Employment
Two weeks have passed, and I’ve been working as an agent of Human Resources at a small, local university. The current HR assistant is resigning so she can spend the summer abroad, and then pursue further education. But she hung around long enough to be training me these past two weeks.
I’ve been grateful for her assistance and the proverbial “crash course” I’ve received in how to do the job. My job seems it will be a combination of long term projects I am taking over, and what I call “email chasing”, that is, an HR related email comes in and it is my job to decide if it is something I need to pass on to the HR supervisor, or if it is something I can handle. If the latter, I then act on the email, which usually means replying and starting a new task. It’s a lot of hurry up or wait.
The job has gone well the 10 days I’ve been working thus far, but I’ve had the safety net of the previous person there to check my work or help me along. I won’t have that come Monday. Honestly, I think it will be fine, but I’m also a little terrified about taking over all by myself. My supervisor doesn’t work every day, so I will have to rely on my training and instincts to get by. Plus a lot of “email chasing” will be emailing my supervisor to double check things until I really internalize the job.
As I said in my interview prior to being hired, I am interested to be a part of an HR department. I’ve had a few bad experiences in my time as a worker with HR, and I would like to provide a more positive experience if I can. Time will tell, but really, I am an assistant more than anything, and may not have the opportunity to make much of an impact on the public face of this department. But if I can make a difference behind the scenes, that will be enough for me.
Scheduling
My previous job required early wake up calls and late evenings, at times. As a result, I haven’t had a “normal” sleep schedule for a long time, probably about 8 years. In that time, I was also diagnosed with sleep apnea. To say I haven’t slept adequately in a long, long time is probably very true. The first two weeks of May I have noticed that I have slept slightly longer each day. I was waking up before 6am when the month started, and now, exactly two weeks in, I am sleeping till just after 7am. I am hopeful that I can stretch that to 8am eventually.
Getting adequate rest is vital to me having energy to get through the day and focus at my job. I could survive at my past job with daytime naps, but that isn’t feasible anymore. Getting by without napping will be huge. I will see how it goes, but I’m hopeful that my body will adjust to a better normal.
Plus, this job is only part time, so my hours remain flexible. I will be working a few each day, but will have the freedom to come and go in the office as I need. It feels like having a job and being free all at the same time. Working from home is a possibility, as is working when necessary in order to accommodate life. Best of both worlds, I imagine.
Payment
My new job pays a living wage, $15 per hour, which should be the minimum wage in the USA (and isn’t) but as I’ve never had that much before, I am very happy to maybe have a bit more breathing room financially. I have a few things I’d like to do with my increased income, and a few outstanding debts to try to get on top of. With more coming in every two weeks, it would be nice to do both.
So many in my country struggle to get by without adequate income, even when working much more than “full time”, it really seems luxurious to get what is mis-called a “living wage”. For so long I’ve made less than $10 per hour, and had to beg for raises of 25 cents each year, that to make as much as I finally am seems amazing. It shouldn’t be this way, and I am troubled by those who don’t have what I have. But I’m grateful for my position.
Celebrating
To cap a chaotic two weeks of training, panic, and euphoria at getting and starting a new job, I celebrated by going to my first baseball game of 2022. My parents joined me, and I was thrilled to treat my dad to an early Father’s Day gift as he got to see his favorite Boston Red Sox defeat the Texas Rangers 7-1. I so much enjoy a night out at the ballpark, and last night was relaxing and a perfect cap to my first two weeks on the job.
Today I was able to celebrate further by attending Brick Fest Live in Dallas. Brick Fest Live is a small LEGO convention, and I went with my mother this afternoon. It was great to walk around the convention center and take in the various and creative creations by the LEGO aficionados in attendance. The highlight for me was an enormous recreation of Terok Nor, also known as Deep Space 9 from the Star Trek show of the same name. It was easily a few feet in diameter, and about as tall. I was able to talk to the builder for a few minutes, and share our love of Trek and LEGO. There were also more than several large LEGO sculptures, one of Woody from Toy Story. It was charming, and great to see the creative part usage in some of the sculptures, where even small bricks make a big difference.
Forwards
I start Monday doing my new job essentially by myself. I continue trying to gain financial independence. I’m sleeping better and longer. And along the way, life continues and I get to have fun with my family when opportunities arise. I am better off now than I was before May. Life isn’t perfect, and never will be, but things are trending up, as they say. And I’ll keep walking forwards, as a simple man, making my way in the universe.
a simple man 