I got to do something!

Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.

Work at the charity shop has been notably improved since Tuesday, mainly because I finally got some training on how to work the register. I am amused to have been advised several times on that topic that I should occasionally walk around the store to alleviate boredom, as actually operating the cash register is about the most interesting thing I've gotten to do there.

Will have to update my resume to reflect this, now I have gotten something of value there.

Has been stressful, because with a machine that prints everything I have less room for error correction or conducting experiments than I have had with library software, although hopefully they are switching to a computer system next week. My main stress has been worry that I will make too many mistakes to be trusted further with the device, or cause accounting discrepancies. But I am also riled by suggestions from others that I stress too much - from experience this is how I operate in similar situations, to panic and worry when my learning experiences are under actual working experiences potentially actually inconveniencing the people I am supposed to be helping and potentially being some degree of costly or troublesome errors, but practice brings confidence and I won't be quietly freaking out for very long in the long view of things. I'm still getting work done, when I'm doing that, anyway, unless I am asking for help because I've encountered a new-to-me problem.

I'm not very fond of this style of learning on the job, because one gets an extremely partial education to start and then has to run for help every time something unexpected happens. I'd suspect that costs a lot of extra time and customer satisfaction, but it does seem to be standard. And I don't mind it in a more consequence-free environment, such as my little forays into the land of Learning To Program.

I think I can also say I like my work duties to be more definite, whether that be in the form of a duty roster or list of things which fall at least partly within my responsibility, whatever. I'm feeling a bit lost at this place because I have almost no responsibilities or duties beyond showing up for 13 hours a week. My only official instruction has been to familiarise myself with the stock and 'perform customer service'; pretty much everything else I do I make up to pass the time, or else is a one-off lend a hand type activity. Have mostly picked up my understanding of what sorts of things are appropriate to do from conversation with co-workers or observation (e.g. if I do X someone will come along and reverse it the next day, or no one stops me from doing Y). Am continuing to refine my sense of what I am supposed to be doing, but this is definitely not how I prefer to learn.

Probably I should give up hopes of having influence on the floor layout. Saw a job advertised last week for that store with duties including making sure the place conforms to the larger organisation's will, and Wednesday was occupied rearranging clothes within the store to comply with new display directives. Hadn't realised the place was as managed as those non-charity department chains (probably isn't, but nor apparently in the hands of those working there).

But I got to actually do stuff, and that is exciting.