Sorry this wasnt last night, but I was jsut way too tired.
So through some creative ass kicking, and a massive circumvention of beurocracy (finagle prevails once again) we were in fact able to obtain both our network access, and our badges last night.
I havnet mentioned it yet, but my boss and all of my co-workers are in different states (California, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin), I havent met any of them, and I have no-one around to show me anything.
This is OK, I'm a self motivated individual, and aforementioned boss and co-workers are seemingly very cool people.
Unfortunately they are very coool BUSY people, so another group manager spent yesterday helping me out; and in turn I was helping him out with an architectural problem (server acquisition, build, and deployment strategies).
All in all, a better way to start the job than jsut the massive twiddling of thumbs.
My WORST job start ever involved six weeks spent doing nothing but surfing the web while I waited for paperwork to clear. Yes I was getting paid for doing nothing, but I didnt feel too great about that. I offered to delay my start etc... but because of the way they handled contracts this was the way they wanted to do it.
Even worse, it was your (and my) tax dollars paying me four dollars a minute to do nothing.
Anyway, yes it's a big company, and there are big company screwups and inefficiencies everywhere. It never ceases to amaze me how much inefficiency, aggravation, and wasted time is created in the name of efficiency and "streamlining".
Of course that's never the REAL goal of such projects; in reality they exist to allow middle maangers to get more power, and more headcount.
Listening to the explanation of reporting chains and political issues from the other manager makes ones head want to go POP!
This should be interesting...
Update:
The timeline on this whole process? Well my last gig ended February third. I was intially suppsoed to go to a different company in the middle of March, but the gig fell through ebcause the guy I was going to work for quit.
Yeah I spent six weeks wasting my time and got hosed because of it.
I was contacted about this opportunity in the middle of March (march 21st I think...). My first interview with them was April 6th. They unofficially decided to hire me april 14th. They OFFICIALLY decided to hire me April 25th. I was actually hired May 3rd and was scheduled to start the 15th. I submitted my paperwork on the thrid and fourth, and they didnt manage to get it processed til the 17th. I finally started on May 22nd.
A little over two months from "Hey are you interested" to "Welcome to your first day".
