New Job

[Sharp Right]

Dear Friend Goofyone,

I have never worked with the DOD, but you might enjoy working with the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA).
Hmmmm......well......maybe not.....LOL....

It Helps To Be Masochistic,

 

[ecdriver711]

Just read this thread because I was missing your commentary. Hope all is well with your new job.

 

[ctfink]

I am starting a new job tomorrow which will take me on the road a good bit. I do not plan on abandoning this forum, or my role as a moderator, all-together however I will simply have less time to spend enjoying what everyone has to share.

I had been planning to step away for a few weeks to take a few online courses to update and refresh my network engineer training before going back to IT work however a job literally just fell into my lap over the weekend. I took a call Sunday afternoon from someone needing a person with my skill set and clearance for a job starting asap and I decided to accept the offer. I was supposed to begin on Monday, May 4, however this evening they called and said that there is apparently an important meeting in the DC area on Thursday and Friday and they really want me there so off I go. It's always fun when a new job begins by being tossed into the deep end as I have not even had time to review the project documents in detail so I will be cramming those in as well.

As I am sure some of you are curious to know, I will be working upgrading/replacing the technology systems for the Army and Air Force Exchange System stores. Over the course of the project the team must visit every Army and Air Force post around the world which has PX/BX stores and replace all the computerized cash registers, PC's, and associated communications equipment. To make it even more 'fun' we are limited to when and how many terminals we can take down at once and when/how long we can take down communications to replace that equipment.

Good luck on your new job.
Never fun jumping in on the deep end.
Be safe out there.

 

[ctfink]

Have an exciting trip. It's ashame you don't have an Elio to intertain you on your venture

 

[Coss]

Have an exciting trip. It's ashame you don't have an Elio to intertain you on your venture

(I don't think they would qualify as carry on luggage)

 

[goofyone]

Thanks everyone for all the well wishes and fun comments along the way.

Thanks to some changes to the project objectives my travel and work schedule has been quite hectic recently which has not left me with a lot of extra time to spend on here. The priorities for the project have shifted and we are being tasked with completing one part of the project as soon as possible and then we will go back and complete the rest of the project later on. What this means for me is that I am a bouncing around more as I am visiting 2-3 bases each week. These changes have also rendered all our prior scheduling useless so I do not find out my schedule for the following week until Wednesday or Thursday of the prior week which leaves me having to coordinate travel arrangements and plan the following weeks work while I am bouncing around the country while ensuring my team completes the current weeks' work.

Despite the challenges I am enjoying myself and have been able to sneak away and explore some interesting sites. This past week I was able to ride a cable car to a mountain top overlooking El Paso, visit the white sands of New Mexico and see the fun UFO tourist trap of Roswell, NM. Next week will find me starting the week by flying from Atlanta to Albuquerque then on to Colorado Springs before finishing the week, and spending the weekend, in Denver. I am already planning to drive to the top of Pikes Peak while in Colorado Springs and see a show at the Red Rocks Amphitheater while in Denver which are both items on my bucket list.

 

[Smitty901]

Next week will find me at Ft Hood in Killeen, TX. This should be a quick trip as I am currently scheduled to fly out Monday afternoon and fly home on Friday afternoon. My time at home since the last trip has been longer than I initially expected as since returning I have only been out on a quick trip to DC for meetings.

The pilot phase of the project has been extended to include at least one more base as during the initial pilot the installation teams failed to complete two out of the four bases and the two bases that were completed each took at least a day longer than was initially planned. The good news is that the government people now fully understand that their expected timetable was overly ambitious and everyone failed to account for the heightened state of alert currently in place at US military installations which has created unexpected staffing problems. We have had major issues with getting people cleared to access various bases with about 20% of the technicians being denied access when they show up at various bases despite everyone having to pass background checks, and receiving government approval, before being hired and trained.

It appears that the project will continue forward with fewer teams working in parallel as it is simply costing too much money to hire people, train them, and then send them out into the field only to find out that they will not be allowed on base to perform the job. I don't exactly mind having fewer people and fewer teams as it makes the overall project easier to manage. Having a reduced number of people working on the project also means the project will take more time to complete thus I can earn more money on this project.

Many 1000's of prior service vets that can be cleared quickly. Most with all the skills and education needed ,but no way they will hire those evil types to work on Government projects.
Most contractors hired to do work on bases are just away of spreading money around in the first place they don't really care if the work gets done on time or right.

 

[Coss]

Since you'll be in Colorado Springs see if you can get time to go to Royal Gorge (it's actually not that far from Pike's Peak).
I've been there a couple of times when I had to do work up in Salida, CO.
Very cool place, it's the deepest Gorge in the US, has a suspension bridge over it and a cable car plus there is a rail car that goes down into it; it sits at a 45 degree angle on the tracks and goes pretty much down so the car is level (well for the most part)
And just read that they put in a zip line ride, so you're 1,200' over the river
Just a very cool place to see. http://www.rgbcc.com/
Oh yeah, it's at 8,800 foot elevation.

 

[Jim H]

Thanks everyone for all the well wishes and fun comments along the way.

Thanks to some changes to the project objectives my travel and work schedule has been quite hectic recently which has not left me with a lot of extra time to spend on here. The priorities for the project have shifted and we are being tasked with completing one part of the project as soon as possible and then we will go back and complete the rest of the project later on. What this means for me is that I am a bouncing around more as I am visiting 2-3 bases each week. These changes have also rendered all our prior scheduling useless so I do not find out my schedule for the following week until Wednesday or Thursday of the prior week which leaves me having to coordinate travel arrangements and plan the following weeks work while I am bouncing around the country while ensuring my team completes the current weeks' work.

Despite the challenges I am enjoying myself and have been able to sneak away and explore some interesting sites. This past week I was able to ride a cable car to a mountain top overlooking El Paso, visit the white sands of New Mexico and see the fun UFO tourist trap of Roswell, NM. Next week will find me starting the week by flying from Atlanta to Albuquerque then on to Colorado Springs before finishing the week, and spending the weekend, in Denver. I am already planning to drive to the top of Pikes Peak while in Colorado Springs and see a show at the Red Rocks Amphitheater while in Denver which are both items on my bucket list.

I'm disappointed that you didn't take me up on a free lunch or dinner here in Las Cruces

 

[eddie66]

Thanks for all the well wishes! The schedule the government wants for this project is a bit hectic so free time is sparse on the road however we do have some free days along the way.

I am sitting at BWI airport outside DC right now getting ready to board a flight home to Atlanta tonight however I head out again Sunday afternoon. Sunday 5/3 I am headed to Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls, MT then Wednesday 5/6 I continue on to Joint base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, WA. Sunday 5/10 I hit the return leg of the trip by traveling to Little Rock AFB before heading home to Atlanta on Wednesday, May 13. At that point I should get about 5 days before I head out again on another journey.

Hectic Hector. Time for a name change. It has a ring to it. Good luck in the new job. We all feel safer knowing our government has you in it's employ.