Things are going very well with my Bottega Apprenticeship! I am working 40 hours a week and not “training” per se, I’m working independently and doing everything a typical mentor does. The other mentors are always available and very helpful when I have questions. Even though we work remotely, everyone seems to function well as a team and the “Higher Ups” stay involved and are always available if we need them. The support side has been pretty quiet, which is surprising with so many people being ordered to stay at home. If we aren’t making weekly mentor calls to check in with students or taking support tickets when a student is having issues, we use that time to do coursework and increase our skills. I am going back over the courses I took to solidify my knowledge because there is a big difference between learning enough to pass a course vs learning enough to be a support tech. There are still a LOT of courses that I haven’t taken and I’m excited to have the opportunity to learn even more about today’s technology.
These are trying times and it can be heart wrenching to hear what students are going through due to the COVID-19 virus. It is a little disconcerting when a student doesn’t answer their phone for a scheduled mentor call. Three weeks ago, I wouldn’t have though twice about it, but today, I can’t help but hope they are healthy and okay. One thing is for sure, I am blessed to be working from home and not concerned about losing my income at any given moment.
