one of my irrational pet peeves (that i've probably been guilty of) is referring to oneself as an 'alum' of a former employer
@Publicuniversal glad i'm not the only one, it does just feel weird. lawyers, political appointees from 2009-2016, tech startup workers.
@bikepedantic Boy that would sound genuinely absurd with some of my former employers: I am an alum of High Iron and Rigging. I am an alum of Midstate Steel. I am an alum of Schrader Iron Works. I am an alum of American Bridge.
Maybe I’ll try those out at a retiree luncheon just to see what kind of a rise I get.
@mtheriaultsf I beg you to do this.
@mtheriaultsf Please take good notes and report back. I feel like we're going to all learn a good lesson out of this.
@bikepedantic Before I run out the door and hop on a bike this morning, let me summarize the relationship: They use your hide and some of its contents. They pay you for this, but probably not enough. Maybe you learn some things in the process. You get out the door more or less intact.
If this makes you an “alum,” well, sweetness and light.
@bikepedantic I worked for two companies that insisted on using this terminology and in both cases it felt that they tried to give themselves waay too much credit for employees development ;)
@halas companies "insisting on using this" is EXTRA uncomfortable! Yikes!
@bikepedantic Wait, people think they were more than just another employee/cog/number? I can’t even say I am an alum of Catholicism 🤢
@bikepedantic lawyers do this a LOT and it just feels weird