How many days until I can retire?!

I'm totally just kidding about wanting to retire!!  I'm actually enjoying the early mornings, cute outfits, and "hard work."  Today marks my sixth day of working for ABB so I figured it's about time to update you all on my experiences thus far.

I'm currently located at the South Boston, VA facility which focuses on small power transformers.  If these are "small" power, I can only imagine the size and complexity of the larger transformers!  Even though my degree is in Materials Engineering, my first rotation is in the marketing department.  Surprise, surprise... I'm the only girl. My friends seem to think this is funny since it seems to always be true for me but I kind of prefer it, less drama that way.  There are females around when I need a break but the guys are very nice and they definitely enjoy messing with each other - sounds like MSE all over again, if only Lisa were here.

But you're probably wondering what I "do."  The truth is I meet a million people a day and try to remember their names.  It's kind of hard because the majority of people that work at ABB are older gentlemen (to put it nicely) and they all have super generic names like Scott, Bob, Mike, Dave, David, etc.  I think everyone should have interesting names like mine because they're easier to remember although it has been spelled three different ways and pronounced at least a couple different ways since I started...

I have been reading about transformers and the learning curve is steep!  I'm picking it up quickly and I'm sure that I will be fully functioning independently very quickly.  I have been on a factory tour and will hopefully get to experience more hands-on learning.

I've spent many hours asking people for help, asking people who else I can ask for help, talking to people on the phone trying to get help, and pushing buttons on the service center phone line to eventually get someone to tell me who else I need to ask for help and not really help me at all.  There have of course been logistical issues as there always are when you start a new job only complicated further by my status as a Raleigh-based employee; however, the problems aren't that bad just a nuisance to me actually being able to work like I want to.  So I've been a little bored at work and everyone has told me to enjoy it while it lasts.

So that's what I've been doing but what I really do is quote and sell transformers to other companies.  It sounds kind of boring but it's not as bad as it sounds.  They threw me into it and so far I've initiated nine quotes totally over a million dollars in product.  I'm sure that once all these quotes actually go out to the customer I won't be bored anymore.

I'm only scheduled to be here for eight months but I've already been asked twice if I would ever consider staying.  Seven days ago my answer would have been 'probably not' but I think it's turned into 'maybe.'