Weekus Horribulus
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| Deuces |
On Monday, the week started off with me (and Mark, I'm sure) already feeling a bit beaten down from the events to move Cam. Still, we were excited for him to start his new job, and were really looking forward to hearing about his first day.
Well....it was terrible. As described by him, he went in, spent an hour with his boss, and was then told "Ok, go do your stuff." He had no idea what he was doing and did not know what to do. He was upset, feeling lost and unqualified, and felt like he couldn't even go back the next day. Uh oh. I tried to calm him down, and let him know that quitting after one day, or even several days, is not an option for a whole host of reasons, among them that we did not have the $$ to move him back and he had signed a year lease. Then Monday night, he saw a mouse in his apartment. I'm pretty sure that ranked as on of the worst days of his life (so far!).
On Tuesday afternoon he texted me to let me know he wanted to give me a call in the evening. Of course I said "call now," and we talked about how his second day was not any better than his first, with no direction and no understanding about how to do his job. Panic all around.
On Wednesday morning I called him before he left for work to talk through how he should approach his day. My advice: explain to his supervisor that he needs more direction and a training plan. Also, say that even though he has software development experience, he has not done what they are asking - it's new to him. He actually listened to me, and he had a better day on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. He said he had a project plan and that there was someone assigned to work more closely with him, like a mentor. When I spoke with him on Friday he said he felt he could stick it out for at least 4-5 months, but didn't think he'd be there for the long run. My feeling is that a smaller, more intimate work environment might work better for him.
On top of this, his debit card, which was mailed from Rochester on July 28, has still not arrived, meaning he is running out the cash he has no access to his bank account. I ordered another which was supposed to come via FedEx on Friday, but it has not come yet. Grrrr.
So, all in all, it's been a stressful week for the Bakers, and especially for Cam who is in a situation without a support system and no social contacts. It's a bit of a crash course in navigating a professional work situation, and dealing with really being away from home for the first time (with a bit loneliness thrown in). I'm hoping he has a better week. Annalisse and I will be heading down on Friday for the weekend before heading to Roanoke and Raleigh to visit internship programs, so are looking forward to spending time with him.
Please keep Cam in your thoughts this week!
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