My "Shitty" First Job

A little over a week ago, I started my first job, post grad school. While it will only last a few weeks because it is a temp job, I still thought it was worth a post ;)

I received a call from the staffing agency with some vague details of a job I could start the very next day. I asked for 5 minutes to think it over and she said, "I will give you 3."

Engineering

I told her I would take it, knowing little more than the time I needed to be there the next morning and that I would be headed to the Durham County Department of Engineering.

My family found this hilarious since my twin brother - now an engineer - stole all the math genes from my accountant mom and engineer dad. I've been the liberal artsy type my whole life but, here I was, headed to work with the engineers.

Shit

Turns out, I was actually headed to the Utility Division of the Engineering Department and I would be working at the Triangle Wastewater Treatment Plant.... which I now affectionately refer to as "the poop plant."

That's right. More humble pie as my first job with my masters is working with shit at the poop plant ;)

However, I am happy to say that I have loved the job and everyone there has been incredibly nice and welcoming.

To clarify, I'm not "knee deep in shit" all day as some of my friends and family have asked!

In fact, I stay inside, clean and free from any shit at this huge desk.

I even have two monitors which is magical!

I am filling in for the Senior Administrative Assistant until they can hire a replacement for the lady who used to be in that position.

I have been able to learn a lot about the plant and some accounting and budgeting skills as we have been busy wrapping up the fiscal year and processing all of that paperwork. That has been great since I did not have a ton of experience in that before this job.

Security

In addition to learning that and serving as the receptionist (answering the phone, greeting guests, sending and receiving mail, etc.), I am also part security guard.

This department is tied in with homeland security so people cannot just freely enter the building. I have to buzz them in and get their ID info and sign them in. I also have security camera feeds on my desk. Who'd have thunk it? Sarah the security guard at the poop plant!?!

Makin' Friends

All joking aside, it has been great and I look forward to working there the next couple of weeks. I was suffering from cabin fever being at home too much so it is great to get out of the house to make money and have social interaction.

I have really enjoyed getting to know the people who work there. I've realized that is the unwritten part of my job description: listening and chatting when people stop by my desk. I've especially hit it off with my supervisor, Corinna, who is in the office right beside my desk.

Friday, after she got back from her lunch break, she called me into her office and asked me to shut the door. This had not happened yet so I thought, "Oh no. I must be in trouble! What was it that I did wrong?" and I was slightly panicked.

She said that she did not normally do this but that I was doing a really great job, that she appreciated all my help and liked working with me. At this point, I was starting to relax as I was sensing that I had not been called into her office for a reprimand. She finished by saying that she also knew I was new to the area so she just wanted to get me a little something as a thank you and a housewarming gift!?! Then she pulled this out from behind her desk:

She had been running errands on her break and when she was in the store, she saw some items that she knew I could use from all the conversations we had during the previous work week. How sweet was that?? She got me some flower pots for my patio garden, a journal because I like to write, some battery powered candles since my apartment doesn't allow real ones and a few other very thoughtful gifts.

You can tell she is great at her administrative job because of her attention to detail and her planning - she even got batteries in case I didn't have them. BUT, she also is a pro at putting together thoughtful gifts because she has done this several times before; shout out to her website where you can check out her other crafty and kind work!

I was blown away as she has set the bar high for my next supervisor and job. Everyone there has. I have enjoyed going into work each day and I hope I can say the same for my next job :)

Say a Prayer...

Lastly, some of the guys have promised me a tour of the plant so I can see what all they do. It is way more than you might imagine.  I've been told I have to wear tennis shoes so I can get around better as we explore the plant. However, even in tennis shoes, y'all know my accident-prone self has a tendency to be a bit clumsy. So say a prayer that I don't have a Sarah Grace situation near the shit ;) But if I do, rest assured, there will be another blogpost coming soon after it!  

Vanderbilt Shmanderbilt Degree - A Large Slice of Humble Pie at the Temp Agency & the DMV

Earlier this month, I received a Masters degree from Vanderbilt. This was technically my third degree because I double-majored in undergrad.

Don't let the degrees fool you though. It seems I'm just book smart because I've been struggling recently with real life. 

Adult life is humbling. 

I wasn't getting too big for my britches with this additional degree but, nonetheless, I've had a huge slice of humble pie since moving to NC. I thought tests and grades ended with grad school but I was wrong. 

Trouble with the Temp Test

First, I went to a local temp agency to try to get a job to pay the bills and buy some time until I can land the "dream job" I'm searching for... you know the one I just went into debt trying to prepare myself for ;) I don't want to rush into the first salaried job that I find. 

Well, what do ya know... I failed the temp agency test. Yep. I repeat: Vanderbilt Masters Grad failed the temp test ;) 

It was true-false and you can only miss 3... but I missed 4. 

I'm sure this was hard to imagine butttt I was talking the whole time while taking it ;) I've been cooped up in my apartment alone and unpacking all day every day so my extroverted self has been losing my mind without much social interaction. 

As a result, I was just chatting away with the man who worked there and wasn't paying enough attention nor was I trying too hard with the test. It seems I don't multi-task too well when trying to determine "the best placement of my feet to avoid lumbar strain" and the other random questions that were on their test ;) 

Fortunately, I was able to retake it and did fine. Also, my typing speed was double the average applicant (it seems writing long grad school papers paid off!) so I believe I should land a secretary job here soon enough. 

Feeling Dumb at the DMV

I need a NC drivers license so I had to make the dreaded trip to the DMV. Why must all DMV workers be so mean? I understand it may not be the best job in the world but this lady was extremely rude. 

Still craving social interaction and never having met a stranger, I sat down being all friendly and noticed the woman was wearing palmetto tree earrings so I asked if she was originally from SC. She wasn't but it turns out she had just visited Charleston where she bought the earrings as a souvenir. I tried to chat about the city but she was having none of it. 

This lady was all about the task at hand. We struggled through insurance and verifying my address and all of that. Everything was going along per usual until we got to the vision test. 

NC does not do it like they do in SC and TN. 

I already struggle with my awful vision and have to squint through that weird machine and the germaphobe in me fears I will get a breakout from putting my face on there - I mean how often do they wipe those things down?? 

Anyways, I managed to read all the tiny letters. But then, this is where it got different: NC has a bunch of the street signs that you have to identify.

I did fine on the median one and the one warning about the steep hill. They were obvious.  

 

But, then there were 4 or 5 blank ones.... 

I just told the lady the shapes because I was thinking this was still a vision test. 

She said, all mean and condescending, "I know what the shapes are but what are the signs?"

Perhaps I was having performance anxiety as I had not prepared for this OR maybe I was just having a PTSD-esque flashback to my 15 year old self worried about failing the drivers permit test but, either way, I just couldn't remember them. 

All I could say was "I'm sorry. I don't know." 

But I was getting frustrated and wanted to also say, 

"Look lady. Those aren't signs. Those are shapes. Because they are blank. And when is the last time anyone has ever seen a blank sign on the side of the road? Oh that's right - never. Because then it wouldn't be a sign. Because that is the point of signs: they have symbols on them that convey meaning. But these little shapes you're asking me to identify are blank so they are not signs." 

But, of course, my southern belle self just sat there, humbled, and politely repeated, "I'm sorry. I don't know." 

As I said in the blogpost title" Vanderbilt Shmanderbilt Degree" ;) It wasn't much help at the temp agency or the DMV!

Do YOU know what the yellow circle sign is for? 

Fortunately, I guess they don't take the test too seriously or perhaps that mean woman just didn't want to have to see me again on a different day or whatever because she gave me my license. 

What she did NOT give me though, were the answers to the blank signs. 

The nerd in me had to find out. 

Turns out, (in case you too didn't know) the yellow circle sign is a railroad crossing sign: 

But you know what gives that away??? 

The R and the R and the cross/X that is marked ON the sign... not the yellow and the circle part. Jeeze Louise. 

The house shaped yellow sign is a school crossing and the oblong yellow triangle (that I have never seen in my entire life) is supposed to be a "no passing zone" sign. I don't even remember what the other one or two signs were. 

But that lady was being so mean and rude and I was caught off-guard by the blank "signs" section that I wanted to submit this as my answer: 

I don't think that would have helped me walk out of there with a license though ;) 

Hopefully I don't have to eat any more humble pie but I will keep y'all posted...