20,001 - A Posting Odyssey

[buckeyefan78]

Originally Posted by Marc

Well, I went, but they have no full-time openings and didn't seem all that enthused about me. But I did meet the guy who runs SportingNews.com, as well as the head of their fantasy stuff. They are based here, so it's a good contact at least.


Spot on. The hours are terrible; they mentioned me working part-time for crap pay. Have to be in there at 5 or 6 AM rummaging through stories ... for $10-12 an hour. Intern stuff. Not what I'm looking for at this point, to say the least. I've had a dream of working in sports, but the opportunities aren't there right now.

Clark: "How can they have nothing for their children?"
Ellen: "Well, he's been out of work for close to seven years."
Clark: "In seven years, he couldn't find a job?"
Ellen: "Cathrine says, he's been holding out for a management position."

[da12ken]

Working in sports is akin to working in the entertainment industry. People are willing to work for free. Supply and demand.

[buckeyefan78]

Originally Posted by da12ken

Working in sports is akin to working in the entertainment industry. People are willing to work for free. Supply and demand.

Agreed.

I was slated to play Kotter in Welcome Back Kotter for free until they told me I couldn't physically abuse the kids on set.

[ghostofSC]

Originally Posted by Marc

Spot on. The hours are terrible; they mentioned me working part-time for crap pay. Have to be in there at 5 or 6 AM rummaging through stories ... for $10-12 an hour. Intern stuff. Not what I'm looking for at this point, to say the least. I've had a dream of working in sports, but the opportunities aren't there right now.

All due respect Marc, but it sounds like the opportunities are there right now. A job at a major sports publication for $10 to $12 an hour is a tremendous opportunity. Unless your dad is the owner, you don't start out as a GM or a sports columnist. You prove yourself and work your way up. If you're really serious about working in sports, that's where you start. And you work your ass off to get to the next level. Then you rinse and repeat.

A lot of guys who have the jobs you want started by taking that part time job at 5 a.m. for a lot less money than $10 an hour. They just made sure they were the best story rummager in the building and never thought twice about making sure the lowliest job was done to perfection.

[tobynosker]

Originally Posted by Marc
All due respect Marc, but it sounds like the opportunities are there right now. A job at a major sports publication for $10 to $12 an hour is a tremendous opportunity. Unless your dad is the owner, you don't start out as a GM or a sports columnist. You prove yourself and work your way up. If you're really serious about working in sports, that's where you start. And you work your ass off to get to the next level. Then you rinse and repeat.

A lot of guys who have the jobs you want started by taking that part time job at 5 a.m. for a lot less money than $10 an hour. They just made sure they were the best story rummager in the building and never thought twice about making sure the lowliest job was done to perfection.

I couldn't agree more.

I don't work for a major sports publication mind you, but I have worked in sports for ten years now, and I still start my days at five in the morning. It sucks, but someone has to do it. And with two high school and two collegiate basketball games per week right now, I spend the majority of my work week racking up five hours of sleep or less per night. Fortunately I am making more than $10 an hour, but when I started out, I participated in three different internships for free. I also had to pick up two part-time jobs at a video store and Wal-Mart just so I had some money in my pockets, but those internships got my foot in the door, enabled me to make some important contacts that ultimately payed off when I landed the job I have today.

[da12ken]

Working for Wal-Mart? That's like working for the devil!

It's low 50's this morning. WTF? Al Gore owes me an apology.

[tobynosker]

Originally Posted by da12ken
Working for Wal-Mart? That's like working for the devil!

It actually wasn't as terrible as I thought it might be. I was only there for three months and basically did my own thing, as my managers seemed pretty clueless there (they kept scheduling a guy for Saturday night's in the sporting goods department, despite the fact that he quit three months before I ever began working there).

I worked in the electronics section and spent most of the time talking to my co-worker Jason about movies. He was originally from New Jersey and was a freelance illustrator for comic books. He worked at Wal-Mart simply as a means of getting out of the house and finding something to do. Chatting it up with him made the day go by pretty quick.

I also worked with a crazy dude who looked and acted just like Robin Williams' character from One Hour Photo. Very creepy, but also quite funny.

[doublee]

My fiancee and I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart unless that is the only place that carries the product(s) we are looking for just on general principle due to all of the bad things we hear in the press about how they crap on their employees when given the opportunity to do so.

[tobynosker]

Originally Posted by doublee
My fiancee and I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart unless that is the only place that carries the product(s) we are looking for just on general principle due to all of the bad things we hear in the press about how they crap on their employees when given the opportunity to do so.

I don't refuse to shop at Wal-Mart, but I also choose to shop most anywhere other than Wal-Mart, just because it is a more pleasant experience.

Our Wal-Mart locally, though, does a lot of good community service projects and actually makes an effort to be a strong supporter of not only our schools and non-profit organizations, but also of the downtown businesses that in many communities are threatened by the arrival of a SuperCenter.

Also, in my experience of working at Wal-Mart, the employers were not horrible people. Just clueless and in positions that they would not be qualified for anywhere else. But, so are 95% of the "associates" that work there, considering Wal-Mart will hire just about anyone without scrutiny.

[doublee]

Originally Posted by tobynosker

I don't refuse to shop at Wal-Mart, but I also choose to shop most anywhere other than Wal-Mart, just because it is a more pleasant experience.

You got that right. We were in a Wal-Mart a couple of weeks ago because they had something she had to have that we could not find anywhere else. The main thing that struck us was just how depressing it seemed in there. It is as though they try to save money by night lighting the place up. It just seemed so closed in and dreary in there.

Our Wal-Mart locally, though, does a lot of good community service projects and actually makes an effort to be a strong supporter of not only our schools and non-profit organizations, but also of the downtown businesses that in many communities are threatened by the arrival of a SuperCenter.

The ones here don't but that is not to say that places like Target, K-Mart, etc. do a whole lot either. It is mostly other corporations in the area that are tied into community events.

Also, in my experience of working at Wal-Mart, the employers were not horrible people. Just clueless and in positions that they would not be qualified for anywhere else. But, so are 95% of the "associates" that work there, considering Wal-Mart will hire just about anyone without scrutiny.

That is not to say that every Wal-Mart in America is the same. We choose not to patronize them because of what he have heard about them on a national scope. I am sure there are franchises/regions that don't ever come under scrutiny from the higher ups because they perform above the norm and have more leeway to do what they want. I suspect a lot of the mistreatment comes in stores/regions that underperform so they resort to underhanded things to boost the profit margin.

Target seems to have really grabbed a hold of this area. Every time Wal-Mart tries to get into a new community/neighborhood everyone fights it tooth and nail but Target never seems to have any problems getting in where they need to.

[themush]

Where is the creator of this thread?

[da12ken]

The KFC secret recipe is back in the vault. We can all relax now.

[tobynosker]

Originally Posted by doublee
The ones here don't but that is not to say that places like Target, K-Mart, etc. do a whole lot either. It is mostly other corporations in the area that are tied into community events.

In my community, this has more to do with the store manager than it does with Wal-Mart. While most Wal-Mart managers float around to a different store every couple of years, he has now been here for twelve years and has let corporate know that this is home and he is not leaving. Beyond the store supporting community functions, the store manager sits on the Chamber Board of Directors and is currently the President of the Hospital Board of Trustees. While the corporation has a bad stigma surrounding it, I am glad our store stands out as one with strong leadership and a sense of community pride.

Originally Posted by doublee
Target seems to have really grabbed a hold of this area. Every time Wal-Mart tries to get into a new community/neighborhood everyone fights it tooth and nail but Target never seems to have any problems getting in where they need to.

I think Target has also realized that they will never be as big as Wal-Mart, so they have quit trying to best them, and instead have made a name for themselves by offering slightly better products at a slightly higher cost in a largely better looking store. You walk into Wal-Mart and you feel like they have packed as much crap as they possibly can on the shelves, without thought or reason. At Target, things are easy to find and are organized on a shelf. A detail that small makes them appear that much better.

Originally Posted by da12ken
The KFC secret recipe is back in the vault. We can all relax now.

What is it about getting older that makes KFC more painful to eat? I love the food, but I'll be damned if I am not feeling it an hour later.

[themush]

Originally Posted by themush

Where is the creator of this thread?

Ummmmmm I want answers dammit!

[Marc]

Originally Posted by ghostofSC

All due respect Marc, but it sounds like the opportunities are there right now. A job at a major sports publication for $10 to $12 an hour is a tremendous opportunity. Unless your dad is the owner, you don't start out as a GM or a sports columnist. You prove yourself and work your way up. If you're really serious about working in sports, that's where you start. And you work your ass off to get to the next level. Then you rinse and repeat.

A lot of guys who have the jobs you want started by taking that part time job at 5 a.m. for a lot less money than $10 an hour. They just made sure they were the best story rummager in the building and never thought twice about making sure the lowliest job was done to perfection.

I would love to work in sports, but there are other opportunities out there I am going after. I can't afford to do anything part-time for that little pay now. I am interviewing at an Internet marketing company that offers full-time pay and benefits. A youthful startup my friend works at.

I realize you don't start in management and am going for entry-level jobs. If they had a full-time position at that level in sports, I'd consider it. But I am overqualified to go be an intern with no benefits and work crappy hours for crappy pay. This website gives me a unique background with unique experience and I shouldn't have to scrub floors with my credentials. I know I'll get flak for this, but I started my own business, grew it to substantial levels with several dozen people working for me, an ad client list of close to 50, and did this for going on 11 years. Why should I have to work alongside a college kid whose experience is waiting tables and bagging groceries? Anyone can do that, very few have a successful small business coming out of college, and it gives me unique skills and experience to bring to the table.

The company I am interviewing for tomorrow, which is growing like a weed and planning an IPO, has talked extensively with me about this site and they understand and appreciate what I bring to the table. A lot of what I do with this site may be impervious to posters here, such as working out business deals and managing a writing staff. So I'm sorry, I realize despite this site, I have to prove myself a lot more and work from the entry level, but I'm not going to believe for a minute that I bring NOTHING to the table compared to your average college kid who's done nothing out of the ordinary. If I were to take a crap job in sports, I would do it either out of desperation or because I have no respect or appreciation for what I've built. It would be me saying instead of starting my own company (which, by the way, pays more than any entry-level job), I should have spent my adolescence picking my nose at Blockbuster. I'm sorry, but ***** that.

Make no mistake, my head is not so big that I think I've created the Roman empire. I have a lot, lot, to learn and experience. But I've done the best I can do in creating a website that I am proud of and that is attractive enough that dozens of talented writers want to contribute, advertisers contact me, and paid my living expenses through college. I have a lot of hard work ahead and don't think anything should just be handed to me, but I am proud of what I've accomplished thus far.