Blowin' Off Steam

I had to take this certification test here at work. It’s completely voluntary and the corporate office pays for the test once a year.

I’ve entered into a new field of work. I used to work in personal lines insurance and with the move and all, I had to quit that job. I found a new job here in the new state and it’s a decent job. The pay sucks, but I’m starting at the bottom.

Along with the certification, you get a $1 an hour raise. Now, I haven’t been paid by the hour in about 8 years, so starting over is kind of hard. I need this raise just to cover my bills.

We got this huge ass book and a study guide and were told that although the study guide is a good “guide”, it shouldn’t be all that you study.

O.k., so I studied the big book.

Well, not really.

I started reading it the week of the test. We had had the book since before Christmas.

Yes, I’m a procrastinator. A proud one.

I didn’t finish reading the book. I only got about half way through. I even took a half-day of work off just to study.

Instead, I watched Dr. Phil and Oprah. That was the Dancing With the Stars edition of Oprah and it was soooo cool.

I digress.

I was still studying on the day of the test. I gave up on the big book and instead skimmed through the study guide. When I say skimmed, I mean skimmed. I hit the highlights and moved on to the next section.

I knew I was going to fail. I was fine with that. It gave me a chance on the company’s dime to find out what the test consisted of and then I would go back in a couple of weeks and pay $75 and take the test again and pass.

Everyone in my little office was panicking and quizzing and going over the book and study guide. I ignored them all and worked and blogged and read Perez Hilton.

We were allotted 2 hours to take the test. It was supposed to start at 1 and end at 3. We got the test around 1:15. I was out of there at 1:40. It was 100 questions long and I totally winged about 50% of it. When I say that, I’m not exaggerating, I really did guess on about 50% of it.

I’m a big believer of the “if you don’t know it, guess and move on” method and the “don’t second guess the answer you did pick” method.

You needed either a 70 or 75% in order to pass and get certified and get the $1 raise.

I firmly believed I was not going to pass.

21 of us took the test. 17 from our place of business and 4 others from a sister place of business. Included in the 21 was our big boss who was taking it just to get the certification (obviously she wasn’t going to get $1 raise).

3 people passed.

I was one of them.

I was the only one in my room that passed.

The big boss passed and a lady that sits in another room passed.

Hmmm…….what does this say about my co-workers and me? Seriously, what does this say?

One of the girls in my office was claiming “it was rigged” and “guess we know who’s in with the bosses” and “it was an un-professional test” and “they should have given it to the ones who came close to passing” etc……

Seriously?

I almost decked her because whether she knew it or not, she insulted me. Hell, I’ve only been at this company since October. It’s way tooooooo early to be brown-nosing and getting in good with the boss! LOL!!! I was angry, though. I was getting ready to get up and say something to her but my co-worker shook her head and told me it wasn’t worth it. She’s right. I still want to punch the bitch, though. About 20 minutes later, she tried to justify her nastiness by saying that I was smart and that I had a photographic memory and it was because I read so much. Even with this “compliment” she still managed to make it sound nasty and like it was my fault she didn’t pass. Whatever…….

I have all sorts of mean thoughts going through my head. Thoughts that are mean and nasty and just flat out wrong.

However, I’ll take the high road and just ignore the meanness and nastiness and go eat my lunch.

Later,

Mama Dawg