My first official day at work as an employee was Monday. At about 1 p.m. I filled out and turned in my tax forms and direct deposit info. Today, payday, there is already a direct deposit in my account covering my first two days of work. That is the fastest turn-around I think I’ve ever experienced from a payroll department. Additionally, it looks like my bank is honoring the $50 credit they offer to new account holders for setting up a direct deposit, despite the fact I opened that account back in March. Sweet!

Direct deposit. I can’t even begin to tell you. Of all the things I have missed for the last year and a half of self employed insanity, direct deposit is the one that stands out the most. And you’d have to be someone who was used to this phenomenon to truly understand how jacked up it is to suddenly not have it. It sounds silly, but not having to plan your budget and time around figuring out when and how to make it to the bank on payday before 1 p.m. or 2 or whatever your bank’s daily cutoff is, can make a 24 to 48-hour difference in when you actually have access to your money. Not to mention the inconvenience of going into a bank–gah!

My father wouldn’t get this because he actually lives in a town where going to the bank and chit-chatting with the tellers is a pleasant experience for him. That element of human contact and all. I would rather feed my money into a machine a dollar at a time than have to wait in a lunch-hour line at a Columbus bank, fill out a deposit slip, produce my ID, etc.

So yeah, the return of direct deposit. This is truly a magnificent day.