Estimating work is quite interesting. My first day was October 2nd. I was already tossed into the frying pan with a task I was familiar with; counting light fixtures on a print. The hard part was just learning how to use the bidding software. I've since become more proficient with it, I feel like I'm more familliar with it compared to the senior estimator. Not to say that he's bad, he's not, and I also worked under him for a breif time at my first company, he's just not as proficent with technology. However, to his credit, he is far better than many around his age.
One wrench thrown into the gears of day one was when my boss pulled me aside with some very unexpected news. Our former boss had passed away. This company has been subbed for certain contracts from them, and I was looking forward to working with my old boss. I know if you've read the story about my first real job I was not too fond of him. Maybe it was the inevitable opportunity to work with him rather than for him, or maybe the death of someone who was a significant influence in your life, but I do miss him. His death was sudden and unexpected. I hope he had no regrets.
Some things I've noticed since I've started:
I have no regrets leaving my previous job.
Our basement renovations are finally almost complete. We decided to put carpet down as we thought it would be a better for our daughter to play on. The pleasant side effect is that it absorbs a lot of noise and makes the space feel more welcoming.
Yardwork has taken a back seat recently. Weather and being busy being a Dad has been keeping me from basic lawn care. It's frustrating, and then my Wife complains that it takes so long to mow. Every time she complains about it I let her know the truth, that the grass is so long it clogs the chute. When I get the time to keep up with the growth, I can be done in about 90 minutes instead of 4 hours. Another solution could be one of those new robot mowers. I could just do one major mow at the start of the season, and then the robot mantains. I don't know if I'll be able to convince her on that.
This gemlog was written on 10/17, but I've been so busy, I was unable to update the gemlog index.