On the 15th, I began working with a new company. Even though I am a temp worker, they are treating me like family.

I consider this work experience to be a blessing from God. In my first two weeks of work, I have already learned so much about life.

The Mouse

I had some issues with my mouse at work. It was getting stuck on the mousepad, and while mildly annoying, it was manageable. Someone asked me how things were, and I mentioned the mouse issue. They told me to find one online which would work for me. Two days later, a new Logitech G600 arrived for my use.

This blew me away. I had never had an employer who was so invested in my comfort and was willing to spend money on my ability to get my work done effectively.

The Conversations

I have shared this brief story with my coworkers and they all have similar anecdotes. They have mouses, laptop stands, and extra computer docks. Our office administrator has an ergonomic work station with the a nice mouse and keyboard.

Realizations

My cubicle neighbor explained to me that the company doesn’t care to see a few hundred dollars spent on their employees to keep them happy and efficient.

I had to reason it out for myself. It makes sense. The company is handling millions of dollars per day. They are constantly working with new contracts and rotating their people. The company, as a whole, does not care to notice a $200 expense.

The Keyboard

So, I use a keyboard every day to handle the data-entry portion of my work. In fact, all of my work is data-entry. I type on a Lenovo Preferred Pro II. It works, but I don’t like it. The keys are squishy, and I frequently mistype. The function keys are out-of-reach and it feels cheap.

I am going to ask for a new keyboard. I expect that when I do, I will be told to go on Amazon and find one that works for me. Well, I have already been doing that in anticipation. But now, I am suffering from analysis paralysis.

Every keyboard has some claim to fame. I have decided that I would like a mechanical keyboard. A cubicle neighbor has leant me his cherry switch test board. I like the cherry mx browns. They are apparently a crowd favorite and come on many boards available online.

Cherry makes keyboards for their switches. The Cherry MX Board 3.0 S is enticing, except for the hideous font.

The Keychron K4 is another contender. I appreciate the board layout, and could see myself enjoying the keyboard. I am concerned that I will not enjoy the Gateron switches though.

Das Keyboard seems like a great brand. Their Prime 13 and Model 4Q are major contenders in my search for a sleek keyboard with the features that I am looking for. The function keys are still far away, but I am sure that this will be an improvement upon my current Lenovo Preferred Pro II.

Kinesis Keyboards

My search ends with the Kinesis Advantage 2. This keyboard has been the choice of the notorious vim-lord: ThePrimeagen. He and Kinesis are partnering to sell the keyboard, at this point. He did upgrade to the Kinesis Advantage 360 last month, but that just tells me that he believes in these products.

Not only does ThePrimeagen use Kinesis’ products, but so does our fun-loving machine-learning nerd: Lex Fridman.

If money was no object, I would buy a Kinesis Keyboard. I wonder if my new company would like to buy me one. There is only one way to find out, and that is to ask.