Update XVI: Sidejackin' it in the Train Room.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I've been here for approaching an hour and I think I'm going to like this place.  I'm getting a crash course in what I will be doing.  Life is good!  Now, back to work!

[Joe Biden 2020]

Good Monday Evening!  I am home from a very good day at work!  I did very well for the first day.  First off, the company and the job look very stable.  There are no wishy-washy attitudes in this place.  It is all straight-forward.  It's a far cry from customer service.  I think this will be a good job and one that has staying power.  I'm picking things up very nicely.  I have 89 more calendar days to get to the level that they're needing.  I'm well on my way already.  I've built a good foundation today.  I found out that I don't have to take the full hour for lunch.  I can eat for a half hour and then work the other half hour.  By doing that, I can get off a half hour earlier in the evening.  I can also start right when I get there.  I just have to put in 8 hours not including the time I take to eat.  Today, I got there at 8:40, and worked a half hour of my lunch, so I got off at 17:10.  Also, if I'm a little late for whatever reason, it's no big deal.  I just have to put in the 8 hours before I go home.  Tomorrow's another day!

[Joe Biden 2020]

I wonder if Bushie celebrated his first day with a quick trip to Braum's for his lunch break.

Not for lunch, although I did have it for supper.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I wonder how far his commute is. I felt bad for him when he was at CADD school and had to drive 20 miles each way. I know in big cities, there's often no way around a terrible commute, but in towns the size of Memphis, Tulsa, and OKC, anything over 15-20 minutes is nuts. That's one of the best parts of living in a smaller metro.

OKC is actually a big Metro, especially if you live in the far east suburbs like I did.  Tulsa is a small metro.  My commute is 13 miles one way and it took me about 25 minutes each way.  It took an extra 5 minutes this evening because I went by Braum's.  I left work at 17:15 and got home at 17:45.  I'll leave here by 7:15 in the morning and get there by 7:45 and go ahead and begin work as soon as I get there.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I just want to congratulate Bushie for getting this CADD job and I sincerely wish him the best in the future.  This is your moment, Bushie.  You can do this.

Thanks, GaussLaw!!  That means a lot to me.

[Joe Biden 2020]

We haven't heard from him in a while. I hope our dear friend isn't being escorted out of the building!

Nope, just got off late and it took a while to get home, eat dinner, and call my parents.

[Joe Biden 2020]

This job sounds pretty sweet. Have any problems at all yet?

None at all.  I have to remember everything I did at school and now apply them here.  I also have to get familiar with the software.  I used AutoCAD 2014 in school and this company has not graduated beyond AutoCAD 2005.  It's not a problem at all, just will take me a day or so to get used to.  I think I'm already familiar enough with it just from a half day of actual work.  I'm also having to get myself accustomed to looking at multiple complex drawings and putting them together and knowing exactly what I'm looking at.  I made great strides in that today, but that also will take a little time.  I felt I did really well for my very first day actually doing drafting for a living.  This is where it counts, because it will feed me.  I will ask my supervisor tomorrow morning how he thought I did.  I laid a great foundation today, now it's time to build on it.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Whatever gets you out of the call center, right buddy?

You bet

[Joe Biden 2020]

Oh, trust me, my goal is to be there by 7:45 each morning.  I always follow what my late grandfather always told his kids and grand kids - "I'd rather be 20 minutes early than a minute late."  That's one piece of advice I have followed without fail.

J-Mann, thank you for the words of encouragement.  I do not look at it as 89 more days to go.  I know better.  I am going to take it one day at a time.  I see this as a career from Day 1, not as a 90-day position followed by a career.  If I keep watching the calendar, bad things can happen.  Instead, I want to take things one day at a time.

[Joe Biden 2020]

It's almost bed time on this Monday night - Work Night 2.  I am excited about building on the foundation that I laid today.  Tomorrow will be a great day!!

[Joe Biden 2020]

Good Tuesday Morning!  I am up and ready for Day 2.  No lingering effects from that Braum's Cheeseburger I had for supper yesterday.  Tonight will likely feature baseball as my main TV option.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I'm home from a really good day. I am starting to pick things up better and my supervisor is pleased so far. He's a little hard on me just because he wants to make me think and learn quick. Tonight, I am going to watch the Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees on MLB Network, then get my shower and read my Bible after the game then go to bed right after the 22:00 news. I am looking forward to Day 3 beginning in about 14 hours from right now!!

[Joe Biden 2020]

Maybe Allison discovered Update, and that helped scare her off?  Didn't Mondale try to send her a link to these threads some months ago?

He's a little hard on me just because he wants to make me think and learn quick.

Sounds like foreshadowing of trouble ahead.

No, no trouble ahead, it's just his teaching style.  He told me at the end of the day he was pleased with my work so far.  One day at a time.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I feel really good about where I'm at at work.  I'm learning the stuff quite nicely and I'm getting a good feel of what I'm looking at.  I'm still a little rusty after the 5 month hiatus, but I'm shaking that off.  Today was better than yesterday.  The last two hours of the day today were the best of the 16 hours I've worked thus far.  Tomorrow should be even better.  I'm still laying the foundation on which to build from.  My goal tomorrow is to finish the first drawing.  I'm well on my way to doing just that, so I should be able to finish it in 8 hours time.  As time goes on I will get faster at these drawings and a lot more efficient.  For now, I think I'm doing very well on the first drawing.  I've been working on it for 13 hours so far.  5 on Monday and 8 today.  What's slowing me down right now is I'm new and I'm double, triple, and even quadruple checking everything I do.  I do not want these drawings to come back and hit me in the face.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Jeff, what is a normal / average speed for preparing these drawings once you're fully trained and confident? What is the ultimate expectation?

I think it varies, but usually 8 hours.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I've got my shower and my lunch is ready for tomorrow.  I will be going to bed in about 50 minutes from now.  Day 3 is just a little over 10 hours away.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Eraser, there is no need to be worried at all.  I'm doing fine.  All I was doing is explaining what I'm doing.  How the heck did you take that as bad news?  Nobody in their right mind would deduce that from the information I provided.  That's the problem with the forum - you all take a random post that has no bad news anywhere in it and turn it into faux bad news and then run with it and never listen to me when I say everything is okay.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Good Wednesday Evening!  I am home from an awesome day!  This was by far the best day, yet.  I took a break from the drawing I was working on the first two days and did something different as per the current needs of the company.  I have to finish the group I was working on late this afternoon tomorrow when I first get there, and then will be able to move onto other tasks as directed by my supervisor.  I thought the first two days were good, but today was miles ahead of even the first two days, and that is saying something.  I am still building that foundation, but that foundation is looking pretty good.  The thing that made today better is I think I have shaken 95% of the rust off and I didn't have to have help as much today.  I'm not rushing through my work like I did in school, but I'm double, triple, and quadruple checking my work for accuracy.  I have developed my first routine when I work on a drawing.  That routine will likely be modified, but for now I've got an early routine established.  The only bad thing about today is I had a painful twinge or knot in my upper back all day.  I don't have the most ergonomic office chair, and that didn't help.  My back still hurts this evening, but I will go to church this evening and then watch Big Brother when I get home.  15 hours until Day 4!!

[Joe Biden 2020]

whatever ever you do bushie, dont race through your drawings like you did in class.

I learned my lesson on that in class.  I am actually going relatively slow and checking my work multiple times for accuracy.  I am still making errors, but most of those are overlooks.  I heard the phrases "good job" and "almost there" a lot today and even got some chuckles out of him.

[Joe Biden 2020]

whatever ever you do bushie, dont race through your drawings like you did in class.

I learned my lesson on that in class.  I am actually going relatively slow and checking my work multiple times for accuracy.  I am still making errors, but most of those are overlooks.  I heard the phrases "good job" and "almost there" a lot today and even got some chuckles out of him.

What exactly is it that you do, Bushie?  I understand CAD is about drawing things up, but what are you drawing up?  What is its application? 

I take drawings of heating systems, revise them as necessary, and send them to the shop to be produced.  Sometimes the revisions are to completely redraw the parts.  I also take individual parts of the heating drawings and give them their own drawing before sending to the shop to be produced.

[Joe Biden 2020]

The only bad thing about today is I had a painful twinge or knot in my upper back all day.  I don't have the most ergonomic office chair, and that didn't help. 

RIP JOB

At least I stayed there the entire day.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Good Wednesday Evening!  I am home from an awesome day!  This was by far the best day, yet.  I took a break from the drawing I was working on the first two days and did something different as per the current needs of the company.  I have to finish the group I was working on late this afternoon tomorrow when I first get there, and then will be able to move onto other tasks as directed by my supervisor.  I thought the first two days were good, but today was miles ahead of even the first two days, and that is saying something.  I am still building that foundation, but that foundation is looking pretty good.  The thing that made today better is I think I have shaken 95% of the rust off and I didn't have to have help as much today.  I'm not rushing through my work like I did in school, but I'm double, triple, and quadruple checking my work for accuracy.  I have developed my first routine when I work on a drawing.  That routine will likely be modified, but for now I've got an early routine established.  The only bad thing about today is I had a painful twinge or knot in my upper back all day.  I don't have the most ergonomic office chair, and that didn't help.  My back still hurts this evening, but I will go to church this evening and then watch Big Brother when I get home.  15 hours until Day 4!!

Please tell me these tasks don't involve cold-calling their clients and trying to sell them additional CADD services.

No, I was working on other drawings.  I have not touched an office phone in three days.

[Joe Biden 2020]

When you write that you 'do not have the most ergonomic chair' do you in fact mean that you cannot find a chair to fit your not inconsiderable girth?

There is one chair I might try tomorrow, but all the chairs look to be in pretty bad shape.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I would think that when you're 5'7"/300 lbs. serious back pain is a part of everyday life.

I do have a bad back, but it's usually my lower back.  This is about a quarter of the way down my spine from the neck.  It feels like right at the bottom of the shoulder blade.  It didn't hinder me at all today, I just took one aspirin about 10:45 and a second one about 14:00 and it helped me get through the day.  Never once did I think about going home.  This is a job I actually legitimately like.  It's not one of those jobs I have to talk myself into liking it.  As J-Mann pointed out the other night, this is a job I can actually do and am better suited for.  I'm not going to throw this job away like I have in the past.  As I said before, I am 8 1/2 months shy of my 33rd birthday, I need to settle into a career and I am going to try to make this my career.  I am going to try to stay here as long as I can and hold onto it for dear life.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Can't you have Mama Bushie buy you a better chair and then just bring it to work?

I can't fit it into my car.