Work: Day One

For the past, say, 5 years of my life, I have spent my time getting ready for change. Things have been in a constant state of flux with nothing really lasting more than a few months. My internships were three or four months long, so I never really settled in anywhere. Classes were eleven weeks long - just long enough to get into a routine, but not long enough to really polish or perfect it.

I never bothered to decorate or accesorize my cubes at Honeywell or GEHC because I knew it was only going to be a few months before I left. I rarely used the refrigerator or brought substantial lunches; it felt too much like moving in. There were no knicknacks, no wall decorations beyond the company-provided phone directory and post-it notes with work information. I didn't bother to give anybody my desk number or work email address.

See, today I got business cards which, though an unexpected surprise, gave me a sense of permanence. The company was saying "you'll be here long enough to use all 250 of these." It was a bit strange to consider coming from my history of short-term commitments. Not that I intend to leave, or thought that I was signing up for anything other than a career when I took the job, but it was something to which I had given little thought. I suddenly feel the need to decorate my cube, to fill it with things that are me. Of course, having recently moved twice, I don't have much in the way of decor. There are things I need to remember to bring tomorrow, however: mostly my headphones, but also my semi-retired MX510 and Zune. If it's going to be my cube, I'll make it mine. It even has a nameplate with my name engraved into plastic. I felt important and appreciated.

I spent today training. My entire day, from 8:30 to 5, was spent watching presentations, taking quizzes, filling out forms, and reading documentation. It was not thrilling, but I didn't find myself falling asleep from lack of interest, either. I have come to the conclusion that benefits packages are intentionally confusing as a means of weeding out potential employees. If you can't decipher the benefits packages, you can't come back. That's not to say they are bad in any way, just confusing. I think I may have the hang of things now, though I tend to worry about time frames and deadlines when I am waiting for emails to arrive. It is nerve-wracking to me when I have to wait on some unknown source to follow through on things that I find vital.

The coffee is curiously delicious - and free. I don't understand how it works, but I am willing to accept it as fact and respect the unknowable coffee robot for its benevolence. Traffic was similarly unsettling; namely the fact that there was no traffic. Sure, there were cars on the road at both 8 and 5, but I never slowed below 55 the whole time I was on 440. New Bern was similarly accessible, and as such I was not late despite having taken roughly forever to eat my breakfast. In my defense, the toaster oven confused me and elongated the cooking of my french toast sticks. I'll do better tomorrow, I promise.

Tomorrow is day 2, during which I will meet more people and do more training. I look forward to, well, writing code.