Day Two - Commute to the Big City
So, I've been home from work for about 2 hours...just completing the second day. Allow me to go back a day and move forward...

Yesterday I arrive at work, 20 minutes early. I've got all the materials I was told to bring: Driver's License, Social Security card (you know, it amazes me that people don't ALWAYS have those things with them. I've always carried both in my purse), a notebook (as a writer, I have those lying around) and a pen. I felt like I was beginning the first day of school, which was actually true since it WAS the first day of training.

There were 25 of us in the room (yes, I counted). Of those 25, there were three females, and only three people were over the age of...25!

Ugh...talk about feeling OLD.

The first thing we did was sign up for all our benefits. I'm carrying myself and Taylor for medical, and all three of us for vision and dental. It's such a refreshing change of pace to have all THREE again. Haven't had that since I quit teaching almost 10 years ago. Even though I'm going to lose a quarter of each of my pays for the privilege.

Next we got a general lecture on what our jobs would entail.Basically, if you have problems with your DSL connection on your home computer with a Windows platform...you'll call me, and I'll walk you through fixing it. That's it. Seemed pretty cut and dry to me.

But judging from the others in the room, you would have thought we would decide who lived and died. People were panicked and convinced that they couldn't do it. Now, they all took the same test I took...they all knew what the project was...why are they so shocked at the job description?

Anyway.

Our instructor...who is all of 21 (see the "old" reference)proceeds to show us the screens, websites, and help guides that we will be using. Again, no biggie for me...I'm used to flipping from one screen to another for troubleshooting. But, again, several people swore they wouldn't be able to give the customer that information they need. It's the first day of class...and it is painfully obvious that I am in a class of a. overachievers and b. people who have things come to them easily. Should be interesting to see how they all adapt.

I was getting a bit annoyed with the class..but then I remembered that a. I am older and therefore not as impatient and b. I had a HORRIBLE headache. So, I ignored them as best I could...(remarks about that action later) and got through the day...dreading the 2 1/2 hour commute I still had to make back home.

By the time the training day was over, it was 11:45pm, and there was a RAGING thunderstorm taking place. It rained ALL THE WAY HOME! Not just rain, but downpours...high wind..thunder...lightning. Just what my already throbbing head needed. When I got home, I took two Excedrin Migraines and fell into bed, already composing how I was going to quit the job.

I got up the next morning (later that day) and since my headache was gone, decided I would go back.

Today (second day) was much better. No headache, people had decided that perhaps they should at least complete a couple of days of training before deciding they couldn't do the job, and for some reason, the guys in the class like me. (no, I don't mean "like" as in like, as one of them said, they find me "interesting"). When I went outside to have a cigarette during break, five of the guys in my class were surrounding me, before I even took my third drag. They peppered me with questions (as a class ice breaker, we played "two truths and a lie", you had to list two true things about yourself, and one lie, and the class had to decide which was the lie. My three things were "I am a published writer, I used to be a radio disc jockey and I don't like animals." (For those of you in the dark, the third in the list was the lie.) Anyway, the writer and dj careers were of interest to the guys, so I told them a bit of what I did. I also told them about my old techie job, and reassured them that this wouldn't be nearly as hard as the training class will make it seem to be.

Oh, and as for my ignoring them the day before...one of the guys said (and I quote) "wow...you're much friendlier today than you were yesterday!" Apparently, they all thought I was being standoffish and didn't want to "hang out". But once I explained that I had a horrible headache the day before, they gave me a collective "oh" and "glad you made it home safely"...which I thought was pretty cool.

Anyway, I made it through day two of training...and got to drive 2 1/2 hours home, minus a headache...but with even more rain than the day before. But I think God was making a point when I had to drive home on Monday with the headache and the rain...

The commute will be a piece of cake once the weather improves.

I'll keep you posted on the goings on...I'm going to head for bed.



- posted by Kim @ 3:21 AM