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:  Arrive at work. 

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.