What do you do and where?

[Cheddar]

HP does not take all that good care of their employees. It is not like the "Compaq days", if a friend of mine who talked about it is to be believed. If possible, you should be a sales engineer, or one attached to sales. What you want to do is go around and configure storage and server solutions for customers once they buy HP products. I *almost* took a job doing that; you get paid quite well (much better than in-house staff) and it's local travel only.

That is exactly what the position is for - installing and supporting blade servers for businesses.  I was not laid off, but want to go over options.

[Yegolev]

The best part about those sort of jobs is how you get to make buddies with people in other IT shops.

[Murgos]

The bottom of the FSO payscale is....much more than I am getting now.

A few months back a friend of mine was looking into this.  If you have a degree in electrical engineering and want to look into it there are a number of openings for as an equipment expert with skill at frequency analysis at foreign offices.

Base pay, which was on the low end of reasonable, + danger pay + foreign duty pay + hardship pay + tax exempt = disclaimer saying that the State Dept cannot pay more than 250k per year and so amounts over that are payed out in subsequent years.

Minimum 3 year tour, you won't be issued a firearm but you also won't be allowed off base without armed escort.

I.e. go to Iraq, analyze SigInt, live in a bunker for three years, follow up with tour of duty in cushy location of your choice, retire in 6 years with 1 mil in cash in bank.

[Strazos]

I actually have a degree in History, so this is one of the, eh....Better options, for me.

I'm not doing it for the money anyway. As I said above, I don't need much.

[Signe]

I actually have a degree in History, so this is one of the, eh....Better options, for me.

I'm not doing it for the money anyway. As I said above, I don't need much.

You will need money soon, though.  You're at that age now where you'll meet a girl and get her pre fall in love, get married and she will need shoes.

[Viin]

You will need money soon, though.  You're at that age now where you'll meet a girl and get her pre fall in love, get married and she will need shoes.

And purses, and random work outfits, and a new car, and 3 different winter hats, and 4 pairs of gloves, and 3 long coats, and ... can't have her wearing a brown coat with black slacks!

[Signe]

A brown coat with black slacks are fine together.  God, I hope she doesn't let you do her shopping!

[Oban]

A brown coat with black slacks are fine together. 

No.

Not on a Woman.

Not on a Man.

I could not, would not, on a boat.

I would not wear them in the rain.

I would not wear them on a train.

Not in the dark! Not in a tree!

Not in a car! You let me be!

I would not wear them in a house.

I do not like them here or there.

I do not like them ANYWHERE!

I do not like brown coats with black pants!

I do not like them, Signe-I-am.

[Signe]

Early day at the pub, is it?

[schild]

A brown coat with black slacks are fine together.

lol

[Signe]

What is wrong with black and brown together?  Look at these awesome shoes!



Look at how men do it.

[Oban]

He needs a better tailor, his shoes have rubber soles, the black leather shoe looks like it is made out of low quality leather and his cheap brown leather shoe has dark dirty smudges.

[Signe]

You people are racist.

[Yegolev]

Brown and black are equal but separate.

[Signe]

It's not true.  Black and brown have been fashionable for years.  I think some people are just living in a 1980s fashion world.  London fashion week AGES ago consisted of nearly all black and brown.  Please don't ask me how I know that.  It's embarrassing simply knowing it.  Equal, together, and fashionable!  Of course, I'm not fashionable at all myself.  I think fashion is STUPID.

[Nevermore]

Black goes with anything.  Anything!

[Oban]

Every store in London has a black and purple themed display up now.

Purple is the new orange.

[Sky]

Black and brown can be done together, if you're careful. Brown coat with black slacks is ok if you have a black belt and shoes. Black and tan go together quite splendidly (even outside the wonderful libation). I'm always stuck between matching my tan jacket and slacks with either black or brown belt/shoes.

Always match the sock to the slacks.

[Signe]

I can't believe Sky is giving fashion advice.  I'm sure his closet is full of rock concert tees, viking helmets with horns, Alpaca socks and scruffy boots.  Sky giving fashion tips is even sillier than me giving fashion tips!

[Sky]

Hay, I don't have any alpaca socks!

Today I'm annoyed because I'm wearing my nice shiny silver shirt (to match my new truck), but it's got a slight blue to it, just enough to clash with my herringbone Harris tweed coat, which is a warmer grey.

I am the only one who notices these things at my office.

[Yegolev]

You work with all men?

[Oban]

Today I'm annoyed because I'm wearing my nice shiny silver shirt (to match my new truck), but it's got a slight blue to it, just enough to clash with my herringbone Harris tweed coat, which is a warmer grey.

A salmon or light pink silk tie would bring that outfit together.

[Signe]

Why are all the men in this place so frilly?  Even the Billy Gibbons look-a-likes!

[Lantyssa]

Has anyone here worked for HP or know someone who has had experience working for them?  Specifically as a server engineer; just curious as to what the corporate culture is like.

Depends upon your boss, but the corperate culture is not as nice as it used to be, either with HP or Compaq.  As a whole, you're likely to be on your own.

My friend has a good boss so the company has been really good to her.  If she wasn't ready to come back from Taiwan, she could get an amazing promotion, too.  Another friend transitioned from Compaq and wasn't as happy, though I haven't talked to him in years.

[Cheddar]

Has anyone here worked for HP or know someone who has had experience working for them?  Specifically as a server engineer; just curious as to what the corporate culture is like.

Depends upon your boss, but the corperate culture is not as nice as it used to be, either with HP or Compaq.  As a whole, you're likely to be on your own.

My friend has a good boss so the company has been really good to her.  If she wasn't ready to come back from Taiwan, she could get an amazing promotion, too.  Another friend transitioned from Compaq and wasn't as happy, though I haven't talked to him in years.

Good info.  Turns out I may be getting a promotion with my current corporate over lord.  We will see.

[Selby]

I almost had to make a post that I am now unemployed to play WoW all day, but I thankfully dodged the layoff axe today.  It was not pretty though.  Why do I feel glad that I still have the job and am not overly sorry for most of the people who don't?

[Signe]

I don't know.  Maybe you're not a nice guy? 

[Oban]

Companies with more than 10,000 employees seem to retain workers that do not rock the boat.

Companies with 1000-10,000 employees seem to retain employees that actually do work.

Companies with 10-1000 employees seem to retain employees that either kiss ass or threaten their boss(es).

Just my experience, your mileage may vary.

[Viin]

Companies with 1000-10,000 employees seem to retain employees that actually do work.

AOL falls into this bracket, but they retain employees who are underpaid and are happy to do 5 jobs (and poorly).

[Lianka]

Dunno if you guys are still compiling this, but I might as well.. (I've been on here for about a week, but didn't want to derail your fashion discussion.  :)  Since AOL came up, and I used to work for them, I felt I could interject myself into the discussion with something totally unrelated to the discussion of AOL)

34, retired Voice UI Designer (my post AOL foray into the job market has shown me that I had the only non-sucky job in the industry, with AOL, oddly enough)
Seattle area. 

Current student and grad school aspiree (followed Soln down to the US, and oddly 8 1/2 years of on-the-job training is not enough to convince 1) Seattle-area employers that yes, I am qualified for jobs other than generic 'Business Analyst' jobs with companies that happen to have an IVR, and 2) US customs that in spite of my not having studied computer science formally, I AM qualified to work in the industry and that they should give me my TN visa!)

[Le0]

I'm new over here,

Software engineer, I work for a small company (55 people) in Switzerland we work for the European Space Agency and we develop Hardware and Software that go on satellites!

[Murgos]

I'm new over here,

Software engineer, I work for a small company (55 people) in Switzerland we work for the European Space Agency and we develop Hardware and Software that go on satellites!

I saw an add for a ASIC design/verification engineer in Switzerland yesterday that I'm sorely tempted by.  Switzerland sounds like a good base of operations for raiding and pillaging across Europe on the weekends.  Also recently I've seen ads for Ireland, England, Germany, France, Italy and even 1 for Spain.  I wouldn't have thought there was that much custom ASIC work going on in Europe.  Almost like a mini tech boom.

[Oban]

Geneva is great as a home base if you want to drive, fly or take a train anywhere in Europe.  It is a very livable city too as they speak civilized languages like French and English as opposed to SwissGerman(tm) in Zurich or elsewhere in the country.

[Signe]

Switzerland is terribly not fun to live in compared to a lot of other European countries.  Unless you ski.  And even then, Colorado is better.  And they don't like loud noises there so try not to pee standing up after 10 PM if you have neighbours.  Ireland is really expensive.  Germany has awesome record shops.  I love France, especially Paris, but don't touch the produce at the market - just point to the peach you want or suffer old lady dagger eyes.  I would SO go for Spain out of that bunch!

[Le0]

Switzerland is terribly not fun to live in compared to a lot of other European countries.  Unless you ski.  And even then, Colorado is better.  And they don't like loud noises there so try not to pee standing up after 10 PM if you have neighbours.  Ireland is really expensive.  Germany has awesome record shops.  I love France, especially Paris, but don't touch the produce at the market - just point to the peach you want or suffer old lady dagger eyes.  I would SO go for Spain out of that bunch!

I like my country! Sure there are some bad sides, like you said can't do much at night most shops and bars close early. But still, I love the alps its just 1h30 drive from where I live so I can go often. Also we have the best cheese that exists !

I absolutely hate France tho sorry :(