Doing This Makes Me Hate My Job a Bit More Each Day

So these last few weeks, my manager has given me a task that tries to twist my arm into becoming a "real" software engineer. I like the coding aspect of software engineering, I think that some of the design patterns can be useful and even intresting. This activity that I have been assigned forces me and a co-worker to write things called use cases, which end up being mundane instructions outlining how someone would do things like type in numbers or talk on our radios. This whole side of how things work is obtuse and frustrates me to no end. My co-worker seems like he tries to just find ways to pick out little details and harp on them to show me that I obviously don't know everything about the products... I think at one point we had an argument about if we should word something with "which" or "that". It was a dumb 10 minute conversation, and to keep things actually productive, I just basically said "fine, whatever works, all of this stuff is bull shit anyways". It's amazing just HOW MUCH paper work is generated just to follow procedure. I wish that there were some sort of way I could see how many times those documents were viewed for non-editing purposes (ie: referenced). The straw that broke my back was when I was tasked to write use cases for something that no one totally understands how the feature should work. Through all of the complaints and gripes I'm very happy to just have a job. While I complain a lot, I do think that being there is giving me good career and professional development. The technology that they work on really interests me, I just think that being in the software product development group there isn't where I'd really want to be. I talk to other people and network around the company and they all do things that seem really cool. Even people in my group do things that are really cool. I got a chance to mess around with some of the stuff that they do, but I just wonder if they'll ever really let me have a big part of that project. We'll see... I'll obviously keep workin' there and rock out, like I always do.

FIRST is going well... for whatever reason I decided to help out some bit with the Lego League, for the big FLL tournament at the University of Rochester. Did some help at the info booth that the regular FRC team I work with put up, and I invited about 30 teams to a tournament that we're putting together in Penfield. It'll be fun! I always love meeting people and BSing with them. While inviting teams I met a lot of really awesome teachers there, and some pretty cool college kids (from the UoR that were helping out). On another front, my FRC kids just got their Fuel Cell! Garry (the most experienced electrical mentor) and I have been semi-frantically putting together safety procedure to let the kids use the hydrogen. I've been in contact with many local businesses about actually getting more hydrogen, since we'll have to have lots and lots to prime the fuel pump, and test it, and then actually use it! We hope to have all this in place early this coming week. How cool is that!? Build season is starting to come up, and I really am interested to see how things will go. I'm sure it'll be fun, and I'm sure things will somehow work their way out.

So this week was pretty rough, spending an extra 5.5 hours in work for the substitution week.... As I write this I look outside of my window and awe at the fact that there really is sun out there! Even without the extra 5.5 hours in the week, I still never see the sun during the week. Instead of going to building 0 on Thursday, dave and I went to our friend, Denise's place... That was fun, we watched the Goonies and she fed us and gave us beer! Not too much more to really want! Now I'm going to explore this sun thing!