What do I do for a living? I wish I knew. It still hasn't sunken in yet, after a week, that I have a job. I've had jobs before, but not like this, not for the long run. It still hasn't sunken in yet that a month ago, I was interviewing with these people and then I left, they conferred, and asked for me back. Now I work in their midst. I am still just counting down the days to the three month mark, after which they could still fire me at any point they wanted, but with slightly more difficulty than right now. Probation/trial periods make me tense.
What I could tell you then, Monica Yellow (congratulations, btw, on being a teacher for a whole year! everyone should give Mon their store of gold stars for the semester- I've saved up 8) and anyone else that is interested, is where I work and what my title is. I am a research assistant. I don't work in a lab. I work in an office. I don't pipette. I stuff envelopes, make graphs, and compile databases. We are a small but growing division of a major Boston hospital. It's quite a strange relief to be associated with a prestigious hospital after all these years of 'And where'd you go to school?' and 'What was your major again?' It's as if I am somehow legit now because I have a job at a hospital, which is absolutely absurd. Family friends and strangers alike would always frown when I explained where I went to school and what I studied- two things I'm quite proud of- but once I mention my job now, they'd let out an 'ah' and smile, as if to say, "You turned out ok after all." But I'm not a doctor. Nor a nurse. Nor some brilliant researcher. I'm as illegit today as I was last week. I just happen to address envelopes for really smart people.
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