I'm two weeks into my temp gig, and it's going fairly well. The students and the instructors seem to like me, and I'm okay with them. I've sharpened my Excel and Word skills, learned MS Project and Visio, and am beginning to learn Access for the first time in nearly ten years. I've never been good with database programs, so it's extremely important for me to nail it down. Access is used in a lot of office gigs, and if I want to boost my chances of landing an office gig, I had better master it, or at least the rudiments.
In order to keep up with the two- and three-week classes, I've taken many of the courses myself while I'm working or between my shifts. As a result, I've managed to "finish" courses in basic MS Office and a customer service class since I started. Next week I plan to take on e-commerce and communications. I find it bizarre that I'm barreling through entire courses in mere days, soaking up as much knowledge as possible before the temp assignment ends. My brain hasn't gotten this much of a workout since my college years.
The flip side, unfortunately, is the strange and lonely world of the split shift. I assist students and instructors from 9am-1:30pm and 5:45-9:30pm during the week (except Fridays, when I only work the morning shift). Between these shifts, I'm pretty much let loose in the lab. Returning home is an option, but the commute is 45 minutes a pop; I'd have barely ninety minutes of home time before I have to return to work. Better to grab lunch, work on courses, and putter about until the evening class begins. This keeps me at the school for a mind-blowing 13½ hours, and out of the apartment for fifteen.
During those four days a week, I see Tori when she's leaving for work or going to bed. And she doesn't like this a bit. Moreover, I don't have an office, thus no office phone, and I don't have a cell phone, so we're limited to e-mails for a majority of the day. I explain to her that we'll have all weekend to each other, and that it's only a temp gig, but we've gotten spoiled over the last half a year with my being home every day when she returns from work. As terrible a househusband as I am, Tori loves playing the Hugh Beaumont to my Barbara Billingsley, knowing I'll be home, offering to whip up a hot cocoa or tea when she comes in from the cold. So that part has been tough.
So there you have it: a decent temp gig with a huge opportunity to reenter the workforce with far more computer experience, versus spending much less time with Tori during the week. I'm sure we can come to a compromise: I'll still go to work, but I'll wear heels and pearls.
have you considered a track phone? they are cheap enough and she could reach you in an emergency. You wouldn't be tied down with a contract and you can pick one up for $10.
Thanks, and tracfone, you can send the payment for my endorsement to....
Glad to hear you are learning and stuff.
Posted by: eighmie | 01 March 2009 at 06:56 AM