All about life living in Singapore. A fan of Spider-Man with interest in blogging, social media, traveling, movies, comics, music, writing and whatever else you can think of ... I'm the SpideY of former www.moblog.com.sg.
Just when I thought switching from helpdesk support to corporate writing would eliminate the endless certification required in my career, my supervisor is now telling me to get certified for the same tests the helpdesk people are expected to take.
I have been in the information technology (IT) industry for more than 15 years with the first eight years in helpdesk technical support. As I grew sick of taking certification again and again, knowing there is no end to it, I decided to quit the line completely.
Now, although I am working in an IT corporation, I am merely a writer, and for the first five years, all was fine. With the recent transfer to write for HQ corporate marketing, however, my American supervisor based in Taiwan, with the backing of the fierce Taiwanese lady boss, is forcing me to get certified, constantly querying me on when I will sit for the test.
My supervisor made it clear that unless I get certified for several papers required by him, my year end assessment will be in jeopardy. My answer to his latest query is as follows …
Dear {supervisor}
In answer to your question, all I can say for now is [I'll take the test] when I am ready and prepared, if I get a chance to finish reading the wireless text, digest its content, commit it to memory, and put myself through some tests.
As of now, every time I get down to reading a chapter or two, I would be interrupted and tasked to do something else, so I can only get back to reading the text and jotting down some notes whenever time is available at hand.
Hope you can understand the difficulty.
Regards {my name}
P.S. Writing takes time and requires extensive research, rethinking, redrafting and more.
If ... your boss [is the one throwing temper tantrum] and it happens often, you may want to look for a new job.
This is the advice given in an article on 'How to Deal with Adult's Temper Tantrum' by Ryn Gargulinsk at eHow.
Not too long ago, I wrote about facing my new lady boss who is hot-tempered, always breathing down the necks of her staff like fiery fire filled full with regular reprimands. If the tip and warning from the eHow article is the way to go, then it means I may have to look for a new job.
Thankfully, though, my boss has cooled down a little, especially after many staff resignations and with her now in the hospital for several weeks. That temporary cool-off temper of hers, however, is no guarantee.
Appended is the article at eHow in its entirety for your reading, just in case it gets archived at a later date.
Adult's temper tantrums can be scary, worrisome ... or downright hilarious.
It's bad enough when a 3-year-old kicks and screams and turns red in the face when he doesn't get his way. It's even worse when this happens to an adult. An adult throwing a temper tantrum has to be one of the ugliest scenes you can witness, right behind roadkill. You can effectively deal with an adult's temper tantrum with a few steps-and a straight face.
Instructions (Difficulty: Moderate)
Refrain from laughing. No matter how idiotic, silly or downright hilarious a raging adult may appear, laughing will only make it worse.
Keep calm and keep your distance. Never interfere with a raging adult unless they are coming at you with a stick. Then block the stick.
Remove yourself from the situation. If you can physically walk away, go for it. If not, mentally envision yourself wafting high above their outburst and watching it unfold below.
Help pick up the pieces. This step only applies if the person is a coworker or friend of yours. Once the person has calmed down, soothe their nerves and, if you feel they are up to it, even joke about their garish display of emotion.
Tips and Warnings
If this is a friend of yours and it happens often, you may want to suggest counseling.
If this is your boss and it happens often, you may want to look for a new job.
If this is a total stranger on the street and it happens often, you may want to walk down a different street.
Don't get sucked into their anger pit or a yelling match.
