My New Job

I started my new job this week. The guy I'm working for has started up this small, "extra help/tutoring" kind of school for elementary school kids, and I'm copy editing his teaching materials. It's unbelievable, for several reasons, but most of all, the freedom. In my last job, I could barely take a piss without people there wanting to know how long it took, and which direction I wiped myself in. This guy, for whatever reason, could care less. The first day I went in, there was one other woman there already working, and about four other guys who were associates of his, all in this one fairly small room. It was a little jarring, but I get the feeling he's learning as he goes and kind of playing it by ear, which is fine with me. This is definitely a business that is starting from the ground up, and it's a blissful change from my old company, which was as corporately efficient as you could get. In this job, I am basically sitting in a room by myself the whole time I am there, and nobody bothers me or looks over my shoulder. It is so gratifying to work in an environment where the employers actually treat you like an adult and trust you to do the work you are paid for. That makes such a big difference psychologically. In my previous job, I always felt like my supervisor was keeping an eye on me and just assuming I was screwing around. For that very reason, I did slack off whenever I got the opportunity. When you're treated like a child, you tend to act like one.

The other great thing about this job is that I am actually being paid to seriously edit, meaning changing the grammar, spelling, and even the content if need be, but I've also been encouraged to be creative as well. This guy has told me that there may be a need for me to write material for them in the future. Personally, this job is such a dream for me substance-wise, that I'm a little wary about it. It actually seems just a little too good to be true, and I'm fully expecting him to come up to me next week and say, "I'm sorry, but I find I really don't need as much help as I thought I did," and that will be it. I'm trying not to think that way, but the fact is, I am just not used to having this kind of freedom on the job, and being paid so well for it, too. It's the first time that I am actually earning a wage that I believe is fair to me.

Of course, nothing is perfect. This job is only part-time, so by no means can it support me by itself. Another thing is that I don't have a set schedule, which is a bit annoying. This guy seems to be quite disorganized and never has anything set up in advance, so I keep having to ask him when he wants me to come in next, etc. Still, these are minor considerations when I compare it to the actual job.

Another great thing about it is that it's relatively close to my home, only a 20- or 25-minute drive away. That's a huge change from my last job, where I commuted a couple of hours a day. And it's in the west end, which is my home away from home.

It was only my first week this week, and I imagine things will evolve and change the longer I am there (remember, my fingers are crossed). :-) Still, as I've been driving home from work these last few days, with my sunroof open and my window down, my long hair blowing in the breeze and the radio on, I couldn't have felt happier. For now, it's where I'm destined to be.