My Adventures

Sometimes trying to take a job becomes a job in itself - and then you end up not able to take it.

I’d been hired by a north Florida county school to take part in their Literacy Celebration. Contacted by their personnel officer, I was instructed that I’d need a badge for security clearance. Fine, I said. I already have badges and my fingerprints on file with FDLE so it should be no problem. That was nearly 3 weeks ago and, yes, it is a problem. It did not matter that I had statewide clearance, that my badge had just been updated in my home county, or that I had badges for other county school systems. It had to be their badge through the company with whom they had out-sourced this procedure. I was instructed to get a vendor number for the hiring county, which I got. I was instructed to find the nearest testing center and get pictured. All the centers are 300 miles away. They had access to my fingerprints, I only needed a picture for the badge. “Can I get one done here and send it to you?” I asked. “No. It has to be done at our location.”

We’ve called back and forth, each person with a different idea. Finally, the young man today said I could have it done in Ft. Walton. “Wow. How come nobody suggested that before?”

I called the site in Ft. Walton. They could do my picture but I needed a barcode. I called the company back. “How do I get a barcode?”

“You have to register at one of our sites.” But I’m not having it done at one of your listed sites. I’m having it done in Ft. Walton.”

“You’ll have to register as though you were going to one of the listed sites, and pay, and then you’ll get a barcode. But I doubt that will work in Ft. Walton.”

So. I’m done. I give up. This is the most convulated, crazy, unflexible system and company with whom I’ve ever dealt. Someone else can have this job!

patnease@patnease.com