PatchesWeaver www.patchesweaver.com

So finally. finally.  I have found a gig that can actually be classified as a “real” job.  It’s at a 150 person millwork shop based in Holden MA.

Woodmeister Master Builders.  http://www.woodmeister.com/

I went on a tour of the shop about a month ago.  The place is HUGE.  A bunch of offices surrounding an 80,000 sq/ft woodshop.  “Master builders”… not just a creative name, this place is for real.  Stairs for instance… they have an entire stair department… headed by a certified master stair builder. The spray “booth” alone is way bigger than the entire pratt wooshop… probably by about 4 times.  A CNC machine the size of a Uhaul truck and a ventilation system that stands like a silo on the exterior of the building… you get the idea.

I went in the first time with no promise of work.  I went for the tour, dropped my resume, and waited for the call to say I had the job.  No call came.  I finally heard back about two weeks later.  The head of HR called with a list of questions.  “Do you have CD experience? Rate your Autocad skills from 1-10, etc, etc. “  They were just doing a preliminary call to screen all of the applicants… No job yet… I then was called about 3 weeks later and asked to come in for an interview.  The interview was at 10.  I started work around 11:00.  Lose the tie, hurry up, and start running before you hit the ground.

Woodmeister does not exactly have an architecture department.  We (yes, I’m part of the crew now) have what is called the “design department”.  We act as consultants to designers and help them get their vague designs detailed and built.  As consultants, I’m actually surprised by how much work we do.  We make up drawing sets, space layouts, presentation boards,  specs, etc etc… all to the faint sound of the woodshop on the other side of the wall.

I am working as a temp at the moment.  I’ve been told by many people that this was the design department’s only way to get somebody through the door without freaking out the people in charge of the financial side of the operation.  Temporary until proven necessary.  This is the idea.  By the look of things, I’ll be busy for quite a while.  I’ve been told that I’ll be thrown on a bunch of projects over the next few weeks.

So that’s that.  Trabajo al fin.