Today, I found out that if I don't start improving at my job - correction, start improving in my boss' opinion - I will be pretty much OUT of a job come the end of the year, or thereabouts. FML.

Just kidding, I wouldn't leave you hanging like that. And if I read over that first sentence, it basically says that I would get fired for not doing a good job, which in all honesty doesn't seem like that big of a deal. I'm sure it happens to lots of people. It's never happened to me, though, and despite the seemingly black-and-white makeup of that text, it really isn't. Shades of gray, and all that.

The crux of the dilemma, then, is this: because the job I moved here for never materialized (not my company's fault, but they certainly didn't mention that it wasn't 100% concrete either), I am now in the position of having to prove that I deserve a shot at another location lest I be left out to dry. I have been working as a de facto on-site rep at the place I was told would be my workplace full-time, except they never signed a contract for that level of service. Ooops, did we not tell you that before you packed up and moved here? It has been brought to my attention that it is no longer considered a viable option. No problem, thought I. There is another customer opening a site who seems a little more keen to get stuff signed and going. I get to go to that site instead.

What's that? Not happy with my job performance? You mean the job that was 10x more time-consuming on equipment I'd never seen before at a site that couldn't make up its mind and therefore left me wondering exactly how I should handle things because nobody ever drags it out that long? In 7 months, I have failed to become a super tech despite the fact I am still learning how some of this stuff - parts of the machines exist at a handful of locations in the country - operates, while also taking on tasks that I never had to worry about before with one hand tied behind my back because the management really doesn't know what to do with me or this site. Really? 7 months? That's all I get? Now I have to convince the boss, who lives in another state, that I deserve to be the lead at the new customer's site by improving an arbitrary amount in an arbitrary time frame based on whatever he hears from the other techs/customers. So, basically, a completely objective evaluation.

Should I not improve the designated amount, well, thanks for playing. We know we pulled you up here to work that site, and darn it if they didn't end up going for it, so really it's a blessing that this other customer even exists, because without that, you'd pretty much be screwed ALREADY. You'd be a 4th tech in a region that gets by just fine with 3 thank you, and really it's too bad that your old site closed down so you have nowhere to go back to, and didn't we mention that somewhere in the hiring papers?

Nutshell: Because I was misled about the real nature of the job I transferred to, there is now no job for me, unless I prove that I belong at the new customer's site by meeting some unrealistic goal that, after less than 3 years with the company, I will be as competent as the rest of the guys in the area, who have 10+ years on the job. Completely fair.