Week 1: Day 1

My first week working in the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) was a lesson in workplace etiquette. My current SCEP position is my first experience with a true 9-5 job. My first day began the day after Labor Day at 9 am. The first task of the morning was to find something to wear. After two hours of constant changing, I finally settled on a polo and khaki pants. I saw workers who were dressed similarly to me when I walked into the office building on 1441 L Street, giving me the impression that my choice of dress was adequate. I realized how under-dressed I was when I walked into the meeting room where all of my fellow interns were seated.
As I looked around the table, I saw prim and proper students wearing their neckties and suit jackets. I sighed to myself and let out a low, “Good morning”. None of them responded. As I looked around the room for a second time, it became apparent to me that most of them were several years younger than me after I scanned their unlined faces. Most of them were clearly undergrads. I scanned around the room a third time, noticing two interns that looked pretty close to my age. I crossed my fingers, hoping that I would get to work with them rather than the others.
Several minutes later, the different division chiefs at the BEA walked into the room. They were not at all the kind of people that I expected. I was surprised that they all seemed easy-going, down to Earth, and generally relaxed. My first impression of them made it easier for me to feel comfortable in a room full of my introverted peers. Unfortunately, my comfort was disrupted when they told us that each chief had a presentation and we were expected to sit through them for the remainder of the day. I guess that’s the price you pay on your first day of work.
After the last presentation, which ended at around 2:30, the other interns and I finally had the opportunity to meet our respective superiors. My supervisor is the Deputy Chief of the Administrative Services Division. She is primarily responsible for troubleshooting the different problems that occur at the Bureau. I could immediately tell that she has good heart and can be a potential mentor for me in the future. Ironically, she introduced me to the two interns that appeared to be closer to my age. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief after learning that we would be together. Our similar senses of humor helped us break the ice fairly quickly. Our supervisor explained to us that we would meet again in the mailroom the next day to continue with our orientation.