A New Page

As I draw nearer to retirement, I notice my workload steadily decreasing. This time of year the prospect of doing sculpture in a frigid workshop is also less than totally appealing. So with the increase in idle time, I started looking for something constructive to do.

Last year I contacted the Census Bureau and told them I was interested in a supervisory postition but nothing came of that. They did call me a couple of times to see if I was interested in a field job, but I didn’t think my knees would allow such foolishness. The second time they called they asked if I still wanted to be considered for a position. I said yes, as long as it was a sit-down office type of thing.

Last week they called my bluff. They said they had a clerk’s opening. I called Karen to make sure all would be in order if I took it and the rest is history.

I started the hiring and training process last Monday (2/15/2010). We had to fill out a whole bunch of forms and get fingerprinted. Then they swore us in and gave us our badges. For the rest of the afternoon we entered application forms for new recruits on the computer.

On Tuesday I started what will likely be my main activity, to answer calls from people looking for census work. We have to take their information and see that they are scheduled to take a test. Also we go over the particulars of the hiring process and what they are required to bring to the test site.

We were just to observe the seasoned vets at first and see how they handled the process, but by the end of the day I had my first phone request covered and was now a pro although I was still pretty green. The calls are not rolling in just yet, but the big recruitment push is scheduled to begin next month and the office needs to be staffed, trained, and ready when that happens.

So here I am, a census worker, and a wage earner for the first time since 1987. Wish me luck.