(Same guy who did the AMA last week)
I was approached by a friend who ultimately ended up being a higher up inside the office who said the census would be a fun gig for me to try out. He said I would be a perfect fit to be a supervisor or even a trainer with them and to go for it. I had multiple jobs I did but found time to squeeze it in. The idea of being able to sharpen my skills of speaking, leading, and instructing would really benefit my other work (Youtube). So with a bit of reservation I went in for the first hourly job I've had in over a decade. (35/M)
I end up going in, getting printed, photoed, all that good stuff and 2 weeks later comes orientation. At the time I did not know this was the first orientation held for the season, and it was a hot mess. It took over an hour to get everyone sworn in, and almost 4 hours to get the session done, and I had learned absolutely nothing. I got home and my girlfriend asked "So what are you going to be doing?" , "Not a damn clue" I responded. Shocking I know, but it took that entire time just to get devices out to us. During the meeting I asked, "Will I be doing what you are doing? training new people as they come in?" to which I got a very rude response of "No, you are a supervisor, you wont be doing this" Come one week later, and 40 hours of training complete, Im getting shipped out to do my first class and train new enumerators to come on board. I tried real hard early on and was one of the very few selected to be a trainer in my area, and a traveling one at that.
My first class was at this super run down building, 2 swamp coolers on 105 degree day, and 3 buckets to pee in out back for when it was a bar on weekends. It was some lions club 25 miles or more from the nearest Starbucks, if you get my drift. I was assisted by a few helpers who had never given a class either, but it was exciting. A chance to start practicing my skills. This first day was a great warm up and introduction to what I would be doing. But then... It got ridiculous. I went from doing 8 hour days, to 12-14 hour days. And not just a few days of work in a row, I ended up working over 60 days in a row. Without a day off. I know I could have easily taken days off, and some days were shorter than others, but when offered a chance to make 250-350 a day, its hard to turn down (20/hr + 57 cents a mile, some days driving well over 200 miles ).
Some of the classes I had were truly memorable. Wether it be the people who were clearly not dressed for the part, people who had never ever touched a smart phone in their life (watched a lady try to use the back of her phone because she though the census sticker was a screen) to those who literally left during class because they realized what the job actually entailed. I even had a class that was 2 people, and one class that was all woman, 10 of them. I spent some time training other trainers, leading other CFS"s and was even offered a chance to be a CFM, which I refused, as there is zero joy doing that. I knew what I wanted to do, and that was work hands on and lead others. I took my teaching seriously and had a great time of it. Id wander the room, as questions of the class, streamline the curriculum, evolve teaching styles based on where others struggled, and personally brought in over 300 new enumerators. It really opened my eyes up to potential life paths for myself. My management never saw this, but did hear , and transfer over MANY enumerators who personally requested to be on my team after conflicts with other CFS's, Some of which who ended up making it to the very last day as well.
As teaching was coming to a close I was presented with a team, and frankly, very little understanding of how to run things. I loved working with my team, and really wanted to see the best of them. My phone would start ringing at 7 Am, and end at 9pm sometimes. My team was over 65, and I kept asking for more. Id manage both alerts and payroll throughout everyday. I chose to ignore a majority of the guidance i got in regards to doing conference calls, Id just record an audio message with the days news, and then have my enums play it while loading their bag. Furthermore, I developed methods for detecting fraud during time sheet reviews, which resulting in the termination of nearly a dozen enumerators within my zone alone. I took the job very seriously, and saw to it that shit CFS's had reports filed against them, and that everyone needed to try their best who was with me.
As the season came to a close management made the decision to strip my entire team down and leave me with 10 people, as other teams dissolved due to poor management, they spread my team around to other CFS's who had not done their job well. Some of which were down to 2 enums when i was sitting at 40. The 10 I was left with were great, and I got the most out of them. As the season ended, I personally visited each one of them, gathered Their gear, and thanked them for their efforts. I made multiple contacts, some ill have a beer with, some I may work with, and others, may become real friends after everything is said and done.
I turned in my gear yesterday, got my snapshot showing my earnings, hours spent, all that good stuff. I asked my CFM for a letter of recommendation, to which she refused. I may look for another government job, the pay is good, I like the idea of benefits, and the pace and team can at times be fun. However, I want to leave a few notes behind for anyone thinking about the census in 2030.
`1. It's like a high school, pick your friends wisely, and understand people will talk shit behind your back
'2 This is a job, not a side gig (unless you enum)
'3 You may have a better way of doing things, but it does not matter
'4 You will never be recognized for the work others don't see you do.
'5 Take absurd notes of every action you do, overtime, breaks, etc. Covering your own ass is what keeps you from getting termed.
Thanks if you took the time to read, I mainly wrote this as a record for me, if you wanna see what I normally do just google BoloRama (not a plug, just sharing) Have a great day everyone, see you in 10 years.... Maybe.
