Incompetent Is Nic

[dreiser]

You ever feel utterly incompetent? I’m having one of those days at work where I don’t think I can do anything right. I wrote down a city payment in the appointment book as pay by mail when it was pay in person, something the attorneys have to appear on, and this was pointed out to me by my coworker, Tunye. Luckily, the court date isn't until the end of the month.

She also discovered a case I had checked in, an electric signal violation from Town & Country actually wasn’t from T&C at all. I called the court for this client because they came in the day after their court date and I needed to find out if he had gone warrant or if they continued it for payment. The court clerk said fax them over an entry requesting the client to be placed onto a new docket date. Which is what we do.

What do we get today but a phone call from T&C saying that this client doesn’t exist in their system and their license is suspended. Turns out his ticket was actually in Creve Couer. Don’t even get me started on why the fuck T&C gave me a new docket date when they never had the guy in their system at all. I guess they never bothered to pull his file when I called them.

But still I feel fucking incompetent as hell today and I have this doomed feeling it’s only going to get worse. At least through calling DOR I found out that he was already suspended and it was nothing that we caused.

I feel crappy and I want to leave. At least my coworkers are super nice and so far patient with my mistakes. I tend to dwell on the mistakes I make at work out of some sort perverse desire to punish myself and to make sure they don’t happen again. Something which is totally magnified at this job because I love it so much and I don’t want to get fired, you know?

Anyway. I need to get back to work and finish these dictation letters for Jeff. Even though he’s busy playing catch with Chuck. Yeah, being totally honest here folks. My attorney is now playing a game of catch involving a bright pink tennis ball with the owner/head attorney of our law firm.

See why I don’t want to leave this place?

Comments

[sulkygeek.livejournal.com]

You aren't incompetent. You're learning to do a job that is a lot more difficult than it would appear at first blush. It always takes a while to feel REALLY competent at ANY job. And anyway, with your job, the fact of the matter is, at any point you don't know what exactly to do (because your learning!) is compounded by the incompetence of other agencies and the fact that the general public is composed of absolute ninnies who are capable of breathtaking stupidity.

[sulkygeek.livejournal.com]

ew!!!!! Because YOU'RE learning, not YOUR learning. EW! Just. Ew.

[ssot.livejournal.com]

I second that!!

[dreiser.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the encouraging words you guys. I just felt like venting. Logically I get it takes awhile to feel competent in a job but man, there's nothing I hate more than feeling incompetent, you know?

Sulky! We need to set up a chat date. Email me with a good time, okay? Tonight after 10 pm works for me. Michi is having some sort of Math Department function tonight. Wheee or something.

[oneiric22.livejournal.com]

I totally understand how you feel. I feel incredibly stupid and embarrassed when I make a mistake, especially if it's in something that I've looked over and over and over. Like one of the last maps that I made in LA. I swear that three different people looked that thing over before I sent it out, and somehow it still managed to have a typo! What's worse was that it was a typo of a Congressman's name. DOH! >.<

It took me almost a full year to feel at all competent at my job. Don't sweat it. Once the routine becomes so ingrained that you can do it in your sleep you'll stop worrying about it.

[skellus.livejournal.com]

*waves* Wow. Umm... Hi? Ok, this is a little awkward for me, because a)we've never met, b)we've never met, c) praising writers I've never met isn't exactly something I do on, say, a day to day basis.

Awkwardness aside, I DID say something about praising writers, didn't I? *clears throat* Umm, yeeaaahhh, so I'm a little late, because I've only just gotten into the L Word and more importantly just recently discoverd "Laws of Attraction". And, yeah, I really liked it. A lot. You have an amazing style, and it was really well written.

And I'm gonna end this before it gets any more awkward.

ciao,
skellus

[dreiser.livejournal.com]

Hey, most of the people who talk to me on LJ have never met me. lol. We just chat online so no need for nervousness. I'm harmless! At least online. Hah or something.

I'm glad you liked The Laws of Attraction. I have a huge love for The L Word and in particular, Alice, so it makes me super happy to hear people enjoy my fics involving her. I have two other L Word fics you can read on my website (http://www.dreiser.net) or Alice's Chart (http://www.aliceschart.net), which is an Alice focused L Word fanfic I archive I run with sulkygeek.

Now then! That wasn't awkward at all, was it? lol. Please feel free to post more on my LJ. I do love to talk. I'm fucking infamous for it sadly.

[skellus.livejournal.com]

Howdy. Weeelll, since you like to talk... You ever been to France? (Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes...). Yup. You guessed it. I am THAT cheap. :)

[dreiser.livejournal.com]

My mother's side of the family is French so yeah, actually, I have. lol. We were in Paris mostly and then in Orleans since most of our family lives in the Orleans area.

[skellus.livejournal.com]

Alas, that is the cheapest way to a Frenchies' heart. =) And, yes, I am French. Kinda. In a weird sorta way. As ... someone said, "I like being complicated". Do you speak French (fluently)? And did you watch the World Cup (soccer thing, France lost the final to Italy but really should have won...)?

[indigo-veil.livejournal.com]

I totally feel you, Nic. I HATE when that happens at my job, too, but y'know what? Your firm is lucky to have someone who cares about their mistakes (and not repeating them) as much as you do, and I'm sure they know that. I could name a LOT of people who should be nominated for an annual corporate incompetence award, and you're certainly not on that list.

By the by, I got your VM the other day. And YES, I agree with you: I, too, feel myself caving in to the desire to get X3 on DVD with the faintest of hopes that one of the three endings will not suck as hard as the one they went with. I was initially all hardcore about not getting it because I disliked the movie so strongly, but deep down, I'm a fan girl, and ah needs mah fix. Have you picked yours up already?