[TRENCHES] Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - Guest Art - Mackenzie Schubert

Geth

Guest Art - Mackenzie Schubert
http://trenchescomic.com/comic/post/guest-art-mackenzie-schubert

Enforced unpaid vacation!

Anonymous

The life of a contract tester can be very hard, but there are a couple of blessings:

1) We may work very long hours, but states enforce (especially California, and ESPECIALLY after the EASpouse standard of living debacle) that hourly workers must get paid overtime during extended hours.  So while the initial hourly rate is low, the end of the week paycheck can actually get kinda comfortable.

2) Sure, permanently hired employees get benefits, bonuses, and paid vacation, but usually only a couple of weeks.  They’re discouraged from taking additional vacation in case someone should come along to interview better for their job.  Contract testers can count on around a <5% chance they’ll get hired at the end of the project, and then comes around three months of sweet, sweet free time cushioned by unemployment… until hiring season comes around again and they’re picked up by a new project.</p>

I missed getting summer vacation after I graduated from school, but now that I’m a contract tester, I can count on those long periods of fallow time to recover and ready myself for the next harrowing run to a ship date.

VeggieH8R

Anonymous wrote:

three months of sweet, sweet free time cushioned by unemployment

Every time I think far right Republicans are assholes for demonizing entitlements and social programs I read shit like this and hope they wipe them out just so I won't have to pay for for these yahoos gaming the system. Any of you with a steady job is supporting this clown's "vacation".

Tube

This is not an appropriate venue for an asinine political debate.

agoaj

You can't really call unemployment a vacation unless you live with your parents.

JackdawGin

Well that was a deeply disturbing guest art. Blaaaah!

Also how is this tester's situation gaming the system? He was employed, then fired so he collects unemployment, then he finds employment again. Call me crazy but isn't that exactly what unemployment payments are for?

Gaslight

I think it was the way the Tale made it sound like the writer considered unemployment a paid vacation, with no attempt to find another job ASAP but just waiting around until the next "hiring season", that could rub some the wrong way.

I would say we should drop this so the thread can be salvaged but there's really not much else to talk about with just guest art so I'll be going now I guess.

zepherin

I suppose if testers weren't largely laid off at the end of projects then this wouldn't be an issue, the government doesn't pay unemployment, the business pays insurance which then pays unemployment, and he wouldn't be getting it if he wasn't laid off...But I guess I'm feeding into the political discussion.

I like the guest art, it is as if a 40 year old man in a Dracula costume surprised me.