I was laid off from my old job at the beginning of April due to COVID-19, and spent the last two months both searching and interviewing for my next gig. Ostensibly, these times could be described as "uncertain", and they were. I finally landed an offer from a robotics automation company based in the greater Boston area, and my first day is this Tuesday, June 9th.

With uncertainty seemingly pervading all layers of human existence at this point in time, I figured I would focus some of my own nervous energy through a constructive medium: blogging!

I am documenting this period to show what it’s like to start a new job during the post COVID / pre-vaccine era, and share my experience with the world. Everyone has been professionally and personally affected by the current pandemic, some more extremely than others. However, one thing is for sure: the world as we know it will never be the same, as trends catalyzed by COVID-19 will continue to shape our personal and professional lives in ways we never thought possible.

My goal is to provide you, our readers with an honest accounting of what it’s like to start a new job under quarantine. My future employer recently announced that it will be “digital by default” through the remainder of 2020. I am not entirely sure how I feel about working remotely because I honestly have never done it full time.

Some benefits are already being realized, such as greater productivity, getting back time lost to commuting, and more time for personal fitness/care. However, patterns are emerging that are revealing some negative aspects of the new normal, including the ability to “switch off”, taking less (or even no) breaks, and the lack of face-to-face social interactions.

Regardless of what I find, my hope is that all readers will be able to more saliently navigate their personal and professional lives after reading these posts, even if the effect is minute. The current pandemic is, perhaps, the modern world's largest and most intimately shared experience to date. Let's be sure to collect our learnings, share them, and constructively make use of the unique opportunity that lies in front of us.