Foo - What do I do about this job? *slightly long*

I am not sure what to do now here.
I've been working at this machine shop for 5 months, almost 6. When I took it, I got it through my school as an internship. I was supposed to learn all sorts of stuff, and get school credit for my hours. Well it is not going quite as I had expected.

I was expecting that my boss (there are two, but one is who I primarily work for, the place is split into two 'departments') would talk to me about what he doing, explaining things. When I first started, this did happen a good amount, but less and less for the past 3 months or so.

For the past few months most everything for me has been to load one CNC machine, it takes about 15 minutes to do to load and do the other stuff that comes with it. Then wait 30 minutes for run time. ANd do it again. In the mean time, I ask my boss for what I can do, he tries to think of something, So I do jobs like mopping or mowing the lawn. I have not learned very much about what I was told I would. I can surely say I am a much better mopper than I used to be :). I did expect to do the grunt jobs, being the youngest, but I also expected balance.

I feel like he has forgotten that there was an agreement that I would be learning. School starts late August, and the lady in charge of school work programs will call every employer and talk to them about this, but thats a while away. But I am reluctant to mention this to my boss.

Lastly, no fixed hours were established for the summer. I said I will work between 20-30 hours a week, he said that is fine. I usually work saturday afternoons for 5 or so hours. And then 5 hours a day during the week. So I thought I would take today off then, that still means 25 hours this week. I called him this morning, said I wont be in today, but will be every other day this week. He asked why, so I said I have to catch up on some stuff (which I do, my weekend was not much of a weekend due to family issues), he said okay and hung up. Obviously not pleased, but I dont know if I should feel bad or what. He never established fixed hours for me

What should I do here? Should I make an attempt to talk to him about my concerns, or wait until school starts?

Are you getting paid?

For one thing, if you wanna quit mopping and mowing, I'd quit asking him if there is something you can do.

I would finish it up and let him get the grief he might get for not completing on his part.

At least then you can say you gave it your all.

I say you should nail your boss's daughter (take pictures) and then try to get her in bed, as well (take pictures). Maybe both at the same time if you can wing it (take pictures)...

Wait... sorry. Wrong thread.

Damn, ya beat me to it! :p

Well for one, he has no daughter.
I think I will stop asking if there is stuff I can do. Load the machine, check the tools, deburr the parts, inspect, and put away. I'm sure I can stretch that. If he actually asks me to do something, I will go ahead and do it. Yes I am getting payed, not a lot, but a good amount for a highschool kid. 8 dollars an hour :).

Hey, you've learned what a machine operator does. Why you bittchen?

Well for one, he has no daughter.
I think I will stop asking if there is stuff I can do. Load the machine, check the tools, deburr the parts, inspect, and put away. I'm sure I can stretch that. If he actually asks me to do something, I will go ahead and do it. Yes I am getting payed, not a lot, but a good amount for a highschool kid. 8 dollars an hour :).

I think this is the right course of action. Do what you are asked to do properly. Don't volunteer for extra work, just do your job and get paid. As far as the hours...maybe ask at the end of each week which days he expects you to come in for the following week. Tell him you would like to be able to plan a little, but that you'll gladly put in the number of hours you agreed on when you took the job. That's not unreasonable. But don't quit unless it gets really bad. It's still good to have that experience on your resume.

No daughter? Is his wife attractive? How about sons? They likely have girlfriends...maybe you can get it on with one of them when no one is looking!!:p :eek: Just kidding.:p ;)

I would tough it out.

You're getting paid.

You're not getting abused...just negelected. Shoot...I've made a career of being neglected!

It's only a couple more months until school. Make it as fun as you can.

8 bucks an hour? Suck it up, I've had worse jobs making less.

Look for other things to do in the shop like organizing something, or even bring in stuff you can make for yourself. I'd love to have access to a CNC machine.

Look for other things to do in the shop like organizing something, or even bring in stuff you can make for yourself. I'd love to have access to a CNC machine.

+1

stuff i'd like:

1. custom QR skewers with skulls or hands for levers (or even better, bare-breasted bowsprit maidens)

2. combo bottle opener/15mm wrench w/holes drilled to match cage bottle mounts for my track bike

3. machined tool kit to fit inside bottom of seat tube (held in like a quill stem)

4. lightweight spring baton for bike frame mounting as a protection device against bike muggers, or for knocking off car mirrors or braining feral canines

5. custom dual bottle handlebar mount (yes, i know i can get a single mount from bikeman.com)

6. and many other items, such as custom initialized spoke wrenches, tool keychain fobs, etc.

You complain too much.

<cue Andy Rooney> Did you ever wonder why... </cue>

Man, New Hampshire seems to be a real crap shoot when it comes to work environments.
I'm sure you could probably find a lesbian working there somewhere but she's likely nothing like what I would have in mind.

Tell the boss what you feel you need in order to be truly productive with your time there. He should atleast tell you what you should expect from the job in the coming months. Make sure you define your being there as an internship as opposed to
calling it a job which may make it seem more like you're there to earn a paycheck doing whatever is helpful in the slightest.
These initial little internships usually don't seem to match the promise
Bosses take you as some kid kinda interested in their work so they tell you some stuff in the beginning and then give you jobs much like what you're doing now
Then if after this intial period you're still hanging around they begin to take you more seriously.

I recommend you tough it out. You'll learn a lot on your first "real" job, even if some of it isn't obvious. There's the machine skills you were hoping to pick up, but there's also firsthand experience of what it's like to have responsibilities and to answer for your actions. And of how to handle situations that go out of control (happily, in this case, just not as expected, but not disasterously). You're hardly the first the encounter these things. I encountered them too on my first "real" job. There's really no substitute for on the job training, and that includes training for simply how to handle a job.

And unless you have a good reason pertaining to the here and now, don't ever miss work without advanced notice again. (No, your handling of your free time in prior days is not a good reason.) Not on this job. Not on any future job. What happened over the weekend is no excuse. Just because your hours aren't fixed doesn't mean that your commitment to your work flies out the window. Taking time off at the last moment without a serious reason is highly unprofessional and irresponsible.

Anyway, those are my opinions. Take them as you will. Learn what you can from your job, and not just about running a CNC machine. Good luck.

+1

stuff i'd like:

1. custom QR skewers with skulls or hands for levers (or even better, bare-breasted bowsprit maidens)

2. combo bottle opener/15mm wrench w/holes drilled to match cage bottle mounts for my track bike

3. machined tool kit to fit inside bottom of seat tube (held in like a quill stem)

4. lightweight spring baton for bike frame mounting as a protection device against bike muggers, or for knocking off car mirrors or braining feral canines

5. custom dual bottle handlebar mount (yes, i know i can get a single mount from bikeman.com)

6. and many other items, such as custom initialized spoke wrenches, tool keychain fobs, etc.


#1 was what I wanted for a handlebar stem/front cap....the maiden that is!

#3 would be designed to be inserted into a sleeve made to replace the top cap of my thomson seatpost.

and the thing I would like most...jeweled finish on my metal chorus brifter levers. To match the finish on the Chorus Carbon RD's metal parts.

What should I do here? Should I make an attempt to talk to him about my concerns, or wait until school starts?
Offer sexual favors in trade for knowledge.

+1

stuff i'd like:

1. custom QR skewers with skulls or hands for levers (or even better, bare-breasted bowsprit maidens)
2. combo bottle opener/15mm wrench w/holes drilled to match cage bottle mounts for my track bike
3. machined tool kit to fit inside bottom of seat tube (held in like a quill stem)
4. lightweight spring baton for bike frame mounting as a protection device against bike muggers, or for knocking off car mirrors or braining feral canines
5. custom dual bottle handlebar mount (yes, i know i can get a single mount from bikeman.com)
6. and many other items, such as custom initialized spoke wrenches, tool keychain fobs, etc.


#1 was what I wanted for a handlebar stem/front cap....the maiden that is!

#3 would be designed to be inserted into a sleeve made to replace the top cap of my thomson seatpost.

and the thing I would like most...jeweled finish on my metal chorus brifter levers. To match the finish on the Chorus Carbon RD's metal parts.

Thanks guys...I'll remember this when I get my metal fabrication shop up and running! You get free prototypes!

Well it was okay today. THe boss made no mention of it at all, in fact my other boss came to me privately and said I was doing a great job and that my 3 month review (which is 3 months late) is coming up very soon. The boss I was worried about was very happy today, even when we had a pretty nasty tool breakage in my mill.

As for access to CNC machines....
I dont think I will ever be able to use them for a personal thing, at least not for several years. The one I run is constantly doing production, the others are always in use. Every machine is running a good 12 hours a day 6 days a week, and I would be shot if I ever disturbed a setup for a personal job. From what I understand, the BOss did run some car part a few years ago and it turned out great. The CNC lathes are the same way. So to have the ability to make my own toys, I am CNCing the mill I got a month ago.

2. combo bottle opener/15mm wrench w/holes drilled to match cage bottle mounts for my track bike



You could take a 15mm wrench, cut it off half way. THen take a bottle opener, cut that too, then weld them together. Use a drill press or a mill if you have one to drill the holes.

Whether you are full time or part time giving your employer short notice before taking a day off can leave them in a real bind. I probably would have been annoyed as well. It's always a good idea to give an employer at least a couple of days notice so that they can make alternative plans when you are away.

Having said that, if I was your employer I would be very impressed that you take the innitiative to ask if there is anything else to do. I wish all the people reporting to me were as enthusiastic. You sound like you have an excellent part time job that will provide you with a skill that most guys would appreciate. Stick with the job if you're still learning new things and enjoy!

Thanks guys...I'll remember this when I get my metal fabrication shop up and running! You get free prototypes!


Awesome! If I ever get my own house, I am building my own CNC as well. I would go Steve 2.0 on it though....so it would be some kind of franken-machine that possibly may stay a project until the next millenium, but hey, it will be fun :D

I am not sure what to do now here.
I've been working at this machine shop for 5 months, almost 6. When I took it, I got it through my school as an internship. I was supposed to learn all sorts of stuff, and get school credit for my hours. Well it is not going quite as I had expected.

I was expecting that my boss (there are two, but one is who I primarily work for, the place is split into two 'departments') would talk to me about what he doing, explaining things. When I first started, this did happen a good amount, but less and less for the past 3 months or so.

For the past few months most everything for me has been to load one CNC machine, it takes about 15 minutes to do to load and do the other stuff that comes with it. Then wait 30 minutes for run time. ANd do it again. In the mean time, I ask my boss for what I can do, he tries to think of something, So I do jobs like mopping or mowing the lawn. I have not learned very much about what I was told I would. I can surely say I am a much better mopper than I used to be :). I did expect to do the grunt jobs, being the youngest, but I also expected balance.

I feel like he has forgotten that there was an agreement that I would be learning. School starts late August, and the lady in charge of school work programs will call every employer and talk to them about this, but thats a while away. But I am reluctant to mention this to my boss.

Lastly, no fixed hours were established for the summer. I said I will work between 20-30 hours a week, he said that is fine. I usually work saturday afternoons for 5 or so hours. And then 5 hours a day during the week. So I thought I would take today off then, that still means 25 hours this week. I called him this morning, said I wont be in today, but will be every other day this week. He asked why, so I said I have to catch up on some stuff (which I do, my weekend was not much of a weekend due to family issues), he said okay and hung up. Obviously not pleased, but I dont know if I should feel bad or what. He never established fixed hours for me

What should I do here? Should I make an attempt to talk to him about my concerns, or wait until school starts?
I worked in machining before I got into other stuff, and man, it's hard. They basically are running on deadlines. I used to run a CNC machine, but after learning how to operate it, there's basically nothing else to know. You're pretty much a paid robot, to put it one way. As for the hours, that stuff has to be dealt with before you take the position, you have to come to an agreement. I basically work on my own, I do have a boss though. WE understand that certain stuff needs toi get done at a certain time, and that's that.

Thats a good way putting it, a paid robot. I can tolerate that, but not for life. THeres always this rushing feeling and that chant "Time is money time is money time is money". I am encouraged to listen to the sounds of the machine, tune my ears to it "become one". When I get home after work, I find myself doing everything I can to NOT rush. And of course when a tool breaks and we have to order another and use a sub-par tool for a day, tensions are higher.

Catatonic- buying a benchtop mill and retrofitting is actually not too difficult, and pretty fun. Most difficult part for most is the electronics.