My Job part 1
My job is pretty cool. That's not just me have a positive attitude either. I'm pretty much a hardline realist. I don't look on the bright side of things just for the sake of irrepressible optimism. Some things require belief and some things require doubt. So when I say that "My job is pretty cool." That's what I fuckin mean.Let me give you some background information and maybe some examples.
I do Graphic Design for a beer distributor. What does that mean?, I presume you might ask. Well, I design all kinds of custom signs and banners that adorn our accounts. Our accounts include bars, restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, and some special events such as car shows or the rodeo. I make all shape and size of point of sale,or POS materials. So when I write POS, I mean point of sale not piece of shit. Some things are as straight forward as a price sign eg. Coors Light Longnecks $2.00 from 4-6pm. Other things are custom orders from thematic enterprises such as Hooters like the jet ski that I am decorating with beer logos for their new lake location. And yet other things require actual design skills and creative motivation like when a salesman says that there is a grocery store with a space on a wall this wide and this high and I need to design something to those specifications that incorporates all our products that the store carries. I can either print things with my 42" HP designjet5000 or I can cut vinyl letters with my ancient Roland PNC-950 plotter. The vinyl can be applied to imprintable banners that we get from the respective breweries or it can be applied to the side of vehicles or anything else that is going to be exposed to the elements.
So having said that, here is a short list of some things that rock about my job.
1. Very Little Supervision My job is based on production. As long as the salesmen and supervisors are receiving their sign orders in a timely fashion and they in turn do not complain to the big bosses then I am pretty much left to my devices. No one ever comes into my office just to see if I am working and furthermore no one really cares what time I come in or what time I leave as long as my work is getting done.
2. My Own Office That's right, not a cube, not an ajoining space, I have my own office. Granted it is an old locker room that in the past was used by the delivery drivers, nonetheless my own space. There are pros and cons to working in an old locker room. Their are no windows, it is poorly ventilated, and the lighting is flourescent and pretty terrible. A short and tolerable cons category methinks. For the pros, you can't just walk by and see what's going on, the entrance is down a small hall. Also, I have the use of my own private bathroom. Sometimes other people try to use it but I put a stop to that by telling the would be pisser that this bathroom is not on the cleaning grid and I have to clean it myself so I'll be damned if I'm gonna open it up for a parade of fools. 'nuff said.
3. Perks These include but are not limited to ~ keychains, koozys, hats, caps, visors and all manner of other giveaway advertising crap, free lunches on occasion, the opportunity to meet some hot promo girls, free beer for extra work done for supervisors (kids team banners mostly), free beer after work, free beer at bars (I have a standing deal with one of my supervisors where I can go into any bar in town and drink Dos Equis till I can't walk and he reimburses me as long as he gets an itemized receipt), and the biggest perk I have gotten so far was a kayak with smirnoff ice emblazoned on the side.
4. Respect Most people here don't really understand what I do, there are very few technophiles that work here and even fewer artists. To some people who really don't understand what I do I am some kind of magician. More importantly I get things done. I am in the business of making IT happen. I am respected by many, feared by most.
5. Fulfilling my Dream I have always wanted to work as an artist, more or less that's what I am doing.
This is only a partial list of things that rock about my job. There should be more to come.
<< Home