Well, today was my first day on my wonderful new job. I think I've had so many jobs over the last 6 years that I'm just used to new situations, because I wasn't even nervous.
I did find out why my start date was delayed until today. Well, sorta. The way my direct boss (if that's even what he is, I'm not really sure, he didn't make it very clear, or anything else for that matter) put it, was that they have a problem with the security in part of the application I'm going to be working with, and they've been fervently trying to fix the problem, and if they can't fix it in the next few days, they're all going to be fired! I didn't exactly expect to step into a situation where the peope who've been there for 15 years and more are facing being fired on my first day! I mean, if they get rid of them, what hope do I have?
But I really don't think it's that serious. They can't just fire those people, because then they wouldn't have anyone to run the application for them. And it's a pretty important application.
But because they're under the gun, so to speak, they didn't have any time to spend training me, or even talk to me very much. They told me to expect to be bored for awhile till they get their problems solved.
They did point out a couple manuals for me to read, and showed me the application. I was feeling pretty good by the end of the day, because I pretty much understand what this application is doing now. I think this is going to be another job where I'll have to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing on my own, and then go do it really well. Its a good thing I love jobs like that!
Oh, and they're doing road construction on the main highway that runs right past the building, so for most of the day we got to listen to the thump thump thump of the trucks that were running down the highway breaking up the pavement that they just laid two years ago so that it can be replaced! Why are they doing that? I have no clue! Isn't the cement roadbed supposed to last for more than 2 years?
But it's really laid back there. Everybody wears jeans. I was told that I'm pretty much expected to show up between 6am and 8am, and work 40 hours a week, however I want to work that out. Flexible hours, they said.
And it's all propriatary programming language. It's something that was written by the company that created the application. Which means it's not a bunch of established languages like Visual Basic and C, it's a bunch of languages that are 'kind of like' Visual Basic and C. So my decades of experience in teaching myself propriatary languages will serve me well.
It looks like as long as I keep the application running well and don't fuck anything up, they'll pretty much leave me alone and let me do whatever I want, however I want, whenever I want while I'm there.
This is my dream job! :-)
