Sometimes training for a new job can be a bit overwhelming. The training for this new job is no exception! The first day of work I was in Austin by 8 am... nothing says long day like getting up at 4 am and driving 85 miles one way to work! But I got there and everything went fine. I actually left work on Monday with, you won't believe this, a box full of things to move into my new office with! I was given several pieces of electronic components that I have to become familiar with and will be using extensively in this job; this includes a cell phone, digital camera and a tablet/pc. And I was given 2 packets of paperwork that included pre-training training and training exercises. Wow.
On Tuesday and through the rest of the week, I was in my Home Office and found out that I will have my own office. The people that I am working with now were super welcoming, even decorating my office. If you have ever started a new job, you can probably guess how seeing your office decorated and welcoming makes you feel. I don't think I have ever experienced a more welcoming experience. The rest of the week was full of new situations, watching, taking mental notes and helping when there was something simple that I could do to help someone. Based on this first week, which I have been told was a crazy week and very rare, I think I am going to like my new job. Perhaps the only thing I may have to get used to is driving 30 miles to and from work, but this is at least an excellent time to decompress.
Tomorrow starts week 2..... I'm ready for it!
Showing posts with label new job. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new job. Show all posts
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Dilemma
The first day at a new job always brings up the question of what do I wear? I know what the dress code says that I can wear, however is it acceptable on the first day to wear something comfortable and casual? Of course, the other part of that question is if I wear something that is more professional, less casual, will I be over dressing? Tomorrow is my first day at the new job. Well, actually, it's my first day but I won't be in my home office. I will be in Austin participating in a new employee orientation. So I imagine I will be around the big bosses, instead of my direct supervisor. As I go over this question, this dilemma, in my mind, I'm really considering wearing slacks instead of jeans...
I think trying to figure out what is appropriate to wear the first day, when the dress code varies depending on the job and location of the job, is one of the most difficult things to deal with.
I think trying to figure out what is appropriate to wear the first day, when the dress code varies depending on the job and location of the job, is one of the most difficult things to deal with.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Not a one box move
So I'm sitting here in my second office, the office I only visit twice a week, and am looking at the bare walls. Even in this part-time office I brought a lot of things that made me comfortable to be there. Several trips to my car later, I'm thinking of the 'One Box Move' out of an office that we always see on TV. Employees that have been with a company for 10, 15, 20 or more years, are able to pack all of their personal belongings into one box that is twice the height of a boot box. REALLY? I've been in this department for six years and within two offices could have used a u-haul pull by bumper trailer! One Box?!?!
So this got me to thinking. Do I bring too much of me to my office? Do over-estimate the importance of the personal touch? Or do those folks portrayed on TV just not have anything worthwhile to bring to the office? Did they begin working at their last place of employmemt with the mind set that they weren't going to be saying long anyway, so why bother bringing anything? I just don't get it.
I'm sure at my new job, once I have been assigned a work place, within a week I will have as many personal items as I possibly can and am allowed! But lets face it, even if there is a limit to how many personal items you can bring, it will still be more than will fit into a small box!
And that brings me to the next question about this box. Where in the world did they get their box so quickly? I had to empty out reams of paper so I could have one box to use over and over. On TV, not only does the former employee only need one box, but it suddenly appears from under their desk! Sorry folks, again, this just isn't reality.
Tomorrow I will finish emptying my main office. A nice corner office with three windows on two sides. Granted, it doesn't cool fast in the summer or heat fast in the winter, but I had a great view and one of the largest offices in our department. I think I will miss that office more than many other things! But it is time to go, and I am almost ready.
Change is never easy. Leaving a job brings with it several emotions, as does beginning a new job. I think if I were to leave a job with only one box of personal items, I would cry over that fact alone! So, the next time you see a show or movie and an employee is leaving his job and carrying everything out in one little box, ask yourself why?!
So this got me to thinking. Do I bring too much of me to my office? Do over-estimate the importance of the personal touch? Or do those folks portrayed on TV just not have anything worthwhile to bring to the office? Did they begin working at their last place of employmemt with the mind set that they weren't going to be saying long anyway, so why bother bringing anything? I just don't get it.
I'm sure at my new job, once I have been assigned a work place, within a week I will have as many personal items as I possibly can and am allowed! But lets face it, even if there is a limit to how many personal items you can bring, it will still be more than will fit into a small box!
And that brings me to the next question about this box. Where in the world did they get their box so quickly? I had to empty out reams of paper so I could have one box to use over and over. On TV, not only does the former employee only need one box, but it suddenly appears from under their desk! Sorry folks, again, this just isn't reality.
Tomorrow I will finish emptying my main office. A nice corner office with three windows on two sides. Granted, it doesn't cool fast in the summer or heat fast in the winter, but I had a great view and one of the largest offices in our department. I think I will miss that office more than many other things! But it is time to go, and I am almost ready.
Change is never easy. Leaving a job brings with it several emotions, as does beginning a new job. I think if I were to leave a job with only one box of personal items, I would cry over that fact alone! So, the next time you see a show or movie and an employee is leaving his job and carrying everything out in one little box, ask yourself why?!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Today
For just a second I want to imagine that I am that person who I always thought I would be. Were that a reality, however, I am just not sure who I would be. While this seems like circular rationalization, it really is just a reflection of the chaos that seems to be a part of everyday life.
For just a second, let me indulge in this concept of knowing who I am, knowing what I want, and being that person that is confident that things will be as they should be. Am I the only one that has had these kinds of thoughts, wonderings, wishes, ponderings...?
In all actuality, as crazy as my life is 99 percent of the time, I am not willing to change my experiences, although I must say, some experiences have not been as enjoyable as others. Take for instance my decision, and what I believe was God pushing me, to find a different job. I applied for several months to dozens, and I mean multiple dozens, of potential opportunities. Within that time I had more denial letters than I had interviews, which in and of itself seems a bit odd at times, yet I continued to search and apply with a faith that this is what I am supposed to do and when the position becomes available that God has intended for me to have, I would then have a new job.
Then came the day that I interviewed for a position with Child Protective Services, and was told through an inside source, that I was chosen for the position however there was now a hiring freeze in effect. Once more, God is teaching me He is in control. Three months later, I am now, finally, getting ready to leave my comfort zone and begin a new career. Which brings me back to my experiences and how they have shaped me over my lifetime.
To begin again; to start over; to be at the bottom of the rank and file can be intimidating. To learn something new, even though it can be exciting, is at a minimum, a case of butterflies in the tummy. The unknown is more often a hazy shadow just out of reach of the sun's rays, but I still seem drawn to it.
As I am cleaning out the two offices I occupy I wonder how many of these things will I be ablet to take to my new position. I try to picture what my old office will look like with its new occupant. Sure this may seem unimportant but it is the last step of leaving.
I have 2 days left with a department that I have given 11 years to and then, on Monday, it will be an entirely new experience to go to work. I am excited to move on, and at the same time, am experiencing a bit of grief, perhaps if nothing else, for leaving my comfort zone and leaping into a new experience.
But I am not worried. God put me on this path to this new experience and while I do not know what it will be like, He does.
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way." Psalm 37:23
For just a second, let me indulge in this concept of knowing who I am, knowing what I want, and being that person that is confident that things will be as they should be. Am I the only one that has had these kinds of thoughts, wonderings, wishes, ponderings...?
In all actuality, as crazy as my life is 99 percent of the time, I am not willing to change my experiences, although I must say, some experiences have not been as enjoyable as others. Take for instance my decision, and what I believe was God pushing me, to find a different job. I applied for several months to dozens, and I mean multiple dozens, of potential opportunities. Within that time I had more denial letters than I had interviews, which in and of itself seems a bit odd at times, yet I continued to search and apply with a faith that this is what I am supposed to do and when the position becomes available that God has intended for me to have, I would then have a new job.
Then came the day that I interviewed for a position with Child Protective Services, and was told through an inside source, that I was chosen for the position however there was now a hiring freeze in effect. Once more, God is teaching me He is in control. Three months later, I am now, finally, getting ready to leave my comfort zone and begin a new career. Which brings me back to my experiences and how they have shaped me over my lifetime.
To begin again; to start over; to be at the bottom of the rank and file can be intimidating. To learn something new, even though it can be exciting, is at a minimum, a case of butterflies in the tummy. The unknown is more often a hazy shadow just out of reach of the sun's rays, but I still seem drawn to it.
As I am cleaning out the two offices I occupy I wonder how many of these things will I be ablet to take to my new position. I try to picture what my old office will look like with its new occupant. Sure this may seem unimportant but it is the last step of leaving.
I have 2 days left with a department that I have given 11 years to and then, on Monday, it will be an entirely new experience to go to work. I am excited to move on, and at the same time, am experiencing a bit of grief, perhaps if nothing else, for leaving my comfort zone and leaping into a new experience.
But I am not worried. God put me on this path to this new experience and while I do not know what it will be like, He does.
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way." Psalm 37:23
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