How Does It Feel to Start a New Job During a Pandemic?
My first day at Lifehacker was March 23, 2020 – a little over three months or three years ago. I received my job offer on March 5th, exactly one week before my wife and I took our kids out of New York schools, took the subway for the last time, and practically stopped going out.
The time between receiving and starting work was enormous; every day I was confident that my proposal would be canceled as the sunny climate for digital media quickly turned inclement . I even wrote to my boss, now editor-in-chief Alice Bradley, asking if I could get started a week early. Her response – that the office was closing, but they mailed me my laptop – gave me great relief. They wouldn’t have sent me a MacBook Pro if they weren’t serious about giving me a job, would they? Even though the economy has gotten much, much worse since those early days , people still find work. Ironically, I know half a dozen people who actually left existing concerts during the closing time to take advantage of the best opportunity. Non-core service companies do hire employees, but the Boston Globe notes that getting started right now can be lonely.
I can attest to this. I have been to G / O Media offices exactly once: during an interview. I’ve heard rumors that someday I’ll be working in an office with a window overlooking Times Square and a door that actually closes – a big change after a decade of living in a booth – but for the foreseeable future I’ll be content with a desk in the corner of my bedroom and the door, which somewhat muffles the screams of the children.
I had to adjust to new routines and expectations at work, and manage a complete revolution in all aspects of my family life (and now my “work life”). Every staff meeting I attended went through Zoom. I met and said goodbye to colleagues with whom I had never been in the same room. As grateful as I was for being hired now, it was a little frustrating at times. Did you also start working during this period of unprecedented turmoil in American economic history? What was your experience? Are you used to working remotely? Do you still need to go to the office? Has the pandemic changed your outlook on your career or professional goals? Write to us in the comments .