As told to and adapted for the OGC blog by Cathy Andrade, Chief of Staff to the Deputy General Counsel for Administration
Monday
7:42AM: Log on for virtual New Employee Orientation. Spill coffee on shirt. Turn camera off. Get new shirt.
7:45AM: Turn camera back on. Shush my barking dog, who wants to go outside.
8:00AM: Human Resources virtually swears us in as new employees.
8:05AM: Begin orientation on Commerce and all other aspects of federal employment. Much of this isn’t new as a transferring federal employee, but it must be a whirlwind of information for a new Fed. I wish I could tell them they will all be speaking in acronyms in no time.
12noon: Orientation concludes. Prepare for a call with my new supervisor after lunch.
12:30PM: Call with supervisor. He’s looking forward to seeing me in the office tomorrow.
Tuesday
7:30AM: Take kids to school. Turn around and go home because we realized we forgot to dress for Spirt Day.
7:45AM: Drop of kids at school (take 2). En route to the Herbert C. Hoover Building.
8:15AM: Arrive at HCHB. It’s bigger than I remember and its right next to the White House grounds.
8:30AM: Appointment to get my new ID badge. The security folks are kind enough to let me take a few pics before I decide on the one I like.
8:45AM: Meet my IT colleagues who help me with my IT equipment.
9:00AM: I log on for the first time, check my email, and see a message has gone out to the office welcoming me to my new position.
10:00AM: Fill out employment forms.
11:00AM: …still filling out employment forms.
12noon: …almost done with the employment forms.
12:30PM: Check out lunch options around the neighborhood. Great part of town. Lots of tourists milling around. POTUS’ motorcade drives by. Never get tired of seeing that.
4:30PM: The afternoon has gone by quickly with meeting new colleagues, introductory meetings, and more forms.
Wednesday
7:30AM: Nailed school drop off this morning. Deserve a McDonalds hash brown on my way in. #winning
8:00AM: Arrive at work. I find my office easily, which is an accomplishment given how big HCHB is.
12noon: Another busy morning with lots of new learning. Lunch today with my new team.
12:30PM: One of the upshots of being next to the White House means getting to see Marine One land.
4:30PM: Wrapping up another great day. Can’t wait to tell the family about it when I get home.
Thursday
7:30AM: Drop kids at school. Realize we forgot lunches at home. Gave kids money to buy lunch. Now they are #winning.
8:00AM: Arrive at work.
9:00AM: Meet new colleague for coffee. Realize I gave my kids all my cash. Thank goodness the cafe takes plastic.
12noon: Lunch and learn session at the Commerce Research Library. Super-informative.
4:30PM: Office held its semi-regular happy hour this afternoon. Great opportunity to meet new colleagues.
Friday
7:45AM: I’m teleworking today, so I logon after dropping the kids off at school.
8:30AM: I need to log my time and attendance, but I’ve already forgotten the procedure. Thank goodness for the kind administrative assistants who can help with my first time through this process.
4:30PM: I can’t believe how quickly the day went by. Already looking forward to next week!
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If you are interested in learning more about careers at OGC, check out the Office of the General Counsel, review employment opportunities, or submit a resume.