[secretk]

Originally Posted by Jerry D (View Post) I went to William Paterson University in Wayne New Jersey. My major was history because I originally wanted to be lawyer, but I ended up working after college and I got into technical sales. I still love history and I still love to write, and my boss often has me edit the technical documents that we use.

Interesting! So if you want to become lawyer what do you need to do? Having history as major and then what? I think I have read somewhere that you need to go additional school for law, but I might have totally misunderstood .

How do you like writing technical documents? I have to write them (part of my job) and I find this area so boring . Like I need to be inspired and inspiration does not come easy. Especially when I am sleepy.

What I do in my job is provide formal quotations for the pumps that my company manufactures. It involves taking the customers' service conditions and sizing and selecting a pump based on those service conditions. Factors to select a pump include the flow rate, the specific gravity (density) of the liquid to be pumped, the temperature, and how many feet the liquid has to travel to get from one place to another place in the refinery or chemical plant that it's in. We have to read and comment on the specifications that the customer sends in and provide price and delivery for the pumps and the special testing or accessories that the pumps may need. Some of the bid packages we get involve quoting a lot of pumps, and we sometimes have to read through hundreds of pages of specifications, and you always have to get the bids out to the customers by the date that they're due, which can be difficult at times. Most of the pumps we sell are made out of stainless steel, but sometimes they may be made out of more exotic metals like titanium. If I get an order based on the quote that I did, I enter the order and coordinate getting the order placed on our factory in Japan and manage the order. I also provide technical support if the customer has problems with the pumps that they bought or if the people in the shop who work on the pumps need help. In addition to that I also provide calculations for the shop to modify pumps that we have in stock to meet the customer's service conditions. So my job combines an Inside Sales job with an Engineering job, because selling these pumps requires technical knowledge. I don't have a quota to meet like outside salespeople do, so I don't have that kind of pressure, but it's a high pressure job in that you're always having to meet deadlines and the amount of work that comes in can be overwhelming at times.

This sounds quite complex and difficult. You have to interact with customers, but also do a lot of technical stuff. And I bet that technical support is quite difficult when customers are not happy.

Still it's great that you don't gave quota to meet. Do you gave to work overtime and if yes do you get compensated for it? Also can you work from home?

[Jerry D]

Originally Posted by secretk (View Post) Interesting! So if you want to become lawyer what do you need to do? Having history as major and then what? I think I have read somewhere that you need to go additional school for law, but I might have totally misunderstood .

To be a lawyer you have to go to Law School after you graduate college, and it's usually a three year program. After you graduate from Law School you have to take what's called a Bar Exam in the state where you want to practice law, and if you pass that Bar Exam you would then be a lawyer. Some lawyers work for Law Firms here and some lawyers have their own practices, and there are all different types of lawyers, depending on what area of the law they want to specialize in.

Originally Posted by secretk (View Post) How do you like writing technical documents? I have to write them (part of my job) and I find this area so boring . Like I need to be inspired and inspiration does not come easy. Especially when I am sleepy.

I love writing technical documents and I find it interesting and even fun, and it helps me learn more about the pumps we're selling.

Originally Posted by secretk (View Post) This sounds quite complex and difficult. You have to interact with customers, but also do a lot of technical stuff. And I bet that technical support is quite difficult when customers are not happy. Still it's great that you don't gave quota to meet. Do you gave to work overtime and if yes do you get compensated for it? Also can you work from home?

Yes, troubleshooting isn't fun and I don't really like talking to customers on the phone, especially ones that are upset, but I don't have to do it too often. I often have to work overtime and I don't get compensated for it. If I have a big project, I'll work from home because I can concentrate better at home than I can in the office because there are less distractions at home. I work in an open office with no privacy so it can be hard to concentrate there sometimes.

[Jerry D]

Originally Posted by The Apt (View Post) Awe, everything happens for a reason. You were meant to have a little fun, haha. Don't have regrets, it was your path. That same path lead you to your wife and the life you have now. Who knows, maybe if you would have gone the lawyer route you would have been so busy you wouldn't have met your wife. The route you chose brought you Teresa which is the best path you could have jumped on.

Yes, that's very true. Also if I was a lawyer I probably wouldn't have moved to Texas and I definitely would never have met Teresa.

Originally Posted by The Apt (View Post) Glad you like your job overall. That is really important. Are you a big Star Wars fan?

I like Star Wars a lot, and I've seen all the movies, but I don't know all the details about them that a lot of other people on the Star Wars board do, and I've never read any of the Star Wars books or watched the Animated Series. So I'd say I'm more of a casual fan.

Originally Posted by The Apt (View Post) Thanks! I enjoyed the game. We won a close one, 1-0. Sara, my niece, assisted. The parents of the other team were basically from hell though. They were repulsive. I cannot believe some of the things that came out of their mouths. Seeing that I didn't sit with the parents of our team I was very close to those boneheads and could hear every word. I started saying some things back but my dad calmed me down. When they were saying things about our players, my face turned red. They were lucky they didn't say anything about my nieces because my dad wouldn't have been able to calm my down. They would have been toast verbally, that is for sure. Plus, if one of their players fell down, automatically it was a foul. The player would fall down on her own without even being touched and she was fouled. I couldn't believe it. A player of theirs would nail/obstruct one of ours and they'd scream out it wasn't a foul, lol. They were so biased and stupid. They also had no idea what they were talking about while analyzing too. No clue. They even mentioned my niece, Sara, was speedy, with a first quick move so their remedy was two defenders back marking her. Umm, no, Sara will effortlessly either speed right by both or make the quick pass via a through ball to one of her wings. They didn't have a clue.

I'm glad that your nieces' team won the game, but those parents really sound awful. Competition can bring out the worst in people and it can take away from enjoying a game. That's too bad.

[secretk]

Originally Posted by Jerry D (View Post) To be a lawyer you have to go to Law School after you graduate college, and it's usually a three year program. After you graduate from Law School you have to take what's called a Bar Exam in the state where you want to practice law, and if you pass that Bar Exam you would then be a lawyer. Some lawyers work for Law Firms here and some lawyers have their own practices, and there are all different types of lawyers, depending on what area of the law they want to specialize in.

So it takes a lot of time to become a lawyer. Here it takes more time as well . And people have to take Bar exam here too .

I love writing technical documents and I find it interesting and even fun, and it helps me learn more about the pumps we're selling.

So cool that you love doing this .

Yes, troubleshooting isn't fun and I don't really like talking to customers on the phone, especially ones that are upset, but I don't have to do it too often. I often have to work overtime and I don't get compensated for it. If I have a big project, I'll work from home because I can concentrate better at home than I can in the office because there are less distractions at home. I work in an open office with no privacy so it can be hard to concentrate there sometimes.

Ugh I feel for you. I am now working in an open office environment as well and it is so annoying. I can't concentrate with so many people around me. Unfortunately I can't work from home.

I use music and good isolating headphones to isolate myself from the noise and the office environment. And plus listening to cool music and dancing on the chair always improves the mood.

[jediwands]

Originally Posted by secretk (View Post) Is it possible that there is something bothering you that might block the spiritual dreams?

Very possible, lol. I don't know what, though.

Yes . It should be either end of September or beginning/middle of October.

Good that at least it's coming up soon.

I might need a little bit of practice when it comes to talking, but to be honest even this is not that bad. I mean I talk in meetings, react to hostile questions and comments, offer suggestions. I don't just sit there listening. One of the reasons that the Bulgarian CTO wanted me to do the talking was because I talk fast, correct, without interruptions and basically make my point clear. Plus he liked that I could be diplomatic. So A2 is definitely not what I need. And at least I know how to conjugate verbs. I hate when people use Present instead of Past to explain something that already happened. Or when people use Present Continuous instead of Simple Present. It just rubs me the wrong way.

I hear you. Is there any way you could be heard about this? Even going to the Bulgarian CTO and explaining? It would be a complete waste of your time to have to go there. You know what you need, what you don't need.

[jediwands]

Originally Posted by secretk (View Post) I took some vacation days back then. And I did not use computer after work hours. I would go home, put on some music and lay in bed in the dark basically. As for my eye problems they got worse with each 2-3 years. I usually change my prescription glasses every two years after an exam. Once I realize that I don't see enough with the current glasses, I have to change them. I now have to change them as well because I know that I have issues.

Got it so you adjusted and knew how to handle things.

Your eyes though... Do you ever get headaches as a result of your eyes being sensitive?

[jediwands]

Originally Posted by secretk (View Post) Interesting! So if you want to become lawyer what do you need to do? Having history as major and then what? I think I have read somewhere that you need to go additional school for law, but I might have totally misunderstood .

My friend who is a lawyer basically obtained a four year Bachelors degree, then she enrolled in law school. She completed law school in 3 years. She could have taken 4 years but it only took her 3. Then she had to pass the bar which she did on her first try.

So basically to become a lawyer, most in the US go the traditional path and get their four year Bachelors degree, then they go to law school for 3-4 years. Lastly, passing the bar.

[secretk]

Originally Posted by The Apt (View Post) Very possible, lol. I don't know what, though.

If you want we could discuss this in PM .

Good that at least it's coming up soon.

Yeah .

I hear you. Is there any way you could be heard about this? Even going to the Bulgarian CTO and explaining? It would be a complete waste of your time to have to go there. You know what you need, what you don't need.

There is a meeting about this on Monday. I will see what it would be about and I would say there that I want C2 level and nothing less because I did 5 tests today and all of them say that I am C1/C2 meaning I am on the border between C1 and C2.

Those are the requirements for C2:

Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarize information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express themselves spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations.

I can understand almost everything I read and hear. Even if there are words I don't know, I could still understand the overall idea. I can summarize information from different sources. All of my research topics are done in English and this is basically what I do. I can express myself in most cases and I can react to hostile conversations. I have some issues that are related to my Introversion more than my English knowledge.

Still though based on this I need course for C2. Basically I don't know some of the slang and I might have issues sometimes in finding the best word out of few synonyms with slight differences. But that's general language issue I have. I experience the same in Bulgarian .

So yeah this is what I would say in the meeting on Monday.

[secretk]

Originally Posted by The Apt (View Post) Got it so you adjusted and knew how to handle things. Your eyes though... Do you ever get headaches as a result of your eyes being sensitive?

I get headaches all the time. Basically the only time I do not have headache is when I am sleeping . Lots of reasons to have headaches - eye issues, too much thinking, being surrounded by Extroverts etc. I am used to it.

[secretk]

Originally Posted by The Apt (View Post) My friend who is a lawyer basically obtained a four year Bachelors degree, then she enrolled in law school. She completed law school in 3 years. She could have taken 4 years but it only took her 3. Then she had to pass the bar which she did on her first try.

Awesome accomplishment by your friend!

So basically to become a lawyer, most in the US go the traditional path and get their four year Bachelors degree, then they go to law school for 3-4 years. Lastly, passing the bar.

Here it's a bit easier. You don't need to go to college here because we don't have colleges here. We go to university directly. However you need to have master degree in law. To have the master degree you have to take all of your regular exams each semester as well as take three additional exams that basically cover the material from the 5 years education plan. Then you need to take the Bar exam.

[Jerry D]

Originally Posted by secretk (View Post) Ugh I feel for you. I am now working in an open office environment as well and it is so annoying. I can't concentrate with so many people around me. Unfortunately I can't work from home. I use music and good isolating headphones to isolate myself from the noise and the office environment. And plus listening to cool music and dancing on the chair always improves the mood.

I have Bose Headphones and I have Spotify on my computer so I listen to music to drown out the office noise. I really wish I could work from home every day, because I don’t really like being in an open office and having to deal with people. I mostly stay to myself and I’m not in any clique here and the one person here that I liked and considered to be a friend was recently fired. I’m cordial with people but basically I just want to be left alone.

[secretk]

Originally Posted by Jerry D (View Post) I have Bose Headphones and I have Spotify on my computer so I listen to music to drown out the office noise. I really wish I could work from home every day, because I don’t really like being in an open office and having to deal with people. I mostly stay to myself and I’m not in any clique here and the one person here that I liked and considered to be a friend was recently fired. I’m cordial with people but basically I just want to be left alone.

What are the rules when it comes to working from home in your company? How big is the company?

Sucks that this person was fired . What was the reason?

I hear you about open office. I hate it. It distracts me so much. It also drains me a lot.

[ds44]

how is everyone. Work is great, but exhausting.

[jediwands]

Hi, Shu! Glad the job is going great!

Originally Posted by secretk (View Post) If you want we could discuss this in PM .

If I figure out some theories I'll shoot you a PM.

Yeah . There is a meeting about this on Monday. I will see what it would be about and I would say there that I want C2 level and nothing less because I did 5 tests today and all of them say that I am C1/C2 meaning I am on the border between C1 and C2. Those are the requirements for C2: I can understand almost everything I read and hear. Even if there are words I don't know, I could still understand the overall idea. I can summarize information from different sources. All of my research topics are done in English and this is basically what I do. I can express myself in most cases and I can react to hostile conversations. I have some issues that are related to my Introversion more than my English knowledge. Still though based on this I need course for C2. Basically I don't know some of the slang and I might have issues sometimes in finding the best word out of few synonyms with slight differences. But that's general language issue I have. I experience the same in Bulgarian . So yeah this is what I would say in the meeting on Monday.

Well, all I know is I forget all the time that English is not your primary language. If I wouldn't know you at all, I'd assume you lived somewhere like the US, Canada, Australia, England. I wouldn't even know you had a primary language that wasn't English.

I hope you don't have to waste your time on the basics and you get to fine tune what you feel is necessary instead.

[jediwands]

Originally Posted by secretk (View Post) I get headaches all the time. Basically the only time I do not have headache is when I am sleeping . Lots of reasons to have headaches - eye issues, too much thinking, being surrounded by Extroverts etc. I am used to it.

Wow, I thought I have headaches a lot. Right now I'm nursing one that's directly on my eyes, along with shooting pains in the neck. But I don't get headaches daily, mostly just aching neck pain instead (headaches are 1-2 times a week, temple pain 1-2 a month) but that's not nearly as bad as a daily headache.

Where do you get the most pain with your headaches? What areas of the head? Do you ever get pain in your neck?