My Job After Six Months

Once you stop writing it's very hard to start again. That's my excuse for why these entries are taking so long.

Okay, I've been at my new job six months. How's it going?

My Work Yesterday I had to explain my job to some skeptical project managers. I laid the high points out for them in five minutes. They were excited! They saw I could really help them! My manager was there too and he thought it went very well.

So I know what I'm supposed to do! Yay! But how well do I do it?

This is relatively easy to answer since most of my work revolves around the production of a set of goal, planning and tracking documents. In general I produce them successfully using the guidelines I was given although my manager lets me improvise to handle differences. I think I add the most value, however, when I help people work through problems with the project or with other people on the project. My mid-year review still hasn't happened but my own evaluation of my work was "Meets Expectations" and I think my manager will agree.

Is this such a good job that I want to do it forever? It's a good job but at some point I will start looking around in the company at the dozens of opportunities in other areas.

My Company About once a month I learn about some new benefit or matching fund or go to a multicutural or theater performance at lunch time. I think it's a great place, full of opportunities and very good people. The company is centered on the customers first, then the employees.

Yes, it's a big company and there are the inevitable big company issues like many levels of management, tools and processes imposed from the top, etc. On the other hand, because it's a big company (that makes billions a year) there is also training, excellent equipment, support for personal development, a wonderful campus and a real quality ethic.

While there's no ideal workplace that I know of, Law R Us is a great place to work, probably the best place I've worked.

Coffee I'm known to some of the women at the Moose Coffee in my building as "Dry Jay"--their way to remember a dry skim cappucino and my name. I restrict myself to three of those a week unless I can get free ones from the contract program managers who get free Moose cards from their companies as perks. A while ago my manager remarked that my coworker was really busy but I was sitting around drinking coffee--it's become my identity to my coworkers.

Parking Every day I park in the third lot from the front door on it's closest edge to the door or else I forget where the car is. I wandered around a lot for five minutes one day when I parked somewhere in the middle. I haven't come in at 10 a.m. yet so I haven't experienced the dreaded overflow lot.

Campus Sure I get lost sometimes when I need to get to a room, office, or cube I've never been to. Everyone does since the numbering is different depending on the year the floor was remodeled and which side you're on. I actually think I know more about the main building than most people since I always used to roam around after lunch (no time anymore).

It's an interesting place. I like to walk through the basement to meetings on the other side of the building so I can see the media studio and the display of antique cameras. I like to go to "the other" cafeteria where the manufacturing people go so I can listen to the tables full of people conversing loudly in Spanish, Chinese, Hindi and possibly Hmong and Urdu. The walking paths are nice and full of people. The data center is astounding (to geeks).

My State of Mind I was a wreck when I left Widgets because working hard and getting things done was no guarantee that 1) anyone would appreciate what you did and 2) they wouldn't ask you to turn around and redo it for no good business reason. In that atmosphere I had to worry about every project, every rumor, and every scowl from my manager because I didn't know what was going to happen next.

Which brings me to the best thing about my job--when I think about my job I think about how well I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. Period. I usually feel pretty good about that but sometimes I get down on myself if I don't do something thoroughly enough and I fix it and I feel better. Sure there are problems with projects and between groups but they're not my problem. I walk out the door after eight hours and I'm done for the day and I rarely think about work again until the next morning. I take vacation whenever I want and don't check my emails until the night before I go back.

What else? I didn't take the time to review all the other things I've commented on in the past. If you want to hear about anything else, throw in a comment.