It Doesn't Matter

[Ron Nossaman]

Hi Greg,
While Newton's going to tell you that's a two tech job already without any
outside work, that wouldn't be the deciding factor if I were in your
position. I can tell to some reasonable degree with a quick walk through,
as can you, what kind of trouble I would get from the pianos and the
workload. It's the people that are the unknown and the potential problem.
They can either make a lousy environment tolerable - even enjoyable, or
make Shangri La stink like a wet goat. That is the case right in your own
neighborhood, and becomes more uncertain as the further you roam from your
region of familiarity. Folks don't exactly THINK differently in different
regions, since the logical and intellectual stuff is similar all over, but
they are under the influence of a different mix of glandular secretions
than you're used to. They FEEL differently, assume differently, and act
differently in given situations than you might consider normal and proper,
or even sane. That would be the hard part for me as far as relocating goes,
but I always have had difficulty accepting other peoples' crazy, random,
and arbitrary prejudices as they differ from my own rational, reasonable
and thoughtful ones. Probably just a gut thing.

The other thing has to do with the value you place on your autonomy and how
badly you'll miss working for yourself - ok, ok, for the IRS, but you know
what I mean. If this is a new position, you will initially have more bosses
than you know what to do with, each trying to mold the position into their
own FEELING of how it ought to work. The first year will be hard. You'll be
a hero at first, like you said, until they run out of the need for regular
old run of the mill miracles techs are expected to perform. Then you become
accountable and the battle begins. Eventually everyone gets educated as to
what is possible, what is likely, and what is paid for, and it settles down
a little until new people come in. For home service, you're a
mechanic/psychologist. For institutional work, you're a
politician/lawyer/psychologist/mechanic. Being only 1 1/2 of those
categories, I couldn't work for a university except as a last resort
primarily because of the near total lack of political receptors in what
passes for my personality. Other folks love it (the work, not my
personality), and wouldn't go back to private practice for anything.

Also, "eventually" won't get the shop equipped within five years of when
you'll be expected to produce repair and rebuild work as if it were.

All this, of course, doesn't help you a bit, but maybe it killed some time
for you until someone posted something useful.


Ron N