So Today...

[magicaddict]

...was my first solo site visit. This was me doing my actual job (installation and service engineer) for the first time. A chance to show off precisely how professional and capable I was.

Yeah, real professional.

After driving for an hour and a quarter and arriving at the site, I found I'd left behind the nitrogen hoses that are essential to the running of the system. Cue driving back to work, picking up the hoses and driving half way back to the site.

Then I woke up to the sound of a horn.

Looking down at my dashboard, I realised I had been doing a fair clip down the fast lane of the M40. Asleep.

Cue driving the rest of the way extremely alertly, followed by finding out that I'd left behind the gas shroud tubing (you guessed it) essential to the running of the system. I set it up and fired it up to show the customer it was working, called the office to get them to send out the tubing by post (it's an extremely simple part of the kit so they can do it themselves), and dropped the diffractometer housing on my middle finger as I was putting it back together.

Cue driving back to work extremely gingerly, followed by realising as Enterprise drove the hire car away that I'd left my work mobile inside.

These people hired me for my professional attitude and attention to detail. Glad they can see it.

Comments

[dbexx.livejournal.com]

Don't beat yourself up. Everyone makes errors at work first time around. Even second or third.

I am just FUCKING GLAD you're alive.

[magicaddict.livejournal.com]

In truth, so am I - if ever I needed more reason not use air con and instead rely on a more low-fi approach, that is probably it.

[cheekychipmunk.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

[magicaddict.livejournal.com]

Get your new job. This will make the world a better place and will be all the comfort I need.

[lucy-k-p.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're all right. Everyone's nervous and makes mistakes when they're doing something new.

[magicaddict.livejournal.com]

Rather glad I survived too. I have no-one to base it off, as I'm the first new person they've hired for ages, but if I take guesses, I'd say I'm making a disproportionately large amount of mistakes.

[pujaemuss.livejournal.com]

I'm just pleased you're okay. I've fallen asleep on the motorway before and it scared the living daylights out of me.

{sympathy}

PJW

[magicaddict.livejournal.com]

It did clear the sinuses somewhat, I have to admit. Suddenly, everything on the road became extremely interesting.

[tarvae.livejournal.com]

Holds hand up and admits being a member of the 'long blink club'.

I'm sure your bosses have seen much worse cases of new job nerves.

*hugs*

[xanthipe]

Everyone has first time nerves and gaffes. I nearly quit from sheer embarrassment last Wednesday, remember?

Please, please look after yourself. I will be sending you to bed early if I see you online for the near future, all right?

[magicaddict.livejournal.com]

And then, if I remember correctly, you outshone two CompScis. Swings and roundabouts.

Emma does that already (and that's if I take leave of my senses and don't do it myself).

[same-difference.livejournal.com]

It's good to get the mistakes out the way early, and it's fine to mess up at first. Get plenty of rest no falling asleep and getting injured on motorways please.

Though I'll tell you about some of the things I did half a sleep driving to Newport for work at some point.

[magicaddict.livejournal.com]

It's fine to make mistakes if they don't cost the company thousands of pounds or good clients. I'm sure it's less okay to make them if I do that. Haven't done so so far, but if I can make them with cheap stuff, I can do it with expensive stuff too.

[flickums.livejournal.com]

VERY glad you're alive and well!!!

[magicaddict.livejournal.com]

Me too. Won't be using air con for ventilation again any time soon. Nice wide open window instead. Air blast to the face works wonders for staying awake.

[lady-ellinor.livejournal.com]

The main thing is you didn't hurt yourself (apart from your finger) and you didn't hurt anyone else. First day nerves are expected and you've probably got it all out of the way now!

[magicaddict.livejournal.com]

Truly, I wish I had. Unfortunately not - errors and cock-ups continue apace, though now from lack of knowledge that doesn't exist, rather than lack of knowledge I had't learned.