a brain dump on my first day. don't say i didn't warn you.
after interviewing in june/july and having been hired in september, and given a supposed start date of october 13th, only for that to be pushed back until an undecided date, and then having to resubmit my resume and application again, then gotten the confirmation call while i was in line @ costco getting my lunch, i finally started my first day @ ucsf.
since my supervisor is out of town, i met with her supervisor, but it's okay because i'm going to end up working for him anyway. the building is brand spanking new, and most of the lobbies in the surrounding buildings aren't even completely built yet. only the outside is completed, and the inside is just bare bones. it's right behind at&t park and they offer a free shuttle service to/from bart at select times. it works out because then i don't have to pay for muni, which is a plus since i took the wrong train to try and get to the stinking building.
the work itself? it seems like all administrative tasks, but probably that's just because my "supervisor" doesn't really know what i signed up for. he only knows what i'm supposed to do for him, but it's okay because he's so busy, he probably doesn't remember the scope of the entire project, but rather what he's supposed to be invested in and how i will help him. the culture @ ucsf is different from the other places that i've worked @. the cubes itself feel like small caves where the walls are really high and i've got about 3.75 walls surrounding me. there's just a little hole for me to squeeze into my cube. it seems like once you're in your cube, it's just you. you can't see anyone walk past you, there's no such thing as stopping by someone's cube to say hello since it's so closed off. and it's DARK. the other places that i've worked @, the cubes were out in the open, the atmosphere seemed lighter and friendlier, and most definitely, the people were more approachable. but hey, it's ucsf and if that's how they operate to become so successful, then i guess i'm going to have to deal with it.
so was it worth it for me to wait so long for this job? i've got mixed feelings about it.
no because the wait was horrendous. to sit at home with a feeling of uncertainty (especially with how the economy is going these days) was completely unsettling for me. i hate not doing anything and not being productive. i'd rather sit @ work and not be productive and accrue some money. i hated the fact that i would keep outreaching to them for some sort of status update but to never receive a call or email back. i hated the fact that despite my full efforts to always be on top of my stuff, they never seemed to do so. it seemed like they always lagged on their end, whether it be HR or something else.
yes because it's such a good resume booster. i feel productive when i'm there and that i'm actually challenging myself instead of letting my brain go stagnant. i know that it will test my abilities and skills that i've learned and make me a better person. i feel like the work that i'll be doing (as well as at the public health department) will be of benefit to the community and that i'm actually putting my education to use. i feel like i'm finally on the right track to starting my career and being able to take that step to do bigger and better things. i feel like it's only going to be beneficial from here on out because when i apply to grad school or for future jobs, they'll see that i have relevant public health experience and so they can't turn me down for a position.
and finally yes because i've been stressing about where i was going with my life and that i would never get a chance to work in the public health sector and that i'd only be stuck with random jobs that would have no relevance to what i want to do in the future. this entire year i've sat and debated back and forth about what to get my masters in, what to do with my life, and where am i headed. i feel like things are falling into place, but i just had to wait for it to come. i just had to work hard and be focused and wait a REALLY long time, but i guess it all worked out because @ this point in my life, i feel like there's now some sort of direction and that i feel a sense of worth in the work that i'm doing. my soul feels lighter because the burden of not working or the feeling of uncertainty does not loom over my head now. i know myself, and i hate it when things are uncertain or don't happen quickly, so i was completely stressing out and getting really irritated at the fact that things weren't completed or secure yet. but i guess things are better now. i can take a deep breath and relax and just concentrate on putting my best effort into my work and absorb all the knowledge and experience that i'll gain from both of these jobs.
since my supervisor is out of town, i met with her supervisor, but it's okay because i'm going to end up working for him anyway. the building is brand spanking new, and most of the lobbies in the surrounding buildings aren't even completely built yet. only the outside is completed, and the inside is just bare bones. it's right behind at&t park and they offer a free shuttle service to/from bart at select times. it works out because then i don't have to pay for muni, which is a plus since i took the wrong train to try and get to the stinking building.
the work itself? it seems like all administrative tasks, but probably that's just because my "supervisor" doesn't really know what i signed up for. he only knows what i'm supposed to do for him, but it's okay because he's so busy, he probably doesn't remember the scope of the entire project, but rather what he's supposed to be invested in and how i will help him. the culture @ ucsf is different from the other places that i've worked @. the cubes itself feel like small caves where the walls are really high and i've got about 3.75 walls surrounding me. there's just a little hole for me to squeeze into my cube. it seems like once you're in your cube, it's just you. you can't see anyone walk past you, there's no such thing as stopping by someone's cube to say hello since it's so closed off. and it's DARK. the other places that i've worked @, the cubes were out in the open, the atmosphere seemed lighter and friendlier, and most definitely, the people were more approachable. but hey, it's ucsf and if that's how they operate to become so successful, then i guess i'm going to have to deal with it.
so was it worth it for me to wait so long for this job? i've got mixed feelings about it.
no because the wait was horrendous. to sit at home with a feeling of uncertainty (especially with how the economy is going these days) was completely unsettling for me. i hate not doing anything and not being productive. i'd rather sit @ work and not be productive and accrue some money. i hated the fact that i would keep outreaching to them for some sort of status update but to never receive a call or email back. i hated the fact that despite my full efforts to always be on top of my stuff, they never seemed to do so. it seemed like they always lagged on their end, whether it be HR or something else.
yes because it's such a good resume booster. i feel productive when i'm there and that i'm actually challenging myself instead of letting my brain go stagnant. i know that it will test my abilities and skills that i've learned and make me a better person. i feel like the work that i'll be doing (as well as at the public health department) will be of benefit to the community and that i'm actually putting my education to use. i feel like i'm finally on the right track to starting my career and being able to take that step to do bigger and better things. i feel like it's only going to be beneficial from here on out because when i apply to grad school or for future jobs, they'll see that i have relevant public health experience and so they can't turn me down for a position.
and finally yes because i've been stressing about where i was going with my life and that i would never get a chance to work in the public health sector and that i'd only be stuck with random jobs that would have no relevance to what i want to do in the future. this entire year i've sat and debated back and forth about what to get my masters in, what to do with my life, and where am i headed. i feel like things are falling into place, but i just had to wait for it to come. i just had to work hard and be focused and wait a REALLY long time, but i guess it all worked out because @ this point in my life, i feel like there's now some sort of direction and that i feel a sense of worth in the work that i'm doing. my soul feels lighter because the burden of not working or the feeling of uncertainty does not loom over my head now. i know myself, and i hate it when things are uncertain or don't happen quickly, so i was completely stressing out and getting really irritated at the fact that things weren't completed or secure yet. but i guess things are better now. i can take a deep breath and relax and just concentrate on putting my best effort into my work and absorb all the knowledge and experience that i'll gain from both of these jobs.