Disclaimer: All of the names in this blog have been changed to protect me.
Hello, My name is Caterina. Okay, it really isn't, but it's close to my real name. After more than 15 years as a drink server (better known as a cocktail waitress) in a casino, I've realized it's time to get a real job. The money was great as a drink server, but I just can't make myself do that degrading job anymore. After two and a half years working casino surveillance, I've decided IT work might be the career for me. I enjoy the work I do with computers and compared to the people around me I seem to have a knack for it. And an interest.
Originally this blog was simply going to be about my attempt to transition from a dead end job in casino surveillance to a career in IT within the next year. However, personal issues surrounding my family keep popping up lately. I said "good-bye" to my parents and two of my siblings 10 years ago. I haven't seen or heard much from my whole family in that decade. I left that life behind. Now, I find myself running into and getting phone calls from family members I haven't seen in a long time. I recently got a Facebook page. I've gone from this quite separated, compartmentalized life, to all the moments of my life touching each other on Facebook. I don't know what will become of it.
Will the next year be a success story or a train wreck? I'm rooting for a success story, but, it seems, train wrecks are easier to make. I hope this blog will hold me accountable and push me on to the life I'd rather live.
Wish me luck.
Score Card pages:
People in the Surveillance Room
Hello, My name is Caterina. Okay, it really isn't, but it's close to my real name. After more than 15 years as a drink server (better known as a cocktail waitress) in a casino, I've realized it's time to get a real job. The money was great as a drink server, but I just can't make myself do that degrading job anymore. After two and a half years working casino surveillance, I've decided IT work might be the career for me. I enjoy the work I do with computers and compared to the people around me I seem to have a knack for it. And an interest.
Originally this blog was simply going to be about my attempt to transition from a dead end job in casino surveillance to a career in IT within the next year. However, personal issues surrounding my family keep popping up lately. I said "good-bye" to my parents and two of my siblings 10 years ago. I haven't seen or heard much from my whole family in that decade. I left that life behind. Now, I find myself running into and getting phone calls from family members I haven't seen in a long time. I recently got a Facebook page. I've gone from this quite separated, compartmentalized life, to all the moments of my life touching each other on Facebook. I don't know what will become of it.
Will the next year be a success story or a train wreck? I'm rooting for a success story, but, it seems, train wrecks are easier to make. I hope this blog will hold me accountable and push me on to the life I'd rather live.
Wish me luck.
Score Card pages:
People in the Surveillance Room
So Sad their Skin Hurts.
Posted 07-31-2010 at 10:40 AM by Inconversant
After working a grave shift, I took some information regarding a review to the Casino Shift Manager, Jack. Jack is one of our better managers. He was sitting in his office when I found him, looking a little lost. I gave him the information on the review, so he could do the follow up, then we talked a little about the casino, in general. He began to tell me how miserable he was and how he was thinking about quitting. He told me a little bit about all the things that he thought was wrong with our casino, the horrifically bad decisions Corporate has made (the company is in Chapter 11 right now). Jack also told me of some drastic decisions he was considering to get out of this job. At one point he almost started crying as we spoke. We talked for about an hour.
I left Jack and headed back to Surveillance. Larry was covering an investigator's shift that day. I began to tell Larry about my conversation with Jack when there was a knock on the Surveillance door. It was Sean. Sean is the Director of IT, the department I am hoping to transfer to. Sean had been given a note to get with surveillance about some software issues. Larry told Sean that he was leaving and that the software for the surveillance workstation program had been upgraded, so, of course, it didn't work properly. Sean would have to help fix the bugs, since Larry wouldn't be here to do it.
Sean told Larry that he had heard a rumor that he was leaving. For the next hour and a half the three of us talked about how the company had taken a turn for the worse since the GM had been replaced with a paper pusher from Corporate, how political the company had become. They each counted the number of times they felt they personally had been 'thrown under the bus' by another manager. Sean would precede a statement with, "this doesn't leave the room" before telling us about some event in a managers' meeting. After telling us, "this doesn't leave the room," he said he was getting his resume together.
I interview with Sean on Wednesday for an open position in IT. I have no idea what will happen or if I shouldn't just cut my losses with this company and run for my life.
I left Jack and headed back to Surveillance. Larry was covering an investigator's shift that day. I began to tell Larry about my conversation with Jack when there was a knock on the Surveillance door. It was Sean. Sean is the Director of IT, the department I am hoping to transfer to. Sean had been given a note to get with surveillance about some software issues. Larry told Sean that he was leaving and that the software for the surveillance workstation program had been upgraded, so, of course, it didn't work properly. Sean would have to help fix the bugs, since Larry wouldn't be here to do it.
Sean told Larry that he had heard a rumor that he was leaving. For the next hour and a half the three of us talked about how the company had taken a turn for the worse since the GM had been replaced with a paper pusher from Corporate, how political the company had become. They each counted the number of times they felt they personally had been 'thrown under the bus' by another manager. Sean would precede a statement with, "this doesn't leave the room" before telling us about some event in a managers' meeting. After telling us, "this doesn't leave the room," he said he was getting his resume together.
I interview with Sean on Wednesday for an open position in IT. I have no idea what will happen or if I shouldn't just cut my losses with this company and run for my life.
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