NationStates Jolt Archive

Ok, so for my last semester of undergraduate school, I decided to do an intership at an Archive. I am studying to be an archivist (used to want to be a teacher, but crappy pay, too much work, noo thanks) and right now what I am doing is I am putting together a school project (that someone else did) to be submitted to the archives. This intership started in August. It's now November and my project still hasn't made it to the archives. Why, because of my supervisor. Every other week I have to miss work because he's either at meeting and don't unlock the door so I can get my stuff, or something else comes up etc. This semester is almost over and I would LIKE to submit this project to the archive before I graduate. So the fact that my project is going at snail pace and I'm at my supervisor whim on this, I was wondering if the workplace is really like this.

Any thoughts?

Not all workplaces. I think its just your supervisor. :p

Depends on where you work. Sorry, can't be any more help than that.

Edit: Are you saying that this is your first working experience, or just your first in this field?

Depends on where you work. Sorry, can't be any more help than that.

Edit: Are you saying that this is your first working experience, or just your first in this field?

I have worked at an airport as a gofer. That was better paced. However this is my first time working in the archives, yes.

You've never had a job before this?

Some workplaces are good, some aren't. You just have to work with what you've got.

Ok, so for my last semester of undergraduate school, I decided to do an intership at an Archive. I am studying to be an archivist (used to want to be a teacher, but crappy pay, too much work, noo thanks) and right now what I am doing is I am putting together a school project (that someone else did) to be submitted to the archives. This intership started in August. It's now November and my project still hasn't made it to the archives. Why, because of my supervisor. Every other week I have to miss work because he's either at meeting and don't unlock the door so I can get my stuff, or something else comes up etc. This semester is almost over and I would LIKE to submit this project to the archive before I graduate. So the fact that my project is going at snail pace and I'm at my supervisor whim on this, I was wondering if the workplace is really like this.

Any thoughts?

Does "Muwahahahaha!" mean anything to you? No, really, it's not exactly like this, although you are going to run into similar situations where people you need to do things just don't. I would suggest you read a collection or two of Dilbert comics. While exaggerated, they are very often spot on.

Oh, and I would send your supervisor and his supervisor a request, in writing, by mail with a return receipt requested, asking that you be allowed access to wherever it is, on a particular date, and give alternate dates (several of them). When someone behaves this way, it's best to involve his or her superior. They may find you annoying but they'll find their boss even more annoying. And it's much harder to ignore your boss.

You may as well just shoot yourself now. Sounds like you're not all that bad off, compared to some working stiffs :p

Ok, so for my last semester of undergraduate school, I decided to do an intership at an Archive. I am studying to be an archivist (used to want to be a teacher, but crappy pay, too much work, noo thanks) and right now what I am doing is I am putting together a school project (that someone else did) to be submitted to the archives. This intership started in August. It's now November and my project still hasn't made it to the archives. Why, because of my supervisor. Every other week I have to miss work because he's either at meeting and don't unlock the door so I can get my stuff, or something else comes up etc. This semester is almost over and I would LIKE to submit this project to the archive before I graduate. So the fact that my project is going at snail pace and I'm at my supervisor whim on this, I was wondering if the workplace is really like this.

Any thoughts?

heheheh. Welcome to the working world. Out of roughly 50 some odd supervisors I've worked in various different jobs, I can count on one hand those who I would consider were actually competent at their jobs.

This jives with most people I've talke with.

General conclusion: what's commonly known as Sturgeon's Law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon's_law) (more correctly, Sturgeon's Revelation) applies to the workplace, and life in general.

Sturgeon's Revelation is sometimes expanded as follows:

* The Revelation: Ninety percent of everything is crud.
* Corollary: The existence of immense quantities of trash in science fiction is admitted and it is regrettable; but it is no more unnatural than the existence of trash anywhere.

In other words, 90% of the supervisors you end up working for will be shitheels, assholes, dickwads, etc. Learn to live with it without compomising your morals and integrity. If you do so, you win. If you do so and succeed by whatever standards you wish to measure life success, you hit the jackpot.

You may as well just shoot yourself now. Sounds like you're not all that bad off, compared to some working stiffs :p

Indeed. I know people who'd very literally kill to have Wilgrove's opprotunities...