BS jobs

[ISUTex]

What about jobs that have busy seasons? But then other seasons where can kind of mail it in?

The guy/gal who holds the stop signs on the highway during road construction. I'm guess that doesn't take 2 people. Maybe one person with a camera and a remote.

The people who che k your receipt at Walmart is another on that comes to mind.

Someone who only teaches Microsoft Office to middle school students at schools that use gmail and Google docs.

 

[CRCy17]

Here's where it gets really silly. If you are filling up a gas can, you must get out and remove the cap, but allow the attendant to squeeze the trigger.

Similarly, motorcycles are exempt from the attendant filling law. Probably a result of disputes over spills on their custom Harley tanks.

Back when I lived in Jersey, the attendants bent the hinges on my gas door, and it was one of those that you had to press the button inside to open. So whenever I pulled up (and it took me awhile to notice since I wasn't doing my own gas), they would tell me to open the gas door and I would insist that I did. Then realized you had to kinda press on a certain corner and then pry open the door so I either had to shout that out the window to them, or just get out and open it for them.

Dont miss living in Jersey...

 

[Sousaclone]

Worked a union job in New York state that straddled county lines and two different sets of unions. We were required to keep two crane operators (one from each local) on each crane barge/rig at all times. One from each local. Each guy spent half the day running the crane and the other half sitting in the crew shack drinking coffee. Talk about frustrating. Oh, and if one guy "worked" through lunch running the crane, they both god paid for working through lunch.

 

[SouthJerseyCy]

The guy/gal who holds the stop signs on the highway during road construction. I'm guess that doesn't take 2 people. Maybe one person with a camera and a remote.

The people who che k your receipt at Walmart is another on that comes to mind.

Someone who only teaches Microsoft Office to middle school students at schools that use gmail and Google docs.

OK, so I'll bash a bit more on my (adopted) home state. In NJ, not only do we have a sign changer or two, at every single road construction there is also a cop just sitting there with his lights on. Usually one at each end. This is for any kind of road work, even if just trimming tress. The cops out here are very well paid BTW.

 

[cowgirl836]

I had an encounter that setup in a similar way, but the lesson was different. The grasshopper was my very young, very energetic, very smart but very inexperienced manager. (but he had his MBA!!! lolol) We were working in two week "sprints" (if you know, you know). There was a lot of pressure on all of us and the manager was riding me particularly hard. Constant pop-ins, checking to see if I was going to reach the deadline, asking how it was coming, was I having any trouble...he was driving me crazy. I was the senior person, I didn't need a coach and he should have known that.

I finished my work 4 days into the two weeks and started on the next batch, but didn't tell the manager. He just kept stopping by, driving me insane with his micromanagement. Every day I told him it was fine. Three days left, he's losing it. I'm acting calm on the outside but on the inside I want to tear him to pieces. Demanding to see the work despite not knowing what it was supposed to look like. Last day, he comes storming in. IS IT DONE YET?!?! WE'VE GOT A DEADLINE?!?

IT'S BEEN DONE FOR A WEEK AND A HALF, GO BACK TO YOUR DESK AND LEAVE ME ALONE

He yelled at me to come to his office, I went. We had it out. I told him if he ever hawked over me like that again, I was done. If I need help, I'll ask for it. If you want to lose a bunch of talented people, keep doing what you're doing.

That was almost 20 years ago, we're still friends today.

I must know more about your PI planning and SCRUM meetings!

 

[isucy86]

Not to cave the topic but...

On a more macro level, I've often wondered about the whole income tax accounting structure. The complexity alone uses the intellectual resources of hundreds of thousands of tax accountants and IRS employees. (Not to mention the time necessary from citizen/filers - and the paper involved.) Versus some kind of simplified system requiring maybe 5% of the personnel. Think of what kind of affect that would have on the GNP of our country if all those hours were used to do something that resulted in a tangible product.

I can't be critical of people that work in the tax industry because they are meeting a need based on tax laws. But I would agree that time and money spent by taxpayers to complete their tax submissions is a TOTAL WASTE.

For a good share of taxpayers, all the information needed to prepare tax documents could be consolidated by the IRS. And taxpayers then sent their tax forms electronically to confirm/dispute.

I saw a couple months ago there was an initiative for the IRS to develop it's own tax software. Obviously, the tax prep software companies pushed back.

 

[BoomerClone]

I remember hearing about BS jobs while I was in one. (There’s a whole book about this subject.)

I worked for a large construction company (5000+ employees). I was in a part of the company that was small in size but our group made significantly higher margins than the other groups in the company. What that meant was that management basically let us do whatever we wanted because our profits per person were extremely high.

The VP hired me because he liked me but didn’t actually have anything for me to do. Most weeks, I had a one-hour meeting on Monday and then 1-2 hours of actual work the rest of the week. I was paid in the low 6-figures and my job function was pre-construction and business development.

I repeatedly asked for things to work on with no luck. Eventually, I got so frustrated, I told my boss “most days I come in, surf the internet for 8 hours and go home.” He said “well, that’s how it goes here.”

I stayed for a year before I left. I was too early in my career to coast like that. I wasn’t learning or growing as a professional.

I did train for and complete two half marathons though. Easy to do that when you’re taking 2+ hour paid lunch breaks on the daily.

Sounds like my dream job….

I kid because I know how boring that could be.

 

[IcSyU]

I can't be critical of people that work in the tax industry because they are meeting a need based on tax laws. But I would agree that time and money spent by taxpayers to complete their tax submissions is a TOTAL WASTE.

For a good share of taxpayers, all the information needed to prepare tax documents could be consolidated by the IRS. And taxpayers then sent their tax forms electronically to confirm/dispute.

I saw a couple months ago there was an initiative for the IRS to develop it's own tax software. Obviously, the tax prep software companies pushed back.

The IRS should bring their computer system into the 2000s before they worry about writing software. The number of things that should take 30 seconds to resolve but end up taking a half hour because of their outdated, ****** system is astounding.

 

[throwittoblythe]

Sounds like my dream job….

I kid because I know how boring that could be.

At age 55? Absolutely. At age 30? No freaking way.

 

[carvers4math]

Damn you had a legit experience. Mine was just an east job at a lake in Michigan. Only ever had to get off a tower twice, someone who lacerated their leg really bad, and a concussion.

Outside of that every day was eating pizza/freeze pops and hoping some family didn’t dig a massive hole that we had to fill when we locked up.

I worked a summer at a lake in a state park. Hated that, so hard to see in that water and keep track of people, but at least I didn’t have to save anyone there. Similar to you, had several first aid kind of deals.

 

[BCClone]

The guy/gal who holds the stop signs on the highway during road construction. I'm guess that doesn't take 2 people. Maybe one person with a camera and a remote.

The people who che k your receipt at Walmart is another on that comes to mind.

Someone who only teaches Microsoft Office to middle school students at schools that use gmail and Google docs.

Two days ago I came upon road construction at a T intersection. I'm at a stop sign and there are guys just tearing up the lane I should turn into. I don't see anyone and there are cones along the middle. So I just turn and go in the opposite lane thinking it is only maybe 50-100 yards since there is a curve about 60 yards down and cant see. Nope, its a two mile stretch. I meet the pilot car coming at me but luckily can turn off into a place. On my way back I see there is a person stationed about 50 yards past the intersection. The next day I pull up but stop at the stop sign, it takes the sign lady a couple minutes to realize that I'm there. They are trying to control the least traveled direction but not controlling the highest traffic route.