Describe your workplace

[á´…eparted]

I'll have to take pictures this week!

I work in an organic chemistry lab, so it looks like a very stereotypical "lab", full of all kinds of chemicals, many of which could VERY easily kill you . Much of the stuff I work with is hazardous enough that if someone came in and tried to do something with no knowledge/training, they'd seriously injure themselves, someone else, or start a massive fire before the day ended.

 

[á´…eparted]

Actually, I do have some pictures! (took a few that I uploaded to facebook in the past several months):

This one is downstairs in the NMR room (I hate using that thing)

 

[Ivy]

Healthcare office. I have my own cubicle/space now which I like since it's separate from the others and I can play Pandora. Sometimes organized, sometimes a mess depending on my mood and workload. A few plants, pictures, cute gifts co-workers have given me. I have a window but the view it's obstructed. [MENTION=26046]Dyslexxie[/MENTION] & [MENTION=2]Ivy[/MENTION], what professions are you guys in? I'm curious.

I'm an editor, and the company I work for is in Boston. I am not in Boston, so they supplied me with a Macbook and a VPN and I work remotely. They fly me up periodically for company functions, so I actually have to put on grownup clothes then, but usually I work in my pajamas. Meetings are over Gotomeeting and audio only, and day-to-day communications are over Skype messages (no audio/video).

 

[Lia_kat]

I'm an editor, and the company I work for is in Boston. I am not in Boston, so they supplied me with a Macbook and a VPN and I work remotely. They fly me up periodically for company functions, so I actually have to put on grownup clothes then, but usually I work in my pajamas. Meetings are over Gotomeeting and audio only, and day-to-day communications are over Skype messages (no audio/video).

Sounds awesome! I'm guessing you have some sort of Eng/Lit/Journalism degree?

 

[Ivy]

Sounds awesome! I'm guessing you have some sort of Eng/Lit/Journalism degree?

Yeah, I have an English degree.

 

[Lia_kat]

Yeah, I have an English degree.

Cool. I asked because I'm still looking at what I should study. It's been a struggle so far to find my niche . I would love a job where I can work from home too, is rewarding (or at least interesting enough), gives me a lot of flexibility and I can work independently. Pay just has to be decent. Would you mind listing some more pros or a few cons? Thank you.

 

[Ivy]

Cool. I asked because I'm still looking at what I should study. It's been a struggle so far to find my niche . I would love a job where I can work from home too, is rewarding (or at least interesting enough), gives me a lot of flexibility and I can work independently. Pay just has to be decent. Would you mind listing some more pros or a few cons? Thank you.

Sure! The pay is decent, not amazing, but I'm satisfied with it. Honestly, I'd be hard pressed to come up with many cons. It can be sedentary, but there are ways of combating that- I have a treadmill desk for my laptop and I take it to the gym several times a week. And since I'm not on a strict schedule I can take walks and breaks almost any time I want. That's another pro- the work is bite-sized so I can alternate tasks and never get too bored. Sometimes I spend more time than I really want in an Excel spreadsheet doing project planning or analysis, but honestly, my ideal amount of time spent in Excel would be zero, and that's not very realistic. Overall it's not too cumbersome.

I guess another con is I have no idea how to counsel someone to get into the kind of position I have- it isn't something I had in mind when I got my degree. I freelanced for many years and the pay for freelancers in my specific field (educational publishing) is very good per-project, but the work is feast-or-famine so it wouldn't have been workable if I were solely responsible for supporting myself or my family. I would have long dry spells where I didn't have any work, and times when several companies would have projects and I'd have to tell some of them no. What ended up happening was a position opened up at the company where I did most of my freelancing, and since the senior editors all knew me and liked my work, the interviews and such were mostly a formality. I don't even think they interviewed or considered anyone else for the job.

 

[Coriolis]

I'm an editor, and the company I work for is in Boston. I am not in Boston, so they supplied me with a Macbook and a VPN and I work remotely. They fly me up periodically for company functions, so I actually have to put on grownup clothes then, but usually I work in my pajamas. Meetings are over Gotomeeting and audio only, and day-to-day communications are over Skype messages (no audio/video).

I can't imagine spending the entire workday in pajamas, but I could easily go for the rest of it.

 

[Ivy]

I can't imagine spending the entire workday in pajamas, but I could easily go for the rest of it.

Well- I don't always, but I can, and actually since I don't go to an office my regular clothes are mostly glorified pajamas anyway.