Working 9 to 5

Well, actually I work 9 to 5.30, but what’s a half hour when you’re making pop culture references?

I did a whole week at work, guys. Only fifty or so years before I can retire. I’m kidding, I’m not desperate to retire yet. Give me another couple of weeks. All joking aside, it went pretty well. There were lots of induction-y things which aren’t the most interesting, but I can now build a website. And how to post stuff to the internet. Because I obviously didn’t know how to do that already… But yes, it was a pretty decent first week, the office is pretty cool, the people are lovely. All I need now is for all of my university friends to move to Birmingham.

And so, because I did a whole week at work and now I’m exhausted, have a list of things I’ve learnt.

1. Getting up is hard, staying awake is easy.

I have to get up at 6.15. You would have thought I would be used to this thanks to Germany, but no. It’s still difficult. Although staying awake once I’ve got to work is surprisingly easy. Much easier than staying awake in a lecture. Although on Friday, I didn’t realise I was wearing my shirt inside out for a good couple of hours…

2. No-one knows everything.

So like I said, I’m doing a lot of induction things and that partially means being set tasks and having to ask a load of questions. Which I thought would be terrifying, because obviously I want to come off as competent and capable, which is difficult when you’re starting a job you’ve never done before and you don’t understand the software. Thankfully, a) everyone’s lovely and b) nobody knows everything. So happily, I get to meet more people in the office and ask them the questions instead. Socialising and being told my questions are good? Jackpot.

3. Muscle memory is strong.

I have new log in details to remember, which is fairly standard. Except for the part where I keep inputting my university login details. And then when I go wait that’s not right, I input my school log in details. Muscle memory is powerful and long lasting. Don’t mess with it kids.

4. Lifelong learning isn’t all Italian classes.

Teachers at school went on about lifelong learning a fair bit. It got mentioned at university graduation too. And for some reason, I got it into my head that lifelong learning meant Italian classes when you’re 45 because you go to Rome every year and isn’t it divine? Having typed it out, I now realise what a bizarre idea that was to come up with and hold on to. It turns out lifelong learning also includes learning how to put websites together and how to work software that has a mind of its own.

5. Brummie accents make my day

Like I mentioned in my last post, I’m working in Birmingham. And that means Brummie accents. Unlike a lot of people I like the Brummie accent. I also like accents from the surrounding area. (Note: If someone’s from the West Midlands but not Birmingham and you tell them that they’ve got a Brummie accent, they are not responsible if they yell at you.) And now my day is suffused with all variations on those accents, and it feels like home.