Yrae Chronicles

The crap:

5% pay rise, if that.

The good:

GRAPHIC DESIGN. They want me to be near-enough full time graphic design this time next year.

In relation to this, more serious training will be happening over the next months.

Also, less admin. Either accountant-boss or (they're planning) a new admin person will take over the vast majority of it.

MORE GRAPHIC DESIGN.

In the next 3-6 months, stemming from the above, another salary review will happen.

Did I mention the more graphic design? HELL YEAH BABY.

Does the good outweigh the bad? I think so. The basic theme is that designer-boss's Big Thing when the two of them took over at the beginning of the year, is that he wants to build a design team. He's seen the sort of stuff my workmate and I do and really wants to let us actually use those skills, but because we're bogged down in so much sodding admin and customer service, we just don't have the time to. Hence the prospect of getting in an actual trained admin person, which they'll start properly looking at after the upcoming TAFE* busy period. AND THEN. The salary review again, and the design~ and the awesome.

So basically, I should just have to weather the TAFE storm and then some real shit starts happening. God I can't wait. During the busy period at the beginning of semester (February and June) it is a NIGHTMARE. I can spend literally my whole day, from 8:30 to 4:30, doing nothing but load TAFE jobs. I'm not exaggerating when I say people ringing up saying 'where's my job? I want my job. Is my job done yet?' can take up 2, maybe 3 hours of my day. Half the time it was delivered a week ago and they haven't looked hard enough.

Anyway, back on topic! I've learned that the last couple of months, as I've been getting more design work, they've actually been testing me. Not so much my creativity, but more the chucking stuff on my desk and seeing how I handle it. I guess the test is obvious now I think back, but they reckon I'm awesome :D

'So if Anna was doing the sort of stuff she's doing now full time, what do you reckon she should be on?'
'[Pretty much what she's asking for], easy.'
'See? No hesitation.'

SO BASICALLY. With the back-paying, the next few months effectively put me at aaaalmost where I was asking, and then after TAFE's done for those next few months and we get an admin person (or I offload half my admin to accountant-boss) I DO get pretty much what I was asking.

SO I THINK A WIN. Based on bosses delivering as promised, but I think that's a fairly safe bet to make. It may take a little longer than that, but I know designer-boss has always wanted to have design form a bigger part of what our company does, especially with three designers already employed. And I know accountant-boss has always wanted someone actually, y'know, trained in admin to do the admin. GENIUS. So yes. Weather TAFE, design shit, get paid for designing shit. I LIKE IT.

This time next year, I'll be a near-as full-time graphic designer looking for a house to buy. JUST WATCH ME.



* Just for those not in Australia, TAFE is government-run tertiary education that basically teaches jobs. Mechanics, food and cookery, building, hospitality training, carpentry, hair and beauty, electricians, all those sorts of... hands-on, trade-type jobs, I guess, are taught at TAFE.

I know how to spend my own money, really D: I also know how to SAVE my own money. I know when I can afford something and when I can't, which is why over the past... four years I've done absolutely piss-all with my money except go once to Melbourne (MMM EXOTIC DESTINATIONS) and buy a new computer for a whole $450. I bloody know what I'm doing with my own money! I've not bought a P!nk ticket because at the time they went on sale I knew I couldn't afford it. I only spent $450 on a computer because I knew anything more was pointless and would be pushing it. I haven't gone to Sydney these holidays because I saw Cassie in Melbourne and know it's worth saving until I know I'll have cash leftover much later in the year.

Now that I FINALLY have money I'd like to spend on myself and have plenty left over, for the love of all things shiny STOP GUILT TRIPPING ME! I find something I can get excited about, after several years of not wanting to go to the BEACH because the petrol was too expensive for my pov uni student budget, and I get NOTHING but guilt tripping.

OKAY FINE I WON'T GET A LAPTOP if it means the entire family will ridicule me just because I want to, I don't know, enjoy the summer outside while I'm writing, or talk to my loves in a coffee shop before uni, or write/essay away from the cramped computer rooms at uni, or draw while watching the cricket/footy on a bigger screen and with better reception than my tv. Just because EVERYONE ELSE in the family has a laptop--two members have TWO--so that means I can use them, does it? NO NOT REALLY. You can't even be stuffed installing Office on the things! Doubtless there will be irritation if I install so much as AIM on them, too. There is ZERO personalisation I can do with the things. Look at it in a techy engineer/IT guy way if you like. I'm artsy and I like my buttons on Firefox, Thunderbird, Office (not that it's there to HAVE buttons) and such. I also like Photoshop and my tablet. And a desktop image that's not the Windows default, and Windows styles, and other pretty things.

But if all that convenience is a waste of money, and you'll ridicule and guilt trip the crap out of me if I do buy one, fine, I won't.

Guess what? A bunch of friends including Cassie are probably going to the Gold Coast in September for a weekend! Like we did to Melbourne last year only with theme parks instead of the animé con that you didn't really get the point of that time! Cheap air travel and socialising with friends, that's something you can get behind, right? Oh, I'm going to be guilt tripped for that, too? Even though it's probably half the price* of my cancelled $1000 laptop? Even though you got excited for the Melbourne thing, which was THE SAME PRICE, last September when I had considerably less money than I have now?

You are? GREAT. FINE. I JUST WON'T GET EXCITED ABOUT ANYTHING EVER.

Just how broke do you think I am? The only money I've spent these holidays has been Christmas money, for a new desk chair. My GOD I've been spoiling myself, haven't I? Maybe I don't get paid a lot, but I know how to save my own freaking money! Let me have a little enjoyment! When did this start, anyway? Guilt tripping me if I spend more than a hundred bucks in one go? You tried it on the cheap-arse but awesome new computer, too, to replace one that had been going since 2002. And the desk chair, which was purely Christmas money, to replace a chair that had been going since the mid 90s and been requiring a pillow to sit on since around 2000. And the new $75 mobile when the old one wouldn't even charge anymore and had been going since 2003.

Maybe if I just don't say anything about my plans until after the fact it'll all go a lot more smoothly. I'm sure THAT'S a healthy relationship with your parents, right there.

I never ask for money. Ever. I think I know what I'm doing with what I have.






* Flights I just looked up, $120 return for those dates. Accommodation, for renting a house between half a dozen people, can't be more than $50 a night, so $150 there tops. Theme parks maybe $100 each, I'd guess we're going to two, so $200 there. $470 total plus say $130 to spend on food and random crap. Around about half the laptop.