miss_yt

My first day on the job was kind of rocky, but my second day has been better. I got more done, although a lot of it was secretary stuff this time around. I also talked to my boss about why I'd been having problems (this was my idea, by the way), and I think she now understands that I'm willing to work hard and I'll be able to catch on quickly.

Also, though it rained some on the way home, I managed to get back from Detroit without any mishap. Yay!

And, I got Roo a couple of new things. I found her a scratch pad that she can pluck at (she likes to pluck with her claws, not scratch) and a little water fountain thing, since she likes drinking from the faucet but not her bowl. She likes the scratch pad but will need to get used to the fountain.

I got a job! It's a research job, in which I do stuff like look at emergency response procedures for different universities and write little reports on them for a comparative study. But there's also administrative duties, which seem (so far) to consist of answering the phone. The thing is, the job I applied for was just the research, which I could do from home. During the interview I was told I'd only have to come into the office once a month. Now what I have is a situation where I come in two days a week and work about twelve hours total. The drive from Ann Arbor to Detroit is 45 minutes. And it's not exactly easy, especially the bit on the M-10.

Anyway, when I mentioned my new work schedule in an e-mail to my mother, she kind of freaked out. I'd already told my parents about how the job would work out, and that I'd try to negotiate for doing most of it at home. That didn't happen because, as it turns out, most of the employees come in from Ann Arbor or Ypsilanti (the next town over) so my situation is not special. Mom says that the gas and wear on the car is not worth it, that this job is not worth as much as my safety (because it's a long drive, and my previous attempt to drive in bad weather did not go well), and that she thinks I'm being taken advantage of.

I think it's a good job. The pay is decent, I can learn a lot and it would be very good on my resume. I may even be able to turn it into a summer internship (which I need for credit). I don't like the long drive but I can do it, and though I got into an accident a few weeks ago, it just means that now I know to be careful. I'm going to have to do stuff like this some time.

I can't believe my mother is basically upset because I did not get a job with someone who will accommodate my every whim, more or less. She says I should ask my roommates if this job is a good idea, but I suspect that they'll say it's pretty good and that, as regards the driving thing, it's something a lot of people have to do and just something to put up with. I already signed an agreement about how my schedule would work, fill out a W-9 form (I am technically a subcontractor, to them) and a form for direct deposit of my paychecks. It doesn't mean I can't quit, but it means I've gone to a lot of trouble.

So, what's the verdict? Are my parents freaking out over not-very-much-really?