Monday, September 7, 2009

Non-Labor-Free Labor Day

Happy Labor Day everyone!  Labor Day is one of my holidays to work, so I’ll be headed to the hospital later today.  I think this means that I won’t be working Thanksgiving, which will be nice.  We had a get together/dinner type thing at the Rocket Scientist’s parents’ house on Saturday, so I got in my holiday festivities.  Woo!

As my first Labor Day where I actually have a job in the “real world,” I thought I would share some of what I’ve learned thus far.

  1. Working is for the birds.  School was so much better!  You determined when to study, how much/how little effort you would put in, and if you wanted a day off, you didn’t necessarily have to show up for class.  That being said, I only knowingly missed a few classes in college, and I studied alllll the time.  But I liked it!  Learning is fun.  If only I could get paid to learn…grad school, anyone?  Maybe I should be a teacher.
  2. Being paid hourly has pluses and minuses.  Being paid hourly means that I get overtime the second I work more than I’m schedule for, even if I only work 72 hours!  Time and a half adds up VERY nicely.  (I’ll get time and a half today…and another day off to use some other time…woo!)  That being said, if I get called off work, I don’t get paid.  I can use vacation time, but I currently only have ten hours of vacation time, so I would have ran out if I used it for all the times I’ve been called off.
  3. My job is really hard.  Yes yes, I know everyone thinks that they have the hardest job…but really, nursing is really hard!  The idea behind it isn’t terribly complex, but being on the front lines means I get the grunt of anything that goes wrong.  Where I work, everything falls under my job description (we even empty trash cans…), so many things don’t go as planned and it’s up to me to fix it.  With a smile, of course!
  4. Being paid is AWESOME.  Getting my first paycheck, I was astonished at how much money I was getting…and that I get it every two weeks!  What a deal.
  5. The world is geared toward the 9-5 lifestyle.  As someone who doesn’t work 9-5 (go evening shift!), I’ve found it very difficult to meet people.  While it is convenient to make a dental appointment and be able to say, “Anytime in the morning works for me,” meeting people is so hard.  Any recreational leagues, pottery classes, or church groups meet in the evening.  Running groups meet at 6am or in the evening.  I could join a book club with stay at home moms…but we probably have different interests/priorities in life.
  6. I totally understand “working for the weekend” now.  Many days, I don’t like my job.  My roommate doesn’t like her job either.  I appreciate my days off so much more now than I did before.  I’ve realized how important it is to find something that you love to do because you’ll be doing it the rest of your life!  I’m still on the hunt for the organization/job that is best for me.  I just hope I find it soon…

I’m sure I’ve learned more along the way, but I think that’s a good start.  Today is a rest day from running…my legs are tired!  I definitely needed it after a long week of running last week, and my legs will appreciate it before all the miles planned for this week.  My back also is still sore, so it’s not a rest day from stretching.  I received a comment on my last post saying that I should dance around to loosen up my lower back…I’ll try anything once, as long as no one is around to witness it!  :)

Yesterday was an attempt at walking around the town where I work, as cute shops and restaurants line the main street.  However, they were all closed!  I guess they closed for the “holiday,” even though it was today!  I was kind of sad and we only got to go into two stores.  The highlight of the adventure was spotting a Hawaii license plate in the parking lot…don’t ask me what it was doing in Pennsylvania, but I’ve never seen one before so it was very exciting!  I had to snap a picture, Frayed Laces style:

DSC09633 Hang Loose!  (I think…)

The Rocket Scientist said I was embarrassing him…oops!  I thought it was funny.  :)  I hope everyone has a great Labor Day, filled with BBQ’s and sunny weather!

14 comments:

  1. Yeah, I have PLENTY of classes today, so no labor-free day for me either :(
    I def admire how hard you work girl, AND you still find time to pound out some heavy mileage! Keep up the hard work and optimism :)

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  2. I would much rather work on Labor Day than Thanksgiving, so I'd say that's a pretty good deal. :-)

    I think it'll be hard to adjust from school to the real world at first. I do think that nurses have one of the most difficult jobs out there!

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  3. This is a great post. Props to you for finding the good and the bad in your situation, especially since nursing sounds SUPER HARD.

    I didn't take any time off between undergrad and grad school, mostly because I knew that I would hate a 9-5 office job. In general, I'm pleased with my decision, though I get really depressed sometimes that my free time isn't "my own" and that I have to bring home my homework. (Like, right now, I feel guilty when I read for pleasure because I should always be reading for my MA exam.) Things to think about...

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  4. Haha I am sort of glad I am only working part time now :)

    Enjoy your rest day! I hate rest days, so I guess that's why I never take them.

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  5. Ha I am getting that "first" paycheck this week and Omg CAN'T WAIT.

    working in a hospital is such a different "work world" - you're doing great with the transition!

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  6. Whenever I am working I always think 'I can't WAIT to get back to school and learn again. It's so much easier to go to class and have my own schedule...not sit at a desk all day from 9-5.' Then when I'm at school I think 'ughh I wish I could just have a job from 9-5 and after that, I have no more work to worry about.'

    The grass is always greener :)

    Good thing I've been able to jump back and forth thus far!

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  7. i agree that school > work! but i hope that once both of us are settled in our ultimate careers we won't feel that way :)

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  8. Getting paid is always a good thing. Looks like you are a fast learner!

    Having Thanksgiving off is definitely better than labor day. Have a great week.

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  9. Although I complain plenty about my job, I fully accept that nursing is way harder than anything I have to do! Major props to you, lady. And yes, time and a half is AWESOME. I am currently in a salaried position, and although it has its advantages, I REALLY miss getting overtime pay.

    Sorry you had to work Labor Day, but getting Thanksgiving off will be completely worth it. And now LD is over and Tgiving is in the future to look forward to. :)

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  10. I could never ever be a nurse. I'll take my cushy cubical job any day of the week. :o)

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  11. Now you see why I wanted to go back to school so bad. School is AWESOME! Working is for the birds. I took school for granted the 1st time around. This time, I certainly don't!

    Girl, I've had the desk job in the cubicle and its horrible. Boring, boring, boring. Think office space. Because of it, I'd love to have a job like yours (and I'm doing it!) I suppose the grass is always greener huh? ;)

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  12. I actually prefer work over school, but that is probably swayed by the fact that I get to be with my husband. Of course, I miss the free time.

    I am sorry you dislike your job. Do you think you will stay there? Are you thinking about trying something new?

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  13. yeah, college was prettty awesome, not a whole lot of responsibilities or grown up-ness, why didn't we realize how good we had it at the time??
    your perspective on nursing/hospitals/drs is interesting because its the other side for us, non-medical people. ive never even thought of how the nurse is feeling when she's taking care of me.

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  14. Yep - I empty trash cans & linen carts too. And at the moment, debating if I can swipe the mop to clean the nasty floor in my patient's room.

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