 
 

So the schedule is my biggest issue with the place we’ve brought it up to management and they say it’s “corporate” that wants it done that way so that’s the way it’s staying. Between that and now the routes are “optimized” that says if you start at this time be on the road at this time do this stop first at this time spend x minutes there then go to this stop at this time your day should take X amount of hours. Since the started doing this 2 weeks ago not 1 person has got it done in the time the computer says it should take and we are missing some timed stops so customers are getting mad they didn’t get their money delivered in time before they close. It’s just a matter of time before enough customers complain and they change the ways back to how it was and worked just fine. 
 

Till then though us guards are leaving at a crazy pace. 3 quit yesterday and 2 today. I’m probably be putting in my notice soon as well I’ve got 2 interviews tomorrow so depending how they go. Which brings me to the scheduling thing again. There’s a app they use for time off and time sheets etc. HR says go by what Dayforce says not the paper sheet. Well Dayforce all week said I don’t start Friday till 1430 so I made my interview appointments at 11 and noon. Well when the paper schedule came out that management says go by NOT day force I have to start at 0740. So tomorrow I’m gonna call in for the first time in my 20 some odd year working. I’ve never called in sick or punched in late at any of my jobs. It took me getting hit by a truck to miss work a few years ago. 
 

So now I’m really looking for a change. I’ve got the 2 interviews tomorrow 1 doing security kinda like I am now just not involving all the money. The other is installing security systems in businesses and homes. Been filling out applications on indeed every night hoping something pans out. I had a interview today but I don’t think I’m gonna take it. Its a decent pay cut but 40+ hr work week and now I only get 28-35 hrs if I’m lucky. So the $3hr I’d loose wouldn’t be THAT much different come payday. It’s as a security guard at a job corp school for troubled kids but it’s non armed strict hands off policy and I can’t even carry a pocket knife on campus let alone my EDC or duty pistol. 
 

I was hoping at this point in my life I'd have a career I could be at and retire but not looking that way bout to be 36 and have to start all over again. 

[Woody B]

Basically a job is doing something you don't like for money.  However, life is too short to work a job you hate.   

 

I currently work for a big company that pays pretty good and has excellent benefits.  They have some entry level job openings in Rochester and Buffalo.  If you're close enough to either, and interested send me a private message.  I'll fill you in on the details.   

[clayton86]

I don’t mind the work itself been there a little over a year, 15months. It’s just the whole schedule not able to plan anything or have a outside of work life. The guys that quit the other day coach their kids football, base ball or soccer. So they need to be out at a decent time which we always were before they started this “optimization” crap. 

[DitchPanda]

Its always hard to understand how a company can make the changes it makes, especially an outside corporate person that's never really dine the job deciding what's best. Happens almost everywhere from I can tell. Comes down to 2 things normally: money and expendable people justifying their job.

[Captain Phil]

When you are unhappy with your job, life is telling you to move on.  Changing jobs is common today, it's actually a necessity.  Gone are the days when you worked for the same company for 40 years.  While you are in the middle of the process, it can be stressful.   Staying in a dead end career and hating it is worse.  Why don't you move out of NY and go where you don't have to worry about being shot?   You may take a cut in pay, but you will have more money in your pocket.

[GTN-NY]

I’ve worked for two companies that could care less about their employees just like yours. One job it was like their motto “we can get any monkey we want to do your job” and they worked us all days and hours and we were salary. 
Other job we would get our schedule on Fri afternoon for the next week. Sometimes it was pack a bag you’re going out of town for a week starting the next morning or you’re not working next week at all. 

At some point you have to decide what is worth it. I know ther area you work in. I used to live there. It was bad 40 years ago and now there should be a fence around it. Shootings every day and a lot in broad daylight. I won’t go there anymore even when armed. 
 

If you’re not married or have big ties to the area leave this state. I wish I could!

 

Best of luck with your life quest. 

[J Francho]

There are currently two job openings For every candidate searching.  Companies better tighten up, and treat their good employees that stay like the gold they are, or go down in the staffing issues slow death.  Back ups from staffing issues can have a negative effect on that business's image for years.

 

Good luck at your interviews, you'll kill it I'm sure.  Be yourself.

[gim]

That's a bush league scheduling system @clayton86.  Makes it virtually impossible to plan life in advance, not to mention the next day when you have appointments like that.

 

Most private businesses send the bulk of their revenue right to the top even though the lower end field employees do most of the manual labor.  Its called corporate greed.  Some restaurant companies during the pandemic had to significantly change their pay scale to attract enough workers.  Chipotle and Culvers come to mind.  Are food prep and customer service workers there making what the executives make?  Surely not, but $25/hour to take orders at Culvers or walk them out to a table is a pretty good gig for someone who used to make $10/hour.  It was either change or not operate.

[NavyToad]

I prematurely left DHS/Coast Guard civil service 3 years ago and retired completely. Prior to that I’d been in Aviation Maintenance at all levels for 25 years and I just got tired of asking myself “Who Hired these People?”. Sadly, competent management and work ethic are a thing of the past.
 

I had to go before I exploded and I’m glad I did. 

[clayton86]

Both my interviews today went ok I don’t really want the first one I interviewed for and the second one I think I’ll actually enjoy and could see myself sticking with and growing. 
 

first one was to be a guard at the county building just sitting in one room checking people in and out. Part of what I hated about retail was being in the same place all day everyday. What I loved about towing was every day was different no 2 calls were exactly the same. 
 

Doing this gig at loomis I’m on the road everyday it might be the same routine but I’m on the road moving every day. The second job I interviewed for was installing security systems for business and some residential. The owner was cool and the instillation manger. Both were gun guys so we chatted about that. When we got to my towing previous employment my accident was brought up and it quickly turned to me being a miracle and celebrity on the news for a month haha. They are willing to match what I make an hour and they do Tuesday-Friday 8-6. Owner was big about having time home with family which is big with me. 

[Dwight Hottle]

That 2nd interview sounds like it might be a better fit for you. Don't be afraid to ask for more money than you were making. The job market favors the employee right now & employers are quickly learning the have to pay to get good help.  

[Deleted account]

8 hours ago, NavyToad said:

Prior to that I’d been in Aviation Maintenance at all levels for 25 years and I just got tired of asking myself “Who Hired these People?”.

 

I may or may not have piled a bunch of kapoks on top of a Pratt & Whitney crate (or was it GE?) and taken a nap during the work day, but I'm sure I never crashed a destroyer into another ship...  

 

[N Florida Mike]

I was at my last job 23 years. Would have just kept on there but every year For 3 years I was making less and less because they thought the answer to their apparent problems was to hire as many salesmen as possible…which meant less and less referrals for me. They did give me a nice lunch when I left. I could have put up with all the micromanaging, “healthy “ competition in the sales department, hypocrisy, one week of vacation after all that time , favoritism,the list goes on.

I was very fortunate and blessed to start working where I am now 3.5 years ago. Great pay, ( because I get most of the referrals that come into the office). 3 weeks vacation already, no stress, no micromanaging, great work environment, my own office, car, cell phone , the list goes on.

And I’m doing exactly what I did at the last company…I have a lot to be thankful for…

Clayton , I wish you the best . I agree that the second job sounds better for you…

[slonezp]

I can relate. You're very fortunate, after your accident, you are even able to walk. I got hurt at 42. I'm now 52 and I'm working for my 4th company in that span of 10 years. I've been here 4-1/2 years and I love my job. Can't say the same about the other 3 companies I worked at the 5-1/2 years prior. There is nothing more difficult than waking up in the morning, knowing you are going to a place you hate going to, day in and day out. 

 

My whole thing is/was I worked alone my entire career up until the time I got hurt. I have always had a problem with authority figures. First job, the pay sucked. I was making 40% less than when I was still in the trades. 2nd and 3rd jobs were in corporate America, using my trade knowledge in a different capacity. They paid decent and the work was easy. I couldn't deal with the people and the policies. I don't need to be micro managed. You hired me to do a job. Let me do it. If my performance doesn't meet or exceed your expectations, then fire me. 

 

Couldn't be happier than where I'm at. I run a HVAC supply house and can do whatever I want as long as the store is making money. I'd think, if I saw my boss or the owner of the company, more than once a year, I was doing something wrong. They hired me to do a job. They let me do it. After getting my own store to run 2-1/2 years ago, and by run, it was just me and the customers, management hired me an employee. He's been with me since the end of May and he's been pretty good. I can deal with (what I consider are) his personality flaws...Maybe I'm the one with the flaws, who knows? 

 

There's something out there for you. Jobs are like women. Plenty of bad ones. When you find a good one, ride it to the end of the line.

 

I love to go to work. Company is a 3rd generation family run business and they treat me like family. 

[Jigfishn10]

I'm at a crossroads right now. I've been in commercial building construction since I got out of HS. I can't say it's been bad to me, quite the contrary, but I'm at a point where I want to walk away from it and run the rest of my working days in a second career. I've always said I wanted out by the age of 60 which is a few years away. I've started the process on my second career and hoping to make the jump soon.

 

Good luck Clayton, I have my fingers crossed for you.

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, Jigfishn10 said:

I'm at a crossroads right now. I've been in commercial building construction since I got out of HS. I can't say it's been bad to me, quite the contrary, but I'm at a point where I want to walk away from it and run the rest of my working days in a second career. I've always said I wanted out by the age of 60 which is a few years away. I've started the process on my second career and hoping to make the jump soon.

 

Good luck Clayton, I have my fingers crossed for you.

What’s the second one? 

[Darth-Baiter]

maybe the last minute schedule is to prevent any long term plans for robberies.???  an unscrupulous employee wont be able to tell Oceans 11 that next thurday he will be driving down route 12 after picking up the payroll from some Casino and Military base and will be driving slow with the rear door ajar?

 

sorry, i have been watching NCIS reruns. 

 

good luck with the search.   i got tired of the rat race, and went back to college and got a new degree and never looked back.  i got lucky.  

[clayton86]

14 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

maybe the last minute schedule is to prevent any long term plans for robberies.???  an unscrupulous employee wont be able to tell Oceans 11 that next thurday he will be driving down route 12 after picking up the payroll from some Casino and Military base and will be driving slow with the rear door ajar?

 

sorry, i have been watching NCIS reruns. 

 

good luck with the search.   i got tired of the rat race, and went back to college and got a new degree and never looked back.  i got lucky.  

  
 

I thought that might be sorta the reasoning also but we could still have set days and time. There 15 different routes no need to tell us what route we’re on just be here at X time and we could find out what route and truck were in when get here. There’s been lots of times it works that way because guys call in. We cover a very wide area. Based in Rochester and go out to Syracuse area, buffalo area, down into Pa. I’m 90% the time in down town Rochester corner bodegas in the hood. In fact it’s Wednesday so I’ll be doing the sams mini mart I did last week the guy was running his mouth about what he carry’s will go right through my vest.

 

I laughed as he was running his mouth which he didn’t find as funny as I did. He was right with this vest won’t stop what most hood people probably have since it’s probably FMJ stuff so will go right through. At the same time the way he was dressed and probably carrying I would have beat him on the draw and would have been game over for him not me. They don’t pay enough to deal with the threats and stress for me to stick around much longer the way people are getting towards us. Last week had the guy running his mouth and Monday this week another guy making threats both at like bodega stores. 

[Jigfishn10]

15 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

What’s the second one? 

I was relocating to TN, coincidently, near your area, to renovate lakeside cabins.

[clayton86]

Well I got the second job I interviewed for above. They are matching my base pay with loomis for 90 days then moving me up.
 

I shadowed them on a few jobs last week and seemed something I’d really like. They already hired me a grunt so to speak said they hired a 18yr old kid with “a good head on his shoulders” to do all the manual lifting for me. I told them the accident was 4 years ago I’m good now just weather changes bother my hip for a bit when I wake up. They said they want to  hopefully make me and the kid a crew doing the installs and what not while the lead guy now does more sales and trouble shooting I guess. 
 

this will be my last week with loomis since I’m doing the “right” thing and gave them 2 weeks. They are going against their own company policy though with me still as an AST in one man trucks after giving notice. Once you’ve quit your not supposed to handle any money. They are so short staffed though they can’t afford to make me a driver or just on the vault crew. One guy calls in they have to cancel runs or cram tons of stops on other runs making long days which they avoid at all costs not wanting to pay OT. 
 

counting down days to start this new career path. Thursday will be last day at loomis and we don’t work on Columbus Day so short week for me. 

 

[A-Jay]

Congrats and good luck

A-Jay

[ike8120]

Good luck with your new job.

[Glenn]

[roadwarrior]

Congratulations and good luck with the new job!

[Dwight Hottle]

Hope it works out well for you.