2000-07-08 - 02:53

Upgrades

Okay, I have to say that I tend to get behind the times on the journal; but ah well. The main post-concert news that I still have to note is that on Wednesday (which I took off from work), I did a little shopping. Colin gave me a lift down to Stereo Plus and I walked out with a new pair of speakers. I listened to a couple of models and took home the Paradigm Reference Studio/40 bad boys. Very nice. I also picked up the very solid stands that are designed for that model.

I figure with the amount of CDs that I own, I should have a nice stereo to play them on; and the music sounds a lot nicer than it did on my old set-up: very clear. The speakers are the first big purchase that I've made since I started working in January, so I'm happy.

On the work front, I went after Steve today for a raise. It's been six months now and I know that I did a very solid job on the Trunking project. Also, I was hired at a relatively low rate in the first place, especially if I'm classified as JCI 2. Steve definitely agreed with me . . . he said that he hadn't realized what I was being paid. He gave me the range of salaries for JCI 2 and I'm currently below the low mark; so it shouldn't be a tough sell.

I'm not too stressed about money. The way I look at it, everyone I went through school with is doing well. The pursuit of money is not my prime motivator in life; and I don't measure personal success by dollars. When Colin told me that he was being hired where he did his co-op terms, I said cool. The first question from Sheldon, for example, was "How much are you making?"

My take on it, though, is that I should be getting paid a fair amount for the job I do. There's no reason to sell myself short because I didn't feel like raising the issue. The other reason that the timing is good now is that Steve is probably leaving the group; and I don't want to have to start over with another manager. I can't expect whoever fills that role to go to bat for me, if he has no idea who I am or what I've been doing.

As far as that goes, Steve's departure is another knock against the group. Uvaiz was with me today when I was talking to Steve; and it sounds like he's leaving, too. There's a distinct possibility that I might look elsewhere in the company for work in the not-too-distant future. I really enjoy the work that I'm doing now; but it's a drag to see so many people leaving. Things are definitely changing; and if it stops being fun, I'll see what else is out there. For now, I'm fine; but I'm waiting to see what shakes down.