The Rantings of Dough

[doughboyea]

All the shit that I'll encounter from this point forward, I'll stick here. Shit from my job (stupid things cutomers do) to just the every day crap that I encounter on the road and in school that just annoy the shit out of me. So as it may be... here are the rantings of Dough:

[doughboyea]

My major is Civil Engineering. As an engineer, in order to become a "professional" one must take a series of exams to establish thier ability. The first in this process is an exam called the FE or EIT exam. This exam is given only twice a year, once in October and again in April. To take this exam, you first have to get the application form from the school or from online or from the state. In this packet you must fill out your SSN and address along with your school information and whether or not you've been deliquent with child support. You mail that in along with your transcript and three names of references (at least two must be licensed Professional Engineers), also, a picture of your face is taken and glued to the application. You of course must pay a fee of $30. Now, granted that's assumed, fees are everywhere, but what annoys me here is that no one tells you how the whole process works. It is assumed that you know. Well I didn't, nor did my friend. I direct you to the only official site that I could find reguarding fees for the exam: Application Fees and Exam Dates.

Ok, so what Dough, why you bitchin? Well, my friend gets this packet in the mail from the state about the exam back in February. It was asking for his choice of where to take the exam and was asked to mail it back to the state. I never got that. But, back to him, his packet asked for him to pay a whooping $125 for an exam fee. HOLY SHIT. We were totally unprepaired for that one.

Now, the issue of this rant. I never recieved that packet, I did however, recieve a letter from the state that had an exact duplicate form from the orignial packet that I had mailed to the state in the begining. It asked me to resubmit my child support questioner. According to the state of NJ, if you are deliquent with child support payments or your a "dead beat dad" your royally fucked. You can't graduate from college, you can't get some jobs, ect. Now, beyond that subject, as it is not really apart of this rant, I had to re-fill that form out. Ok, I did and mailed it back to them. But, to date, I've yet to recieve my final information for the exam. This exam is in 2 weeks.

If I haven't recieved it, I'm suppose to call them. Of course, bet your ass I called them. I called and of course, a fuckin machine answers... you want a human and you get a machine... really, I hate these fuckin machines always NOT helping... PLEASE SAY YES IF YOU... how about, YES GO FUCK YOURSELF AND GIVE ME A FUCKIN OPERATOR ::focus Dough... focus:: OKOKOKK... so yea, I managed my way though the network of numbers and whatnot to call and got a chance to hear a number that I must call instead, of course, wouldn't that be nice... let's call around in circles why don't we. BUT miraculusly, I got a person. I told her of my dilema, she asked for my last name and told me that a letter was sent out to my house. Really... hmm, "what letter was this?", I asked her. She said, "A rejection letter."
WHAT THE FUCK?!
Of course, the obvious question comes up.. why? She didn't know, she said that she would get back to me on that. Left my number and waited. That was at 10AM. It's now the next day and no, she did not call.

So, let me describe to you what this means. In order to graduate from NJIT with a CE degree, you must successfully pass all classes with a culm grade of 2.0 minimum and take (not pass) the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam. If you fail to do either, you CANNOT graduate. I've been at this fuckin institution for SIX years and now, I can't graduate. This is infuriating da dough.....

I'll have to wait until October to take this exam assuming it's not too late to apply for it.

I'll post back when I find out what the fuck is going on.

Dough

[witeshark]

Yeah Dough. That's the idea of this part of the forums Post away!

[Storamin]

Bitch Em Up Buddy!

[Rooz]

That's royal ass whipe man!! So, what can you do from now until october?

[c1apton]

Re: Engineer refs - does audio enginer count? j/k But I do know a pro civil engineer in Dallas Tx if you need the ref, I'll be more than happy to contact him for you.
As far as phone hell, 90% of the time I go straight to the "0" operator option and if that don't work go to the Spanish option (don't laugh) These Spanish operators have to be bi-lingual and most times they are far less busy than English - and I get through almost always. I don't have time to fuck around so those 2 options get me who I need to speak to on the "express line".
As to the child support, as long as you're making payments or making an honest attempts to pay they can't legally hold you hostage like it sounds (unless you are really far behind) If that's the case I'ld talk to a lawyer or the schools counselors for your options.

[doughboyea]

Ok, so I called them again today. Oddly enough, she wasn't even in today, it was her day off... who the fuck has a day off on Thursday? Anyway, after the phone rang 10 times+, some other fuck head answered. I had to re-tell my struggle to him. I explained the result of not taking it, ie, not graduating. He claims that a form was mailed out to my house and that I never responded. Fuckin tards. He told me that it was mailed out in February. Well if that was the case and the all-be-it final for all documentation submital is March 1 then I'm in the clear and they are at fault. He responds with, "Well, we don't have expidited mail here." Is that my fault? These fuckin people need someone to go postal on them.... they can't just be that laid back about things like this... This is my graduation. If I can't graduate now, I won't be hired as a full time employee, I won't make the money I need to pay off the loans. Where's my fucking gun!
NJ Bureaucracy

Originally Posted by Rooz

So, what can you do from now until october?

Well, I may have to redo one course (unrelated), so I may just take that course and not freak out over the extra time in school, but I won't get my diploma till December as a result of this FE bullshit.

If I take the FE Exam now in April, I'll be able to walk in the graduation ceremony and still, if need be, take that extra course over the summer and recieve my diploma after I pass that class. But, since I may not be able to graduate, having two marks against me (class and exam), I won't be able to walk, I'll have to take that class in the summer, take the exam in October, and wait till december for the degree to be mailed to me AND then walk in May 2007. Fucked up eh?

Originally Posted by c1apton

Re: Engineer refs - does audio enginer count? j/k But I do know a pro civil engineer in Dallas Tx if you need the ref, I'll be more than happy to contact him for you.

Yea thanks for the help, however, it's not the references that's a problem, that's all just a formailty. It's passing the test and the BS that you have to go through if THEY fuck up.

Originally Posted by c1apton

As far as phone hell, 90% of the time I go straight to the "0" operator option and if that don't work go to the Spanish option (don't laugh) These Spanish operators have to be bi-lingual and most times they are far less busy than English - and I get through almost always. I don't have time to fuck around so those 2 options get me who I need to speak to on the "express line".

Sweet, never heard of that Hispanic line before, I'll remember that for the future, THANKS!

Originally Posted by c1apton

As to the child support, as long as you're making payments or making an honest attempts to pay they can't legally hold you hostage like it sounds (unless you are really far behind) If that's the case I'ld talk to a lawyer or the schools counselors for your options.

The point of that is, well, I have no kids. The original packet that was sent had that flyer in there. It just simply asked if you did have kids and you were divorced, that your making the payments for child support. I sent that letter in the first time and the second time when those fuckers sent it again.

To Be Continued...
Whoa...... my fingers hurt. So does my head.

Dough

[dinan540]

Sorry to hear about your dilemmas. If it makes you feel any better, to take my board exam, it was $1500. Try that for a swift kick in the dick. I needed to pass in order to work.

Good luck with everything. Hopefully, you will be able to take the exam. Shit happens for a reason.

[witeshark]

I know what it is! Those offices are run by Vogons! (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) Seriously, what morons

[nick_318is]

Dough, sorry to hear about you situation, please excuse my post from last night about too much to read (i have deleted it) for some reason I was on the forum and completly hammered, I had the intention to read it and then saw the shit and just declared fuck it, so i'm sorry for acting as though i didn't care.

But this shit sucks, I hear you with wanting to be able to be done with school and establish a career for yourself, that shit sucks and why does it seem like every fucking person you talk to on the phone who is "customer diservice" is incompeitent and doesn't know shit and they dont seem to have the human element to understand where people are coming from. I say we all come out there and kick some ass and bust some skulls, maybe then they will understand.

[doughboyea]

Originally Posted by nick_318is

Dough, sorry to hear about you situation, please excuse my post from last night about too much to read (i have deleted it) for some reason I was on the forum and completly hammered, I had the intention to read it and then saw the shit and just declared fuck it, so i'm sorry for acting as though i didn't care....

Appology accepted. Remarks removed.

Life will go on, just right now, it's stagnant.

Dough

[DEATH2000]

Dough, that totally sucks, good luck man.

[BMWLotAttendant]

Sooooo

Let me get see if I got this right.

1. You have no kids, you have no child support payments, you aren't divorced?
Why in the hell why was it sent back to you a 2nd time?!?

2. Your grades are above a 2.0? That would be your cumulative GPA above a 2.0?

3. You passed the the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam?

If you are passing with flying colors, I'm guessing, why in the world would you be going through all this, jumping through hoops and bending over backwards for the NJ state to be certified as a professional engineer?

There must be a catch? It all doesn't add up.
Care to share the missing information?

[doughboyea]

Umm sure, I know it's alot to read, but it's alot because I tried to stick in all the details in there.. so if you rushed though it, you may of missed them. But yea recap:

1. Single male, not married, no kids.
2. GPA is above 2.0
3. NO, the point of the Episode 1 Rant is that the state claims I don't qualify for the sitting for the exam.
4?. Because some pencile pusher lost my paper work, so they blame me.

Does that cover it?

Dough

[BMWLotAttendant]

Originally Posted by doughboyea

Umm sure, I know it's alot to read, but it's alot because I tried to stick in all the details in there.. so if you rushed though it, you may of missed them. But yea recap:

1. Single male, not married, no kids.
2. GPA is above 2.0
3. NO, the point of the Episode 1 Rant is that the state claims I don't qualify for the sitting for the exam.
4?. Because some pencile pusher lost my paper work, so they blame me.

Does that cover it?

Dough

Yeah, I read it throughly without rushing and it all seemed not right.

I mean, what more can you do about it other than re-sign papers?

Perhaps go to the office itself and explain your situation...but if it's too late, then maybe you should still go and do it early.

That really sucks. Sucks balls. Damn. I hope my CFP doesn't go that way.

Is there anything you can do from now till then, have the university call on your behalf?

[doughboyea]

Hmm, ok, well first the FE is needed for two reasons:

1. To complete my graduation requirment
2. To begin my Engineering Profession.

The FE consists of evreything I've learnd over the years covering 12 basic topics in Part 1:

Mathematics (Differential Equastions)
Statics
Dynamics
Mechanics of Materials
Fluid Mechanics
Thermodynamics
Chemistry
Material Science
Electrical Circuits
Computer Programing
Engineering Economics
Ethics

Then Part 2 Covers my major or the above in greater detail (I get to choose)
If covering my major:
Soil Mechanics
Structural Analysis
Steel Design
Concrete Design
Enviromental Engineering
Hydrology
Transportation

After you have successfully passed the Fundementals of Engineering Exam, you have to work for ~5 years in design work. Once you complete that, you can apply for your Professional Engineering License (yet another test, same, but more specific to your previous five years of work). Once you get that, your basically your own boss. The value of the certificate can mean the difference between getting paid $22/hr and charging almost any amount for a client.

Now the governing body that controls this exam is located in Tennesse. The NJ office handles all the paper work for this area. They have regulations on the amount of time allowed for the processing of these forms. I handed in the initial application (Click here to view, last page has the Child Support Section) before the due date back in Novermber, along with the $30 money order that was required.

I get a letter back from the State offce asking me to resubmit that last page (look at link above) which they sent me with that letter. I filled it out and sent it the following week or so. This was in February.

Now, the issue to this point is what happened after it left my hands and ended up in the mail. The other issue is why was it neccessary for me to fill it out a second time? That I cannot answer. All data relating to the exam for April was due by March 1st. Now, if I mailed it before that day, postmarked, they would've recieved it. It's not like it takes weeks for them to recieve letters, we're talking about 30 miles from my house. They claim that I am rejected. I'm assuming it's because of that letter. I've yet to speak with the personel in that office to settle this. As mentioned before, she was off today.

So.... since they claim I am not qualified, because of that letter, I will not be allowed to take the exam. That means that I cannot graduate. It also means that I have to wait just that much longer to begin my profession. The longer you wait to take the exam, the harder it'll be to take. Only because you have to try and remember what you did over the years.

Now if it is true that I am not qualified because of that letter, that would mean someone majorly fucked up at that office. As, not only did I sign and answered that questionier the first time, but also the second time. They haven't given me any other notification beyond that. I'll have to wait till tommorrow morning (Friday) to call them to find out what the fuck is going on.

I hope that's it as I don't know how else to explain this.....

It's not just as simple as signing a document, it's just a beaurocratic nonesence that state officials do to you to piss you off. They hire incompentend personel and this is the result.

I do plan on going to the office, however, I first want to talk to that bitch incharge of the fillig process.

Ok, maybe I over answered you question BMWLotAttendant, but I hope this answers all questions...

Dough

[doughboyea]

Well, I called that bitch up today. Here is the whole story aside from the shit above:

When I filled out that initial application, I failed (according to them) to sign that last page stating that I had no dependents that I was deliquent on, aside from the rest of the document being filled out in its entirety. So they sent that one page back asking for my resubmittal. And according to them, when that form was resubmitted, after signing, I didn't check off 2 boxes. Here is what I submitted the second time:


Now tell me. How fucking stupid do you have to be?

So that's why I didn't get my confirmation package. I was never notified of this, they just brushed it off.

The bitch on the phone told me that she would "plead" my case to the officals. I asked her if she would honestly represnt my feelings as it is my graduation we're talking about. I wasn't yelling, I was making a point. She said that she doesn't want to argue with me, and hung up (even though I wasn't argueing)

She called back about 15 minutes later and told me that they said NO. That they are filled for the positions for the exam. So, again, due to thier stupidty, I'm fucked for May.

She did tell me that this application will apply to the October exam and that I should be recieving a confirmation letter in the mail in a week or so.

Fucking People

Dough

[doughboyea]

This rant is about one (of many) aspect of my job.

Background:
I work in a grocery store. I started there back in 1998 as a cashier, and have done numerious jobs within the store. The worst "job" there is called Recieving. An earlier employee (whom had it in for me since I called her a bitch) became a store manager (after stabing the previous orignial manager in the back). She came back to our store and was of course the top manager there. She stuck me in that shitty ass job called recieving.

Now what is Recieving? Well, it's in the back of every grocery store. All the possible vendors enter through that one door in the back of the store, need to be ckecked in and processed before they are allowed to pack out thier product. Vender examples would be Wonder Bread, Peppridge Farm, Thomas' English Muffins, Coke, Pepsi.. ect.

The Job is from (typically) 5:30am to 2pm.

For 18months I was stuck doing that shitty job. It's not the pleasant of places. It's by the trash compactor. The smell is sickening, some throw up just my the mere wiff of it. It's messy, the concrete floor is black with decades of rottening food. In the summer months, the humidity makes everything stick to you along with the stagnant air, it's a hell hole. I would come home from that job each time smelling like... well, just use your imaination. I would take a greesy dingy auto garage over that any day.

I stopped doing that job about 2-3 years ago, and since then they've changed the system (like the beaurocrates that they are).

The Issue:
So last saturday, the new store manager came up to me and told me that, "Oh, by the way, I scheduled you for recieving next Saturday." My reply was simply, "oh?" In his authorative voice, told me that I should've checked the schedule, even though I only work on the weekends, Saturday was the first day I'm in the store after the schedule is made. So fine, I said I'll take do it for that one day, assuming of course they give me a crash course in the new system.

The crash course was taught by a black creol/whatever who serades by weekend as a preacher. It lasted all of 15min where he precceded to tell me jack shit about the process, cept for the shit I already new from the 18months of doing it previously. Needless to say, I didn't learn much. Inorder to use the computer (dos based) you need a login and pass. He gave me his login, but didnt' want to give me his pass, protecting it as if it was the sacred tabernackle that he worshiped on Sunday's. So... how the fuck am I suppose to log in to take care of the bills for the vendors? Well, I mentioned to the store manager that I was still unsure of how the new system worked.

A week passed by, and now, it's Saturday morning, 4am. My alarm is ringing, time to slowly wake up, shower, and drive to work to do my shift in recieving. It's raining out and I'm running late. Try waking up at 4am.... I know from past experience that the vendors usually arrive a little early to see what they have on the shelf. As expected, SB Thomas and Peppridge Farm are there, parked in the front of the store (as the back door would've been locked). I get to the time clock, swipe my card and the machine beeps.... . the display read out, "TOO EARLY". again... ? I go to the night time manager, tell him that I was asked to be the reciever; he knew me from before when I used to do it. He gave me his override card and I swiped in. I walked to the back door, seeing the vendors packing out, which they are not allowed to do unless they were scanned in.

Get to the backroom (aka storage area of all goods and where recieving is located) to find the same fucker that gave me that rediculious crash course the previous weekend. He says to me with a smile, "Oh, they didn't call you? (Insert name) asked me to switch back."

Mind you, they keep an updated record of all employee's contact information. You would think that it wouldn't be so diffucult to pick up the fucking phone and say, " *Dough*, we don't need you to come in."

The Creol preacher told me instead to work in Dairy. Open the dairy fridge door and behold, a shit load of crap. So from 5:30am to 1:30pm, I busted my balls hauling that shit out into the aisle. Work in dairy for a day, with the milk (6-one gallon conatiners/case) and other shit, then you may understand the way I feel after not even expecting to deal with it. In recieving, you stand in one area, not really physically demanding, so i was mentally unprepaired for it. Now, I'm not trying to sound like a pussy, even though this is comming off like that, but believe me, when you have your mind set in one mode, and its switched to something else, you'd be annoyed too.

While packing out coffee creamers, the store manager came by, he said, "oh I take it you got the message..."

Man, Fuck you AND this job......which