I asked for...
...'something that involved computers' from the work experience noggin that came to my school year. Taking this request on board not one little fucking bit, they gave me two weeks of office admin at a Xerox repair plant. There was one AS/400 terminal in the office - I got to use it for inputting repair documents for - wait for it - just one hour in the entire fortnight. The rest of the time I photocopied stuff. Endlessly. There was still piles of it when my time there was up and I didn't slack off any.

So, obviously a free skivvy arrangement as far as Xerox were concerned. That and as boring as a really seriously boring thing for me. No wonder I've resented the necessity of working for a living ever since.

Later in my academic career though, I got another WE placement in the media studies faculty at Salford Uni - more specifically the departments that dealt with studio recording. I was a dedicated raver (when it was still cool to be one, or use the term 'raver' at all) at the time and had enjoyed playing with samplers and sequencers before. I had two weeks of big fun in there - even knocked together a tune or two in the PMR studio but with hindsight, they were a bit shit :)

I remember some time later when I worked as a storesman for awhile, the factory I served took on lots of Uni-break summer jobbers who were frequently sent to me for:

* A long stand
* A glass hammer
* A hard screw (or two)
* A nonstandard uniform (briefly admired the thought that had gone into that one)
* A star jump (or any number thereof)

There were more, but I can't remember them. It dismayed me how many of those uni students fell for these. When they came asking for star jumps I always told them that they could make those themselves. When they came asking for a hard screw I told them they weren't my type.
(thatblokeoverthere not quite as much an arsehole as I thought, Thu 10 May 2007, 17:01, Reply)