[Super Duper Fantastic] ISFP/INFP. 4w5. World Explorer. Super Hero. Rose-colored Glasses.

I seem to have disappeared off the face of the blog. It’s been less than a month, but if I don’t update for a few weeks, I start to feel like I’m forgetting to document everything that’s going on… not that it all has to be documented, but anyway!

The biggest thing is that I have a job! I started on Wednesday of this week, and so far it’s going well. I’m very happy with everything, and at the end of the three month trial period, hopefully I will be converted to a full-time employee. I technically work full-time now, but I’m under the recruiting firm’s payroll, rather than the actual company. They want to see how it works out before committing. The interview process was such an arduous one [I met with them five times!], and their search was essentially to fill the role in the long-term. I guess their last person wasn’t so great, so they’re taking a safer route now.

Before starting work, I spent a week in DC on the #AYCJ pass. I stayed with a friend [Matt] in his corporate housing and spent the days wandering around DC, Arlington, and Alexandria. I was basically all over the place, but I would’ve explored more if I wasn’t there by myself. There are a lot of areas that people advise you not visit, so I would stick to the areas that I was certain about. For the other places, I’ll have to wait for RV to accompany me to DC! Promise I’ll be updating with photos and lists of the places visited soon. They’re just sitting on my camera…

On the Metal Mouth front, I went to the orthodontist for the last time before the surgery! They put the hooks in, so basically when surgery is over, the oral surgeon can just wire me shut on those… I am so not excited about this. My pre-op is coming up next week!

In perusing job listings on Craigslist [just to see what's out there], the following thought crosses my mind:

How much are my time, experience, and skills really worth?

It baffles me when the postings list x, y, and z skills, but when they include the compensation they are going to pay, they’re basically expecting candidates to work for free. Even $10-$15 per hour in this city is not enough. Seriously, if you want x, y, and z skills, the person would have put in time and money to acquire the skills and certifications.

I understand that the job listings are really a company’s wish list, but still – baffling. You can’t get something for nothing, or can you?

I’m not leaving, but it appears that a lot of people from work are. Left and right, people are either taking on new jobs, or they have been asked to leave. Such a sad realization that it’s finally that time. In my industry, the turnover is high. It is expected that more than 50% of your starting group will have left within 5 years. I’m now at year 4, approaching the 5th year, so people are basically calling it quits. I’ve never been close to many at work, and so when someone I actually get along with leaves, it hurts just a little more. It makes going to training each year a little harder.

Just today, I found out that a very good friend, Brandon, is leaving. We didn’t start out as such friends, and even now, we have this odd sort of relationship. We went to the same high school, same college, and ended up at the same company. We were never really talking until we ran into each other at work one day. I ask him for help with work, and he confides in me on his relationships and work decisions. It’s odd. I’ll miss having him around at work [even though I don't see him all that often], but I’m certain we’ll keep in touch to continue our strange bond.

Who will I sit with during training!? It comes up in a few weeks. I’m dreading it just a little bit. Last year’s training in Austin was a blast, but only because I was in the minority and in a new city. I really had no clue who anyone was, but I meshed really well with a girl who was also in the minority. She was from Boston. When I’m surrounded by people I know, but don’t really talk to, it’s harder, I think. I might use that opportunity to study or perhaps try to network. It’s not too late, is it?