Well, it's official. I can no longer go out gallivanting on saddle shopping sprees to Claresholm.

Today I tried out this new function on my phone, called ... uhhh ... A-L-A-R-M or something. Don't know, never used it befo... OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT NOISE? WHY IS IT DARK? WHERE AM I? WHAT IS GOING ON? What do you mean people do this every day? Who does this every day? EVERYONE IN THE WORLD DOES THIS EVERYDAY? No wonder the psychotherapy industry is going strong.

So, today I started my training at RBC as a Customer Service Representative. Which is like a garbage man telling you he is a Waste Disposal Technician, or a janitor saying he is a Sanitation Engineer, or a cheerleader saying she is an Athletic Support Liaison. It's bank teller training. Sheesh.

And the answer is yes, this is totally what I planned to do with two university degrees, a college diploma, three languages, two pilots licences with five flight ratings and my Red Cross Certified Babysitter designation. No, no I totally haven't made several dozen job applications within my career fields over the last six months. Mostly I was just doing magnetic poetry and burning grilled cheese sandwiches. And practicing my sarcasm.

I owe RBC a heap of gratitude and appreciation for taking me on, and giving me a casual position that works with my always changing, unpredictable schedule. Especially because the last course I took that was even distantly related to banking and finances was my Grade 10 economics class, where I believe the currency of the day was "widgets."

So the truth is that, yes, while this wasn't exactly a planned stop on my career path, I am grateful to be employed, respectable of the kick in the pants, and genuinely open and interested in learning the ropes of a field that is completely foreign to me.

And when I say foreign, I mean like my international-student-orientation-welcome-to-America-we-will-now-demostrate-the-use-of-a-toothbrush foreign. Except here, I'm the kid who hasn't been exposed to toothbrushes. Seriously. No, wait, I don't mean seriously about not knowing what a toothbrush is. I do. And not because of my university's international student orientation - I knew before that too. And I'm not making fun of the students who didn't, it was just an analogy ... oh forget it.

When the financial advisor I met with today asked if I had any capital, I was like, weird, but okay - there's a big 'M' in front of my first name, and a big 'B' in front of my last name ... does that count? She checked the box next to no. RRSPs? And I was like, oooohhhh a party? Liabilities? Well, I can sleep pretty much anywhere.

So. That probably explains why RBC decided to start me out as a CSR and not a financial advisor.

But it's not the assets and markets and equity and interest rates and prime this and global that and TFSAs and RRSPs and RESPs and RSVPs that freak me out. There is really only one thing, beyond all others, that seriously frightens and concerns me about taking on this job.

To be continued ...