don't mind me, just feeling sorry for myself again

[rone]

The dreadful situation at work combined with my crippled state have really done a number on my mood.  I had a job interview today, and i did my best to buck up and be positive, but then my prospective boss asked me what my passion was in systems administration, with the stated expectation that i should say something inane like "setting up VLANs on the switch" or "making backups" (not because he cared what i said, apparently, but because he wanted to see what i said and how i said it).  What made it worse was that i lost my passion for systems administration years ago, and i almost couldn't stand sitting there and baldly lying to his face.  And he clearly could tell something was off, because he kept trying to pin me down on an answer, and i kept tossing off vague and unsatisfactory replies.

My right thumb is hurting again, probably because i'm forced to use it more while my left hand is out of commission.  This sucks.

Comments

[smashingstars.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear it. It might not be a big deal to the interviewer, he has all your experience on paper and your other interview answers to balance it.

Hope your hand gets to feeling better soon.

[ltempt.livejournal.com]

"Stashing the bodies under the floor tiles"

[glaucon.livejournal.com]

maybe now's a good time to look into other career options.

[twillis.livejournal.com]

Also when you are hurting, it tends to color everything, so it's possible that the interview did not go as poorly as you think.

And besides, that whole "passion" thing was a very silly question, there's no way to give a non-bs response to that.

They've just made a Voluntary Separation announcement where I work, to be followed by Involuntary Separations if they don't get enough takers, so maybe you and I can try starting that business I was talking about of keeping people young by annoying the crap out of them.

"Involuntary Separation"

[asienieizi.livejournal.com]

You gotta love business terminology. HP is doing that yet again but they're calling it "Severance Incentive", followed by "Severance Package".

[kawgirl.livejournal.com]

Passion for system administration? What kind of question is that? I wonder what they would have said if you had said it's something you do to make a living because you have a whole lot of living to do. Someone already commented about how pain can affect your mood. It's true. Be sure to take care of that thumb and take pain meds as necessary. I am told by MDs that if you are not in pain, you also heal faster.

Good luck!

[therobbergirl.livejournal.com]

Passion for system administration? Like when JBoss takes you out to Vladimir's and then a walk in the wild winds along McClure's Beach?

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Maybe he meant when Tomcat flogs me and makes me walk down the street carrying a cross towards CentOS Hill.

[therobbergirl.livejournal.com]

Tomcat does that to everybody. He's got some sort of Pilate complex.

Now Apache, there's some smoldering sex for you.

[arian1.livejournal.com]

This too shall pass my friend.

on your mood

[notr.livejournal.com]

AND YOUR GRAMMAR! "Situation have done"? HAW HAW NUMBER FLAME

"Passion" in systems administration? Isn't that a bit like the thrill of chartered accountancy? Maybe you should have told him you really wanted to be a lion tamer, or at least fight the penguins with Scott of the Antarctic.

[sambushell.livejournal.com]

The other posting does mention a desire to teach. Teach something specific? There's an industry of sysadmin training.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Well, that was a long time ago. But that was something that mm_rss mentioned during my last job search, too. I'll have to think about it, thanks.

[deirdremoon.livejournal.com]

When we were interviewing people for the band, we always asked, "What's your favorite movie?" It started out as a way to judge how compatible/hip/geeky the person was, but when we found a person who could give NO answer at all, not even one, we realized it was also a personality-presence test.

That said, "passion" about SA is a very silly word to use. "Satisfaction" or "challenge" or "pwn" would be a lot easier to answer. Maybe you could load up one of those for the next time you have to bullshit someone.

[eejitalmuppet.livejournal.com]

Would you really want to work for someone who asks such dumbass questions?

I hope the thumbs don't take too long to sort themselves out.

[dwell.livejournal.com]

yea, i'd like to see someone say they have a passion for backups and then SLAP THEM ACROSS THEIR FACE. well, at least i'd think it.

here's to a speedy recovery for your hand.

bt

[hwrnmnbsol.livejournal.com]

The word 'passion' comes up with distressing regularity in job interviews. I have decided that anytime I am thrown a question regarding my 'passion' for something, I always challenge the use of that word and tell them that I feel it's misapplied, and I would rather use the term 'fervency'. This is a good thing because it inevitably leads to a drawn-out digression on whether any practical difference exists between the two words, and this takes up the majority of the interview's time, which otherwise would be spent fielding annoying questions which require a modicum of bald-faced lying. Also, it's hard to forget that candidate who took a half hour of your time arguing over synonyms with, well, fervency.

Good luck with all this.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

"Passion is something i reserve for my wife."

Yeah, i like how you put this.

[matrushkaka.livejournal.com]

*hug*

If I may be so presumptious...

[asienieizi.livejournal.com]

There are some major clues in your post that have nothing to do with your thumb or your current mood but I think you already know that somewhere inside yourself.
Going through several division closures each time a manufacturing line got shipped overseas and being forced to interview for another job each time is what precipitated my husband's choice to opt for early retirement. There comes a time when it's just not fun anymore and it's time to evaluate what it is you really want to do with your life, and I think this is that time for you.
I may be so far off you might be contemplating chainsawing the limb I'm on but I don't think so.

Someone mentioned something about you wanting to teach, which I didn't know, but I can't think of a better candidate for that direction than you. Plus, you're bilingual...you can have your pick of ESL &/or Title One classes out there in any age group you desire.

If you do decided to explore that avenue you can email me anytime. There are a few tips that I've learned that you may find useful. Yeah, I make about a tenth less of what I used to earn but now, when the alarm clock goes off in the morning, I can't wait to jump up and get started on my day.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's definitely the time. But i need a plan. That is, i know what i want to do (make wine), i just need to figure out how to get there.

I might end up teaching after all later in life. Not right now, though.

[nixzusehen.livejournal.com]

Hear! Hear! I stopped carrying about sysadmining years ago, but it pays the bills. Heck, it paid for me to go to grad school so I could get out of it, after which I promptly got sucked back into sysadmining. Stupid lousy job market.

Golden handcuffs man, golden handcuffs.