Top Down v Bottom Up
Nov. 12th, 2022 01:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
coffeedaivSo, three weeks ago, I was told that Lime was laying me off for the season. I had one week, and would (probably) be rehired in February.
I took that week and got a job with Ridwell.
It has been two weeks, now, that I have been working for Ridwell. Which consists of driving a cargo van to residences in Seattle, picking up bags of recycling, and putting them into the van. Repeat.
And I have thoughts, somewhat unformed.
Something I had forgotten, since I was a food delivery guy. What is it about Seattle and NOT having visible street numbers? Do you NOT want anyone to know which house (apartment, townhome, houseboat) is YOURS?
So many streets that are not very wide. Certainly, not wide enough for a cargo van to pass a cargo van. And people park on the side of these streets.
Seattle is NOT flat. Sometimes the next house is next door, and walking makes more sense than driving. Even though it's uphill. And usually Up Stairs. Stairs that may well be covered in moss, leaves (and coming soon, ice and snow).
There is a remarkable and noticeable difference in the way a company is run when the CEO did the core job. Ridwell grew from a person who thought "hey, I want to recycle this stuff. I wonder if my neighbors also want to recycle this stuff?" and he got stuff from his neighbors, and then ... well, four years later, 80k plus customers in Seattle, I am doing what he did. As are a couple dozen other people. Who I can ask for help, and Get It. My immediate supervisor? Started doing what I am doing. Most of the management team started by doing what i am doing (and, yay internal promotions).
This contrasts significantly with Lime. Which is probably a blog post all by itself.
I am still learning a lot, and it is going ... I don't know if I am learning fast, or slowly, or what the metric for it is. I know I need to pack lunch, because I cannot expect to have time to get fast food. Likewise, I need to have a good breakfast (and I have learned the joy of overnight oatmeal). And I need to bring water. Staying hydrated is important.
I am working 4 /10s. Which is ... not much fun. I get off just in time to be a little late to my D&D games. If I manage to get off when I am supposed to, anyway.
Yesterday, for the first time, I did more than 100 stops. This is probably the norm for this gig, though I feel like maybe the routes I have been assigned as a solo guy are a little more difficult than the routes where i shadowed people who know this work a lot better than I do. That's not a bad thing, though. There is a time and a place to be thrown in the deep end.
And, really, how would I know if this is the deep end? All I can do is swim as best as I can. And it is good enough, since they keep putting me on the schedule.
I took that week and got a job with Ridwell.
It has been two weeks, now, that I have been working for Ridwell. Which consists of driving a cargo van to residences in Seattle, picking up bags of recycling, and putting them into the van. Repeat.
And I have thoughts, somewhat unformed.
Something I had forgotten, since I was a food delivery guy. What is it about Seattle and NOT having visible street numbers? Do you NOT want anyone to know which house (apartment, townhome, houseboat) is YOURS?
So many streets that are not very wide. Certainly, not wide enough for a cargo van to pass a cargo van. And people park on the side of these streets.
Seattle is NOT flat. Sometimes the next house is next door, and walking makes more sense than driving. Even though it's uphill. And usually Up Stairs. Stairs that may well be covered in moss, leaves (and coming soon, ice and snow).
There is a remarkable and noticeable difference in the way a company is run when the CEO did the core job. Ridwell grew from a person who thought "hey, I want to recycle this stuff. I wonder if my neighbors also want to recycle this stuff?" and he got stuff from his neighbors, and then ... well, four years later, 80k plus customers in Seattle, I am doing what he did. As are a couple dozen other people. Who I can ask for help, and Get It. My immediate supervisor? Started doing what I am doing. Most of the management team started by doing what i am doing (and, yay internal promotions).
This contrasts significantly with Lime. Which is probably a blog post all by itself.
I am still learning a lot, and it is going ... I don't know if I am learning fast, or slowly, or what the metric for it is. I know I need to pack lunch, because I cannot expect to have time to get fast food. Likewise, I need to have a good breakfast (and I have learned the joy of overnight oatmeal). And I need to bring water. Staying hydrated is important.
I am working 4 /10s. Which is ... not much fun. I get off just in time to be a little late to my D&D games. If I manage to get off when I am supposed to, anyway.
Yesterday, for the first time, I did more than 100 stops. This is probably the norm for this gig, though I feel like maybe the routes I have been assigned as a solo guy are a little more difficult than the routes where i shadowed people who know this work a lot better than I do. That's not a bad thing, though. There is a time and a place to be thrown in the deep end.
And, really, how would I know if this is the deep end? All I can do is swim as best as I can. And it is good enough, since they keep putting me on the schedule.
