So I'm just going to complain (a bit of a vent). Anyone wanting to bypass this please feel free.
I am currently working again. In engineering. I'm actually working in a department that I am not usually in but that's ok my skills are transferable.
Currently on my team I have a guy from the UK, I may have mentioned him before but in case you forgot he's pro Brexit and from the North East of England, not far from where I once lived up there.
I have nothing against older people (considering my age...). However this guy annoys me to no end. Aside from being a rather abrasive person in general he is also a 'know it all' kind of person.
Apparently his years of 'knowledge' will be missed when he leaves at the end of this month. (yes I'm cheering, I'm considering bringing in a cake) but his personality won't be. Also, one person shouldn't be that irreplaceable otherwise you're doing it wrong. Succession learning is a big problem in engineering in general. But that's a whole other issue.
People who I've met in the past like him typically act like he does when they act more knowledgeable then they actually are. Being argumentative, authoritative and 'know it all' are traits I've found in those who typically are not very good at what they do and unfortunately he hasn't shown much otherwise to me.
He's said a couple of things recently (with one interrupting me talking to my supervisor about something) that he had to pass on his knowledge about something. Which is completely wrong I should point out. It had to do with electrical installation (I have over 25 years experience of this) but to avoid an argument I just nodded and rolled my eyes when out of view. I also verified that what he said was wrong by finding the document that he referred to that stated quite clearly had nothing to do with what I was talking about. So I find his so called knowledge somewhat troubling. It could be his old age but I don't know for certain.
The other was just recently. Just something I overheard. He was talking to one of our new hires, she's a recent grad. They were discussing computers. He told her that Windows is still based around DOS (which he called Document Operational System... yeah... rolls eyes) and still relied heavily on the keyboard because of that... and that Apple was based around the mouse so you weren't supposed to use the keyboard...
Now I'm not an Apple user but I'm pretty sure a keyboard is useful for Apple computers too. Either now or in the past. Yes, Windows can be more keyboard oriented but you can use a mouse more than not these days.
Again, I could correct this guy but cannot be bothered. Let him believe that DOS stands for Document Operational System.... Apparently Apple DOS didn't exist in his world.
Anyway, one more week of this guy and hopefully I'll never see him again. If you're wondering why he's leaving, they cancelled his contract because they don't need so many people... he's a contractor anyway and I think a lot came from the fact he's not a French resident (so possible Brexit issue) and maybe some complaints from coworkers.
Looking forward to quieter times.
So end rant...