The First Week

(Sorry, Dev. I was too tired to type last night...)

Happy New Year to all my readers, with sincere apologies for the month-long delay in writing. I'll do my darndest to make it up to you, by treating you to an inside look at my new job at PHC.

PHC, as I very quickly learned, is a man's company; the place is awash with testosterone (in varying degrees). In the multiple buildings that PHC occupies in the three-block area, there is only one women's bathroom, and that one, I have been warned, breaks down frequently. When the toilets go on strike, all the women (I have counted 15 of us thus far, in a company of over 300) have to walk across the street, through a warehouse, and up some rickety stairs to a unisex bathroom in the electronic assembly department.

The men in the engineering department are slowly adjusting to the new female in their midst. A few times a day, they will start having what can only be termed as "a guy's conversation": loud, sometimes crude, and sprinkled with profanity. Then they will suddenly stop and look over their shoulders to my desk, where I sit typing away and pretending not to listen; automatically, the volume goes down and the swearing disappears. I don't think they mind my presence too much; I'd like to think that I am having a civilizing influence on them, however temporary it may be.

I have been taken under wing by Marilyn, the only other woman in the engineering department, and unfortunately destined to transfer to another department in a few short weeks. She has been such a blessing, an Auntie Mame-type mentor who is teaching me all about how to survive in this environment. I dread losing her, when I'll be on my own with a crowd of twenty-odd men surrounding me. An awkward situation, especially for one who has worked under and with women since she was eighteen.

Despite the weirdness of the whole thing, I think I will like working as a technical writer. I have always preferred writing on concrete subjects; abstract topics such as theory have always eluded me and always will. And the delightful thing about being a writer in a group of engineers is the aura of mystique that surrounds my duties. All of the engineers are brilliant beyond any level I could ever attain, but many of them have little experience in English language studies. I imagine that they regard my tasks as I regard theirs: a series of unintelligible movements and reasonings and scribbles on paper that come together magically to create something tangible and functioning.

My supervisor has been kind, if a little gruff and distant; his pet project, years in the making, is approaching its final test run. Despite all his distractions, he has made time to sit down with me and look over the changes I have made to the first instruction manual on my list. He seemed thrilled with my work; in fact, he became more excited with every error I pointed out. I wasn't aware of how much of an impression my work had made until Wednesday, when I discovered that Jim had given me a 15% raise in pay before my first paycheck had even been printed. Yay!

All in all, I am excited about this new job. I think that I can really make a difference in the quality of their products in my own small way. Already, I have become emotionally invested in the success of PHC; their products, and their worldwide influence in commercial construction, are really quite inspiring. Marcie and Anna, when you come to visit me in March, I will have to take you on a tour of the production floor. Make sure to pack your sturdy shoes and safety goggles.