First Big Kid Job

[ilovemyglo]

So I finally got my first college graduate job. I work at a radio station in Louisville, KY (actually there are four that are all owned by the same company!) and I love it! The problem is it is only part time and so I don't get a whole lot of hours right now. I finished my training and really impressed the guy that hired me with how quickly I learned the programs.
SO anyways, it is really hard because I am a female in a male dominated environment. This is really weird. And most people in my field did not go to college and if they did it wasn't for radio.
So I kind of feel like people look at me funny for going to school just for radio.
Anyways, just wondered if anyone else is going through that "MY first big kid job" worries like I am. Supposedly this will lead to a full time position, hopefully sooner than later!
Sarah

[AXOLiz]

I also have my first "real" job. I'm in an office doing marketing (which was surprising for me considering I was communications/political science in college).

The thing that's struck me the most, and maybe I'm nuts here, but the movie Office Space is SO true. Granted our budget was cut and we aren't doing anything right now that I'd be involved in for the most part, but I really don't have much to do. I always figured people in corporate America were super-busy. The more I talk to people, they keep telling me that they only really have maybe a couple of hours of work to do a day, and the rest of the time they slack. I feel like a total slacker most of the time, but it's because I've already done all the work I have to do. Usually I pass off my part and end up waiting on other people to give me their parts before I can do more. I could find busywork for myself, but I HATE busywork. My boss suggested taking time to learn more about the products, which is a great suggestion, except you can only do that for so long too.

Then there's my dad who tells me that there's one guy where he works who plays solitare all day, his boss knows he does this, but they don't have anything for him to do. Since he's not bothering anyone and looks busy most of the time, and gets his work done when needed, everyone's happy.

Like I said, if I have work to do, I'll do it for 8 hours straight if that's what it takes to get it done on time. But for the most part, I could get everything I need to do in a day done in like 15 minutes if I REALLY pushed it. Is this normal? How much serious work do other office employees do in an average day?

[APhi]

Yeah, Office Space is the funniest movie ever. You have to have been a cubicle slave to think so though.

Also, beware those people who play solitare all day and surf the internet excessively. In this economy budgets have ways of falling apart and those people are the first to go. You've got the right idea... Always find busy work. It stinks but it's the only real choice.

I also just wanted to tell you that my job involves babysitting phones. They don't ring, I have nothing to do. I end up actually envying people who talk about how busy they are all day. Hang in there!

[AXOLiz]

Originally posted by APhi
Yeah, Office Space is the funniest movie ever. You have to have been a cubicle slave to think so though.

Also, beware those people who play solitare all day and surf the internet excessively. In this economy budgets have ways of falling apart and those people are the first to go. You've got the right idea... Always find busy work. It stinks but it's the only real choice.

I also just wanted to tell you that my job involves babysitting phones. They don't ring, I have nothing to do. I end up actually envying people who talk about how busy they are all day. Hang in there!

Me too. I'm very jealous of the people who have work to do all day. I think it's been bothering me more than usual since this week and the week before have been particularly slow. I was never too overloaded with work to begin with, but I'm thinking it's the calm before the storm. I'm about to get involved in two major projects soon, so that'll give me a lot to do.

So what do you do while you're waiting for the phones to ring? I've been trying to read some marketing-related material, go on our parent company's website to learn more about their corporate culture programs, read more about the products, etc, but I can only do that for so long before I want to poke my eye out. Then it's back on MSN. I know this is just temporary and that once things pick up again, I won't have nearly as much time on my hands, but it's frustrating when I have nothing to do. I feel like I'm willing to work, like I want to be a great employee, they just have to give me something to do.

[MoxieGrrl]

I graduated in May and feel very fortunate to have landed my "real" job in July. So, I'm working for Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic/VA Pittsburgh Healthcare Systems (Yeah, that's superfun to write on envelopes!)
I'm a research assistant for the Biometrics Research Program.

Pretty much, we look at schizophrenic vs, "normal" control subjects and measure their pupil while doing a series of tasks. It's pretty cool, as far as research goes. You get to meet a lot of interesting people.

However, it *is* a research job, so there is a ton of downtime. Sometimes there REALLY isn't anything to do. Hense, my increasing amount of posts of GC

[shopgirl]

Originally posted by MoxieGrrl
I graduated in May and feel very fortunate to have landed my "real" job in July. So, I'm working for Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic/VA Pittsburgh Healthcare Systems (Yeah, that's superfun to write on envelopes!)
I'm a research assistant for the Biometrics Research Program.

Pretty much, we look at schizophrenic vs, "normal" control subjects and measure their pupil while doing a series of tasks. It's pretty cool, as far as research goes. You get to meet a lot of interesting people.

However, it *is* a research job, so there is a ton of downtime. Sometimes there REALLY isn't anything to do. Hense, my increasing amount of posts of GC

What did you major in?

[APhi]

AXOLiz - Lately I study for a cert test I'm trying to pass. Unfortunately that gets boring eventually and I find myself back online. Oh well.

[MoxieGrrl]

shopgirl: Psychology

[AXOLiz]

Right now I'm reading a book on internet marketing through Net Library. I figure if it'll help me do my job better, it's ok to do at work.

Do any of you find that one of the problems you have with staying off the net stems from using it every day for 4 years? I was on the net constantly in my dorm room no matter what I was doing. In the library, we could take out laptops with wireless web access. So I'd be sitting there or in my room or in a lab doing work while connected to the net. I'd have 15 windows open - my mp3s, my e-mail, the paper I was working on, the website for the paper I was working on, a search engine, IM, more random web pages, etc. I'm a great multi-tasker, and I could always do all this at once and get my work done with time to spare. So I think that's part of my problem now - I used to build time for distractions into my work process, and I'd take a short break every 15 minutes or so to read something/talk to someone and then go back to work (unless I was in a major time crunch).

Now it seems like at work, they want you to do all work all the time (which I understand since that's what they're paying you to do). Put my mom on the internet, and it takes her forever to do anything, so I can see why no one would want her to check her e-mail at work, for example. It'd take 3 hours. For me to do it, I can check everything and respond in 5 minutes and get back to work since I'm used to it, or I can talk on IM and write something up at the same time by alt-tabbing between windows. I actually work better that way, since I have a really short attention span, and it keeps me busy which is always great. Now I find myself doing work for however long it takes to get done, and hurrying through projects so I can take a break, but then I have nothing to do. If something's due in three days and I'm going to get it done early regardless, I'd rather stretch it out a little and have a better end product than cram it in because that's all I'm working on and have to redo it. Maybe it's just me, but I think better if my brain has 5 minutes here or there to rest. I don't know, did this make sense to anyone at all?

[SilverTurtle]

Sarah,

I interned @ a radio station in Columbus my last year in school. You are SO. SO right about how it's a male-dominated environment. And how NO ONE went to school for radio, they just started doing it. I had a lot of fun, but it wasn't a paid internship, and they didn't have any positions open, so I ended up leaving half-way through the summer.

Going to school for radio, or comm in general, is becoming a lot more common. That degree will help you advance someday if you want, too. And if not, you still probably had a lot of fun in college, right?


AXOLiz,

I totally understand the multi-tasking thing. I'm not in a cubicle (thank GOD. But I still think Office Space rules!), I'm actually quite busy doing a lot of things all day long. That's a big reason I like my job. Although some days I wouldn't mind being able to sit down and check GC for a few minutes.

[Optimist Prime]

Congrats on the job

[ilovemyglo]

So i am at work tonight and thereis aguy here before me and he asks me what my qualifications were before I came here andwhen i told him he said he hoped that they checked my references to ensure that I had been honest about my positions in the past.. howrudE! I worked at the college station forlike 3 years so I have a lot more experience and thank you very much the #1 radio station in BG offered me more money and a higher position but i wanted to start in a bigger market, How rude! To imply that I would lie about that! and the worst part- HE IS YOUNGER THAN ME!
UGH! most of the guys here are really nice and tell me how they are really excited that I am here and How I have caught on so quickly and stuff but this guy basically justcalled mea liar!

[Optimist Prime]

that prick

[shopgirl]

Originally posted by MoxieGrrl
shopgirl: Psychology

Me too.