Working at the Shipyard

So this happened at work the other day, this thing in the picture. I walked out onto the bow of one of our tugboats and took this picture of our workers settling this big private yacht into a floating dry dock -- mostly sunk in this picture -- out in the middle of the canal next to the shipyard. A few hours later they had towed the whole thing over to the dock and lifted it out of the water, and I walked under the boat and took a little tour with my hard hat on.

This is the seventh contract position I have worked on in the 2.5 years since I last had a permanent job. And in case you are wondering, it's pretty cool to be in a shipyard with big boats all around, even if I am usually indoors. When I go out, I wear a hardhat, even to walk in and out of the building at the beginning and end of the day.

I am still at the point where I am trying to convince the client and myself that I can be useful in this role. This one is a little different because I feel confident that I can do the job, but I need to work with various parties, and persuading people to do what I want is not necessarily my strong suit. However, I feel good about it so far.

The contract is a good one, potentially the best I have seen. It pays well, and it is scheduled to go until the end of April, which is about three months longer than any of my other contracts. The client is big enough that they might be able to find a place for me afterward, maybe, although I am not exactly counting on it. Still, it's part of my work now that I hold out some hope that each job may lead to something permanent, either with this company or through a recommendation.

Meanwhile, it's six months closer to retirement and another bit of experience on the resume, so the work life is good for now.