notes from week #1 of new job

[moominmolly]

(1) I believe that having green hair got me unexpected professional respect, today. That was fun.

(2) The people in the office I work in -- all non-technical -- are neither nerds nor arty types. They are also not suits. I have to look vaguely presentable, since people come in to this office to interview a lot (it's an admissions office). I have NO idea what to wear in the mornings. This is going to get exciting quickly.

(3) Dear world: Charmed as I am that you assume I'm a professor because I work at a university, I have to inform you that there are people who work on university grounds who aren't students, faculty, or food service.

(4) I kind of love it when people don't expect me to be smart and then realize that I am. (Not my officemates.)

(5) My first day of work, I got a thank-you card for showing up. Seriously. It was like a "we'll miss you!" card, except that everyone had written a few lines about how excited they were I was coming to work for them.

(6) One guy I work with is an ex-personal-trainer photographer cyclist type with a dry sense of humor and a vague interest in Buddhism. Today, my boss told a funny story about some guy she hooked up with at her last job, and it made me feel relaxed rather than uncomfortable. When I got the tour of the office, the first thing they showed me was where they kept the really, really, really nice printer paper and the color printer, and then basically told me that I should feel free to waste office supplies. (Yes, my office now has photos in it.) This place makes me feel *comfortable*.

(7) I don't think I've ever wanted to go to an office holiday party before.

Comments

[gretchens.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm glad your first week is going well.

On dressing (I am SO not a person who knows fashion) but what I did was wear suit-y type clothes for the first few months, and now I'm basically in khakis 4 days a week, much more casual than when I started. But, I always dress for important meetings or whatever. I'm in a front-line-ish office (registrar) too. For winter, I love LLBean's "Weekend Pants."(they have them in heather and herringbone). I don't know why they are called Weekend Pants, because they are way more fussy than anything I'd wear on the weekend.

[arachne8x.livejournal.com]

I have the so not knowing what to wear problem when I first started at my recent job. Slacks and a button down are almost always ok, and in the winter add a sweater! I must say I love some of the NY and Co shirts because they are less gappy than many places.

[aroraborealis.livejournal.com]

Aw, yay! I wanna work in your new office!

[dancingwolfgrrl.livejournal.com]

Yay! My university dressing theory: be distinguishable from the work-study kids who also work in my office :)

[ectropy.livejournal.com]

So... you got a new job?

[beowabbit]

Yay! Congratulations. I worked at BU for three years after moving to Boston; despite Silber (who was still president then), it was a lovely place to work.

[dreda.livejournal.com]

Yay new job in academia!

(My beloved just got some excellent shirts at NY & Co, who have a store in the Wayside Commons shopping center in Burlington. I would definitely echo the recommendation to check it out.)

[oneagain.livejournal.com]

This all sounds so lovely! Yay!!!

[rising-moon.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

[valancy17.livejournal.com]

yay new job goodness!

[d3l1r1um.livejournal.com]

YAY!

Maybe some "golf" or "work" shirts from someplace like ThinkGeek (http://www.thinkgeek.com/apparel/golfshirts/) since people are making clothing suggestions and I feel left out? :)

I think the "work" type shirts are absolutely lovely as a casual businessy look worn open with a plain black/gray tee or something.

[cloeigrrl.livejournal.com]

Very cool on all points! Glad your liking it at your new office/job sounds like fun.

"(5) My first day of work, I got a thank-you card for showing up. Seriously. It was like a "we'll miss you!" card, except that everyone had written a few lines about how excited they were I was coming to work for them."

When I graduated from high school and moved away I got a job at a law firm. My first day there I got flowers from the main lawyer saying "Happy Graduation" which I found sweet and odd....but it was pretty cool.

[laurenhat.livejournal.com]

Yay! This was awesome to read -- your new job environment sounds very satisfying. How exciting!

[bemocked.livejournal.com]

(i'm catching up on a couple weeks of posts that i missed...)

I/m reading this wondering what is this "NY & Co" of which they all speak... "must be a New England-East Coast thing". But through the magic of google I see that, No, they are national, and even have stores in the frontier of Texas/Houston (where I last lived in the US). So now I just feel out of touch with the mainstream (yet again).

All sorts of buy-one-get-one-free-discount-goodness all over their website today too...