Second Day Impressions

I wanted to post my first day impressions, but yesterday just got away from me. I biked 9 miles and ran 3.6 miles, had Andrea's parents come over with Megan and we had a big Fajita dinner. I was hardly able to get an hour and half of World of Warcraft in before it was 11pm. So onto the second day impressions!

Commute: 18 miles one way. Travel time is most likely going to range from 30-45 minutes, depending on time of day, number of lights, etc. Estimated gas cost per day assuming 25 miles per gallon and $2.75 gas price = (36/25) * 2.75 = $3.96 per day.

Co-workers: People I've met so far seem very introverted. This is both good and bad. On the one hand, it's going to be very hard in day to day interactions. Lunch times and social engagements. On the other hand, it probably means everyone is good at what they do. I think this is a very good sign, although quite the opposite of the loud boisterous crew at my last job.

One thing I knew I'd miss about my old job was the fun lunch hour periods where we played cards, cribbage and spades. Guess what I found out on my first day of work? People there play Magic: The Gathering during lunch hour! Too funny.

There is also a few old UMD grads that work here, and have been here since graduating anywhere from 97 to 2000. They didn't necessarily remember me, but at least one person did. UMD grads... they just seem to be everywhere!

Actual Work: It looks like they have a mess of software and are hoping someone is going to come in and clean it all up and set everything straight. It seems pretty clear even now, that I have a very good opportunity to become a very "key" person quickly. The question is, will I be able to accomplish that?

Unfortunately, like every new job, it's hard to get anyone dedicated to getting me "up to speed" quickly. My second day of work, and I'm already spending 90% of the day on my own, attempting to stumble my way through mounds of undocumented software. It is of course not the best way to learn, but until companies realize you can't just throw someone into a fire and expect them to come out unscathed, it's all I have for now.

Long term, I think this is going to be a great job - something I will be able to dig into and make some very useful contributions to. It's much easier going to work knowing that what I am working on is a main product advertised on the company web site.