Ryan the Rookie

Today was my sixth day working a new job.

It's a pretty big deal to me, since I worked at Second Baptist for 2 1/2 years, and now I am employed by Trader's Printing in downtown Springfield. This is also the first time when I've actually transitioned directly from one job into another, without spending some time being unemployed and a bit desperate. So that's nice. And a little surreal.

That's not all that's surreal. Here's a blow-by-blow comparison of the new job and the old job that makes me feel a little out of sorts at times, for good or for ill.

Second Baptist ------ Trader's Printing
private office ------ no rooms with doors
windowless office --- windows everywhere
lots of solitude ---- lots of company
niceness to a fault - name-calling
flexible work ------- structured work
not enough pay ------ just enough pay
boss is older ------- boss is my age
30 co-workers ------- 4 co-workers
20-minute commute --- 5-minute commute

There's more, but you get the idea. Not only is Trader's close to home, it's only a block from the Front Porch, which is great. In fact, they don't have a working refrigerator at the moment, so if I take my lunch with me, I keep it at the FroPo. I'm even thinking about taking the bus because the central terminal is straight across the street.

A few things that are the same: both are quite old. Second was founded in 1885, and Trader's in 1925. So they both have sort of a storied history and an established reputation. Also, I'm actually able to carry over a lot of the skills I've learned into the new job, such as design, typography, bindery, etc.

Overall, I must say that I'm enjoying it quite a bit, though it is certainly overwhelming to all of a sudden be the resident rookie. They try to teach me 30 new things every day, and I'm just hoping to retain half of it. And despite the name-calling, it's actually a very friendly environment.

The biggest difference of all? On Friday, my boss did a small print job for his buddy at Hickok's restaurant next door, and they paid him with a half-gallon of their in-house microbrew. So he set it out on the table in the back room at 4:30 for us all to drink together. On the clock.

Cheers!