Opportunities Denied

I had a cute post planned for today showing the kids before and after the de-hippiefication but something went down today that got my dander right up so fun pics of the kids will have to wait until my blood pressure has dropped down to it's normal range of 'I really couldn't care less to Are you fucking kidding me?!'  Last year we in the Quality organization received the good news that there was going to be a partnership with a local university to off quality systems and strategic training as there is no development plan for the organization and the higher ups (rightly) want to be able to 1) promote from within and 2) have those 'within' possess some of the necessary skills/experiences that would make it worthwhile to promote from within.  Oh happy day!  There might be some way out of this appendix of a job. 

When the winter schedule became available, I signed up for everything right away - limited slots, everyone would have the opportunity to apply for them and was not playing around with this.  So over the course of three days in January, I took four classes and looked forward to the next round of classes to be scheduled.  And two weeks ago they were.  So I requested permission to attend them all again.  Now, these classes are in April, June and August and would take roughly three days in a row to do.  You know, to minimize disruption to the routine.  Plus, I already had the prerequisites from the January classes which, at the most, held 10 people.  To recap: training was offered, classes were less than capacity, not exactly an overly high interest level.

Well, the next week, my boss informs us that she can't possibly continue to work in a place where she is unvalued and unwanted (you reap what you sow but that is another story altogether) so she had given her two weeks' notice.  My thought, okay, she'll approve these class requests as a last second 'screw you' to those who had wronged her.  At least, that is what I would do.  I'm petty and vindictive like that. Anyway, I received the electronic enrollment confirmation notifications and much to my surprise, three classes were denied, one from each month.  Naturally, I questioned this as, like I stated before, there wasn't an overwhelming response from the quality masses and oh yeah, they are cumulative.  The reason? She and the plant manager "tried to prioritize the classes to be taken the first half of this year verses what could be taken at a later time. You can request these others later in the year when a new schedule comes out."  Again, let's recap: classes are cumulative, not a tremendous amount of interest thereby not guaranteeing more will be offered and oh yeah, she is leaving in two days.

This of course pissed me off royally mostly because if it was a scheduling issues, I should have been informed and been given the opportunity to choose.  Wouldn't have liked it, but hey, that's how things go.  As it stands, someone who will no longer be here and someone who knows nothing about my career plans took it upon themselves to decide what I should take when and in what order.  THAT I have a huge problem with. But wait! There's more! When she came by to 'explain' the denial, she brought a whole new angle into the discussion: but they want others to take advantage of this opportunity too!  Right, those 'others' who so eagerly awaited their chance to go, so eagerly that that the only other participants in the January session were forced to attend should be given preference over those of use who have shown an interest and eagerness to learn new skills and apply said skills to our line jobs.  And lo! behold the rise of the martyr: "I really don't need this my last three days here" she wailed with tears in her eyes.  And like that, she made it all about her.  Calmly I pointed out again that those who showed willingness and enthusiasm were being put off to 'encourage' a  greater audience to participate.  In a group of classes that are cumulative and oh yeah, have prerequisites.  But no matter! Our initiative was being! seen! By whom? She was unclear on that and yes, oh so very condescending.  I cannot wait to be rid of her and Friday afternoon cannot come soon enough. 

And they wonder why we all try to hard to escape this place.