14 November 06
The New Job in France
Time sure goes by quick when you’re preoccupied, and since my last entry I’ve been very preoccupied with a new job. After almost two years exactly of being here in France, looking for work, and rarely getting so much as a courtesy denial for any of all the applications I’ve sent out (even to advertised positions), I finally found a job. Not only that, but it’s good one, as good as I could possibly hope for in this region anyway.
I have to be careful about saying too much, because I’m now in that awkward and sometimes dangerous position of working for a company that has a firm policy about releasing information. I don’t want to have to give up my Weblog to keep my job, but even more, I don’t want to lose my job. Saying it like that makes it sound scarier than it really is. As long as I’m for the team, and minding my P’s and Q’s, everything should be cool. In any case, outside of this article, I doubt I’ll be talking about my job much at all other than a casual reference to this little humorous thing or that one should it come up.
Oh, here’s a goody that should make a few of you jealous. They have a decent lunch area that happens to have an all day espresso machine at your service, and a full keg of beer. I don’t indulge in the beer, of course, and I’m sure it’s intended for lunch only, but I’m hitting the espresso, baby.
I guess what I can safely reveal, since I have an email account containing a signature with the same information, is that I now work for Ready Business Systems, or more popularly known here in France as RBS, which is a Small-Medium Enterprise (SME) specializing in the development of it’s Web-based products and services. I work in the Web team, and my job function is Chef de Projet (project manager) for product usability. I know most of you are probably think “usa-what?” That’s OK, most people don’t have a clue. Putting it very, very simply, usability itself is the measure of how easy something is to use, whether it’s a Web site, a digital camera, or the cockpit of a deepwater submersible (or just as analogous, the cockpit of an airplane). Basically, any product or locally manufactured environment that is technically oriented or potential hazardous to ones health is subject to usability engineering. Usability engineering is the fancy term for the process of making something more usable and safe. My work focuses solely on computer interfaces, whether for a particular application or a Web site. In that sense, I work to help make these computer interfaces easier for users to understand and use.
That’s the broad view of things, but in actuality I’m doing a lot of foundation building activities right now, which involve code evaluations, development of guidelines and procedures, general documentation, and a bunch of other things that need to get done before any “real” usability work kicks into high gear. Basically, it’s going to be a gradual, systematic process of implementing usability into current RBS activities. The thing is, RBS has never had any internal usability activities before, so I’m essentially breaking the ice. It’s both exciting and challenging. I can’t even begin to express how much work there is to do, and sometimes I’m quite wondering how the stars aligned this way, but here I am, and I’m hoping to be here for a while to come. As far as the usability activities go, I’m a one-man team at the moment; it’s kind of cool, but without a doubt I’ll need to make headway and eventually push for taking on another recruit or two.
Here’s the funny part, the position I was offered, Chef de Projet, is is not the position I initially applied for. The position they actually offered me is much better. Hanane thinks it was a combination of my background and age that did it, particularly my age. I’m not sure what to think of that, but I’m glad for the decision nonetheless. She might be right though, because most of the people in the Web team, in which I work, are much younger than me. I’m the old man on campus, as it were, but clearly upper management appreciates that. It’s a really strange and unsettling feeling when you realize that at 41 years old, you’re the old man on campus. Shit, Logun’s Run, anyone?
There is one little caveat here. In France it’s policy that new employees sign contracts and undergo a period of evaluation before you’re actually considered an employee. The typical period is three months. If the first three months goes really well, you get the job. If it’s good but not great, you might be put on another three month evaluation. If your first three months was not up to expectations, you’re gone. I’m about half-way through the first three months. Things seem to be going well enough, but heck, what do I know.
Side note: Elyas, my little honey-boy, is about crawling now. Actually, he’s moving about pretty good, but it’s still kind of a roll and squirm process. However, he’s started getting on hands and knees —a real hands and knees position—and rocking back and forth like he’s revving up the engine. You can just see the excitement in his face, a big smile and all, because he knows this is the precursor to true mobility.
Special: Happy birthday, Pop! I’ve been thinking about it all week. It’s early in the morning on the 14th now, so I guess I missed it by a couple of hours. God, I hope it’s the 13th, or is it the 16th? Heh. I’ll get in touch soon with proper communication.
isabelle :: 17 November 06 :: #
Good for you ! Keep up the good work & I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you’ll sail through the 3 months probation period without a hitch !!!!
So, how do you manage for day care now ? You were looking after you son before you found work, right ? Hope you’ve found a solution that suits all of you …
Don’t forget to take a picture at least every week … he’ll be glad (and surprised!) to look at them when he’s older !!!!!
Take care, Isabelle.
Destry :: 18 November 06 :: #
Oh we have pictures, all the time. Some really amazing ones if I do say so myself.
Senior El goes over to grandmas each day. They live reasonably close so it’s not too terrible. However, it is putting a strain on Hanane, as she is doing all the driving at the moment. She drops me off, then him, and then goes to work herself, then at the end of the day repeats it all.
My next big focus is to start driving...legally, and then get a car so I can deal with Mr. El myself and so Hanane can just go straight to work. I’ve been avoiding it because of the stupid French laws that oppress me at every turn. Even though I’ve been driving for…oh…25 years or more, I have to go to driving school of all fucking things, pay around 2,000 euros for it and take both a written and road test. What a racket, worse than the mafia.
Ken Wion (Dad) :: 18 November 06 :: #
Destry,I am glad to here that you finaly found work, and a great job at that. Bythe way it’s the thirteenth not the sixteenth.
well I’m off work for the winter now, so I will have more time to write. Sorry I haven’t written for quite a while, really is my own fault. Just didn’t take the time. Haven’t seen any pictures of Elyas lately. Would like to se how he is growing. please obliged by adding some to your web site.
Let Hanane know I am hurt That I never got to meet her. Love, Pop
isabelle :: 19 November 06 :: #
Have you inquired into the possibility of taking the reduced exam that is meant for 17 years old who want to learn by “La conduite accompagnée” ? I’ve not done it myself but seem to have heard from friends that it’s just a question of reading “LE code de la route” -surely a relative should have one copy in a corner somewhere, it’s given when you register with a “Auto-école” ... then you just pay to sit for the test, then you get a sticker that says that you can practice driving with another driver sitting in the passenger seat, so you don’t really HAVE TO take all these expensive lessons if you can get your practice that way & when you feel confident enought, maybe taking 2 or 3 lessons with an auto-école but not more …you can find out how to pass the test with minimal intervention (and minimal fees) from the auto-école ….check on the website of your préfecture …. they should have a form somewhere with all the niggling (or niggardly ?) details of that specific way of doing it ….
GOOD LUCK ! All the paper work IS a strain ! I’ve just been told that we were lucky that we moved to Virginia & they don’t ask French people to re-take the test, apparently in some states, even American citizen HAVE to re-take their driving test IF they got it in a state with which there’s no bilateral agreement ! .... from outside we talk about “l ’ Amérique” and we imagine that everything is standard in ALL of the states …...