As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/

OH SHIT

ShadeShade Registered User regular
edited May 2008 in PAX Archive
So I just lost my job(I clipped a wall with the forklift). And now my ability to go to PAX is in jeopardy! Quick! I need money saving ideas!Or if you want to hire me that would work too!

Shade on
«1

Posts

  • Raiden333Raiden333 Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Two words.

    Olive Garden.

    Raiden333 on
    There was a steam sig here. It's gone now.
  • strongesthylianstrongesthylian Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Dine at Planet Hollywood.

    strongesthylian on
    Now known as Rondhi. Too lazy to make a new user account.
  • ShadeShade Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Raiden333 wrote: »
    Two words.

    Olive Garden.

    I know nothing about olives, nor can I garden.

    Shade on
  • Moe FwackyMoe Fwacky Right Here, Right Now Drives a BuickModerator mod
    edited April 2008
    You don't need to. All you have to do is hang out around back.

    Moe Fwacky on
    E6LkoFK.png

  • That_GuyThat_Guy I don't wanna be that guy Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Shade wrote: »
    So I just lost my job(I clipped a wall with the forklift). And now my ability to go to PAX is in jeopardy! Quick! I need money saving ideas!Or if you want to hire me that would work too!

    Where do you live?

    That_Guy on
  • ShadeShade Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    That_Guy wrote: »
    Shade wrote: »
    So I just lost my job(I clipped a wall with the forklift). And now my ability to go to PAX is in jeopardy! Quick! I need money saving ideas!Or if you want to hire me that would work too!

    Where do you live?

    spokanistan.

    Shade on
  • LegacyLegacy Stuck Somewhere In Cyberspace The Grid(Seattle)Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited April 2008
    It's a job. Get a new one. You have four months.

    Legacy on
    Can we get the chemicals in. 'Cause anything's better than this.
  • Moe FwackyMoe Fwacky Right Here, Right Now Drives a BuickModerator mod
    edited April 2008
    Seriously, hit up a temp agency and get a data entry job. You can type fast, right? Because if you can't you should start learning how.

    Moe Fwacky on
    E6LkoFK.png

  • VThornheartVThornheart Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Moe Fwacky wrote: »
    Seriously, hit up a temp agency and get a data entry job. You can type fast, right? Because if you can't you should start learning how.

    Seconded. It's boring work, but if you can type fast there's little you can do to cause outright disaster, and you get paid pretty well.

    VThornheart on
    3DS Friend Code: 1950-8938-9095
  • kazuokazuo Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    PROTIP: www.craigslist.org

    Jesus

    kazuo on
  • TwinkieTwinkie Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Shade wrote: »
    That_Guy wrote: »
    Shade wrote: »
    So I just lost my job(I clipped a wall with the forklift). And now my ability to go to PAX is in jeopardy! Quick! I need money saving ideas!Or if you want to hire me that would work too!

    Where do you live?

    spokanistan.

    Woah, you mean Spokane? Spokompton? Shit, son... Good luck in the ghetto. :P

    Seek yon Spokane-Coeur d'Alene Craigslist, mayhaps?

    Twinkie on
  • TwinkieTwinkie Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    kazuo wrote: »
    PROTIP: www.craigslist.org

    Jesus

    MINE'S BETTER

    Twinkie on
  • PikaPuffPikaPuff Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    what's type fast these days? I just took some online 2min "type this story" test and hit 46wpm. :|

    PikaPuff on
    jCyyTSo.png
  • MonoxideMonoxide Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited April 2008
    PikaPuff wrote: »
    what's type fast these days? I just took some online 2min "type this story" test and hit 46wpm. :|

    faster than that

    Monoxide on
  • Moe FwackyMoe Fwacky Right Here, Right Now Drives a BuickModerator mod
    edited April 2008
    Waaaaaaaaaaaay faster

    data entry places look more at keystrokes per hour than they do words per minute. Something over 10k alphanumeric and over 5 or 6k on the 10-key would probably score a decent data entry position.

    Moe Fwacky on
    E6LkoFK.png

  • ElectricTurtleElectricTurtle Seeress WARegistered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Why is everybody so focused on data entry for Shade anyway? Data entry is for losers. Losers who can do repetitive things really fast, like StarCraft players (oooh BURN).

    The question becomes what skills can he apply where... so fill us in, man.

    ElectricTurtle on
    yfrxgugaj8wu.png
  • LigerLiger Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Data entry is for losers.

    Losers! ATTACK!!

    A job's a job, turtle. Sometimes nothing else is available, and you have to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Even if it's just for losers, it's an open option that can be used if necessary. Personally, I'd rather do data entry than fast food.

    Liger on
    5932306549_6b4d957b56.jpg CUSTOM LANYARDS FOR PAX
  • Moe FwackyMoe Fwacky Right Here, Right Now Drives a BuickModerator mod
    edited April 2008
    Also temporary data entry jobs are usually plentiful and only last 3 months, which would allow him to not have to negotiate for time off to get to and from PAX. And once PAX is over, he can either pick up another temp job or look for something more permanent.

    Moe Fwacky on
    E6LkoFK.png

  • ShadeShade Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    yes I keep an I on craigslist. Do you think me some sort of savage? :P


    ...I could always re-apply to geek squad....BECAUSE I LIKE PAIN..... :(

    Shade on
  • PikaPuffPikaPuff Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    i know 46wpm is slow, i remember requirements of 90-100wpm, and was wondering if that's still the case.

    what does 10k keystroes an hour translate to?

    PikaPuff on
    jCyyTSo.png
  • Moe FwackyMoe Fwacky Right Here, Right Now Drives a BuickModerator mod
    edited April 2008
    They don't

    Moe Fwacky on
    E6LkoFK.png

  • VThornheartVThornheart Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Aye, the data entry is a good temporary opportunity. Keep in mind that we're not recommending it to him as a permanent career change. =)

    However, at this point any temp job could be useful, as long as it paid the bills, given the current situation.

    VThornheart on
    3DS Friend Code: 1950-8938-9095
  • DreamwriterDreamwriter Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Take advantage of the situation. Move across the mountains to the Seattle area, get a job testing Nintendo or Microsoft games, and the trip to PAX will be a whole lot cheaper.

    Dreamwriter on
  • ashridahashridah Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Take advantage of the situation. Move across the mountains to the Seattle area, get a job testing Nintendo or Microsoft games, and the trip to PAX will be a whole lot cheaper.

    Oh, jez.

    Do

    Not

    Do

    This

    it's the worse job in the world. worse than fast food.

    1. This is a strictly a casual temp job. If you're lucky enough to get consistent work, it's a pittance. It's probably not consistent however even within a particular week, and if you're not super-fast, or not willing to do extrodinary hours, has no return.

    2. it's mindless. If you think doing stuff with a forklift is mindless, sitting down and timing restarts of an xbox over and over is worse.

    3. You won't get to play games.

    That's right

    you're a game tester, but that's not "playing games"
    you're given a script, and told to follow the script, and to TIME IT. that's it. it'll be specific, and unrewarding. don't do this, unless you don't have a problem with hating games and consoles, or compartmentalizing the mindless horror.

    ( wish i could find the blog post describing this. i'll update if i do)

    ashridah on
  • VThornheartVThornheart Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Aye, testing is indeed not fun, unless you dig methodical repetition. Now granted, there's a little bit of scientist in some precious few people that make them actually WANT to do these kinds of things. May God bless them. =) They're definitely not the average person, and certainly not me at least. =)

    VThornheart on
    3DS Friend Code: 1950-8938-9095
  • TrillianTrillian Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Get a job where "at will" employment isn't part of the contract
    Getting fired for an honest ACCIDENT is not cool.

    Trillian on

    They cast a shadow like a sundial in the morning light. It was half past 10.
  • AydrAydr Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    ashridah wrote: »
    Take advantage of the situation. Move across the mountains to the Seattle area, get a job testing Nintendo or Microsoft games, and the trip to PAX will be a whole lot cheaper.

    Oh, jez.

    Do

    Not

    Do

    This

    it's the worse job in the world. worse than fast food.

    1. This is a strictly a casual temp job. If you're lucky enough to get consistent work, it's a pittance. It's probably not consistent however even within a particular week, and if you're not super-fast, or not willing to do extrodinary hours, has no return.

    2. it's mindless. If you think doing stuff with a forklift is mindless, sitting down and timing restarts of an xbox over and over is worse.

    3. You won't get to play games.

    That's right

    you're a game tester, but that's not "playing games"
    you're given a script, and told to follow the script, and to TIME IT. that's it. it'll be specific, and unrewarding. don't do this, unless you don't have a problem with hating games and consoles, or compartmentalizing the mindless horror.

    ( wish i could find the blog post describing this. i'll update if i do)

    Better than living in Spokane.

    Aydr on
  • VThornheartVThornheart Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Trillian wrote: »
    Get a job where "at will" employment isn't part of the contract
    Getting fired for an honest ACCIDENT is not cool.

    I agree on this. Unfortunately, as employers gain more and more of the upper hand (for example, as Unions go more out of style, and states/federal government gives more leeway to employers) it's going to be much harder to find jobs that will treat you fairly. At will employment is definitely horrible, but something tells me we'll be seeing more and more of it in the future. Great. =(

    VThornheart on
    3DS Friend Code: 1950-8938-9095
  • ElectricTurtleElectricTurtle Seeress WARegistered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Pretty much all the employment in WA is at will. I don't really have anything against it (being a cah-rayzie libertarian and all that), but people abusing it unethically will ruin it. Then we'll end up with some kind of government oversight that will get abused in the other direction and keep incompetent or even dangerous people employed where they shouldn't be, as already happens in government agencies like Child Protective Services, and then kids get killed by negligence and practices that overprotect the employment of the incompetent.

    For the record, having met Shade, I am not saying that he falls into the incompetent category. I'm sure it was an honest mistake for him and he was treated unfairly. But the system itself is not unfair, only some people abuse it, but the alternative is, in my mind, worse. It sacrifices the freedom of businesses to protect their interests (and by extension, the public, because that's where a lot of businesses worry about liability), just to give more security to people who at least some of the time deserve what's coming to them. And you know what old Ben Franklin said about that...

    Not that this is D&D, so don't take this as flamebait.

    ElectricTurtle on
    yfrxgugaj8wu.png
  • VThornheartVThornheart Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Yeah, either way you want to look at it, it's a sucky situation.

    VThornheart on
    3DS Friend Code: 1950-8938-9095
  • ShadeShade Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    If I can get a ride and a place to stay I'll be fine(I already bought my pass).

    Shade on
  • ashridahashridah Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Yeah, either way you want to look at it, it's a sucky situation.

    See, now the people who wrote futurama were on the right path.

    1bd25019.jpg

    You gotta do, what you gotta do.
    and if you don't, you'll be fired.
    out of a cannon
    into the sun

    ashridah on
  • VThornheartVThornheart Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Aww, poor Shade. Don't worry, we don't have a cannon that powerful yet. (kidding! Kidding! =) )

    Hopefully you'll find gainful employment soon. We're rooting for ya. =)

    VThornheart on
    3DS Friend Code: 1950-8938-9095
  • RelativioxRelativiox Halo Nerd Forerunner shield world OnyxRegistered User regular
    edited April 2008
    ashridah wrote: »
    Take advantage of the situation. Move across the mountains to the Seattle area, get a job testing Nintendo or Microsoft games, and the trip to PAX will be a whole lot cheaper.

    Oh, jez.

    Do

    Not

    Do

    This

    it's the worse job in the world. worse than fast food.

    Don't know why you don't like it. I love it. If you're looking for work in the Seattle/Redmond area this is a great idea. I'd go with Microsoft more than Nintendo though. Worked both places and I like Microsoft soooo much more.

    Relativiox on
    iris_forumsig.gif
  • Moe FwackyMoe Fwacky Right Here, Right Now Drives a BuickModerator mod
    edited April 2008
    You know they also have entry-level jobs that aren't game testing. Warehouse work is a common one.

    Moe Fwacky on
    E6LkoFK.png

  • SnickersSnickers Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Moe Fwacky wrote: »
    You know they also have entry-level jobs that aren't game testing. Warehouse work is a common one.

    Very common.

    Do you breathe? Are you alive? Can you fill out simple paperwork? Can you pass a drug screening?

    If you answered yes to at least one, maybe two, of these questions, Nintendo Warehouse work is perfect for you!

    I mean come on, they hired me didn't they?

    Snickers on
    <@frellnik&gt; and suddenly, Snickers
  • DreamwriterDreamwriter Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    ashridah wrote: »
    Oh, jez.

    Do

    Not

    Do

    This

    it's the worse job in the world. worse than fast food.

    Have you actually done it yourself? Because that's literally NOTHING like my experience temp testing for Nintendo. The closest thing to "scripts" we were given were checklists to make sure the games followed Nintendo's standards (ie, refer to controls by their correct terms). And we weren't timing anything. The job was pretty steady: I worked for a month, had a week off, worked 6 weeks, two weeks off, another 4 weeks, etc.. And that was just normal lot-check - when a big Nintendo game comes out, Nintendo generally wants people to test just that game. I got to test Zelda: Majora's Mask for 6 weeks, then the PAL build for another 4. And for that, at first we were told to just play the game for a few days, after which we were assigned different areas of the game to test (including a couple people assigned to play the game from beginning to end). No scripts, just play that area trying to find bugs, writing them up and later on regressing them in future builds of the game. Then the area assignments would get switched around to give areas another set of eyes. Then in the last week we were set free to play the game as we wished to try and crash it and find any bugs we could.

    No, it's not just playing games all the time for fun - but I still found it a fun and relaxing job, and at the time it paid almost double minimum-wage, which is pretty darn good for an entry level position. It was way better than working retail. And of course if you do it long enough (and actually try to find bugs rather than sit there goofing around), it's pretty easy to transition into a full-time tester (ie not contract) for Nintendo.

    And tester is one of the main ways into the gaming industry, it's a great beginning of a career path.

    Dreamwriter on
  • ashridahashridah Registered User regular
    edited April 2008

    Have you actually done it yourself? Because that's literally NOTHING like my experience temp testing for Nintendo. The closest thing to "scripts" we were given were checklists to make sure the games followed Nintendo's standards (ie, refer to controls by their correct terms). And we weren't timing anything. The job was pretty steady: I worked for a month, had a week off, worked 6 weeks, two weeks off, another 4 weeks, etc.. And that was just normal lot-check - when a big Nintendo game comes out, Nintendo generally wants people to test just that game. I got to test Zelda: Majora's Mask for 6 weeks, then the PAL build for another 4. And for that, at first we were told to just play the game for a few days, after which we were assigned different areas of the game to test (including a couple people assigned to play the game from beginning to end). No scripts, just play that area trying to find bugs, writing them up and later on regressing them in future builds of the game. Then the area assignments would get switched around to give areas another set of eyes. Then in the last week we were set free to play the game as we wished to try and crash it and find any bugs we could.

    No, it's not just playing games all the time for fun - but I still found it a fun and relaxing job, and at the time it paid almost double minimum-wage, which is pretty darn good for an entry level position. It was way better than working retail. And of course if you do it long enough (and actually try to find bugs rather than sit there goofing around), it's pretty easy to transition into a full-time tester (ie not contract) for Nintendo.

    And tester is one of the main ways into the gaming industry, it's a great beginning of a career path.

    Personally, no, I admit that I haven't (although I do write automated tests for a living, which has it's own issues as a job, as do most jobs)

    And there are probably groups of these that aren't completely sucky. That said, I've read descriptions of people who have done it, for third parties that contract manpower out to microsoft (If I could find it, I'd post one of the more notable ones). While it might not suck 24x7, it's just as likely that you'll wind up spending a day rebooting an xbox over and over, and noting down how often it failed, or how long it took to boot, etc.

    It may well be no worse than doing data entry for you, and you might not find it bad personally, but it's not a job I'd be able to imagine aspiring to. The main drawback is that it seems to have little job security, particularly in that you need to turn up at the crack of dawn to get considered (at this particular facility that I've read about, anyway.) I guess I desire more job security in general.

    ashridah on
  • DreamwriterDreamwriter Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    When I did it, it was just a normal temp job. There was no special getting up at the crack of dawn, they either called you for a contract or they didn't. And the contract would be for a set amount of time, always at least two weeks, usually longer. Same job security as any other temp-agency job. I also did warehouse work at Nintendo for a month through the same temp agency when they didn't need testers (packing Virtual Boy AC adapters), now THAT was monotonous, but it filled the gap between testing jobs.

    Dreamwriter on
  • the doughthe dough Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Well you live in Spokane right?

    Meth Lab!

    the dough on
This discussion has been closed.