Starting Anew
The Friday before last, I accepted a new job as an instructional designer. While the interview left me guessing, the structured environment that they offered did not, so I accepted the offer and started Wednesday. My rationale is that Mondays are usually hectic, and it's best to give the new boss time to get a game plan together.
After the last job, where my coworkers in my immediate office rarely talked to me (only if they needed something, it seemed), the experience there left me very gun-shy on what to expect at a new job. However, it seems that I've landed in an environment that is a complete 180 of where I was. There is a project management timeline, there is an established protocol for how we develop content and there are defined roles for each member of the team. It seems my boss really likes some qualities I bring to the table, as they balance out with hers. This is good.
I came to find that my strategy for building knowledge about what I need to know about the client is not typical, and resulted in my boss sharing some very complimentary worlds at the end of the day Friday. What, people don't go onto their client university's website and pore over all the content they put there for prospective students? To me, it is simple-learn what they consider important to know, so that I can have a better partnership with the instructors I work with.
In the interviews, I was told that there may be travel. The first meeting I had with a client, I found out that yes, there will be travel, and for this program, it sounds like it will be all mine. (My team will get two more instructional designers, but they haven't been hired yet.). I haven't traveled for work in ten years, it will be nice, and because I'll be with the same school for a while, it means repeated trips to the same area. Bonus is that it's one place I've been through, but never in.
The workspace is a cube farm, and I hit it nicely with mine-they are all Disney freaks. However, the geeks and nerds are everywhere, and I'm finding common ground with just about everyone I've met. Probably the funniest thing is that my shoes have a reputation-a few others were looking to see what I had on Friday (the Alegria owl shoes). I run out of different Allegrias on Tuesday, and then the jig will be up on my 'cool shoes' title.
It will probably take a while to relax, after the time in the toxic environment I left, but so far, so good.
After the last job, where my coworkers in my immediate office rarely talked to me (only if they needed something, it seemed), the experience there left me very gun-shy on what to expect at a new job. However, it seems that I've landed in an environment that is a complete 180 of where I was. There is a project management timeline, there is an established protocol for how we develop content and there are defined roles for each member of the team. It seems my boss really likes some qualities I bring to the table, as they balance out with hers. This is good.
I came to find that my strategy for building knowledge about what I need to know about the client is not typical, and resulted in my boss sharing some very complimentary worlds at the end of the day Friday. What, people don't go onto their client university's website and pore over all the content they put there for prospective students? To me, it is simple-learn what they consider important to know, so that I can have a better partnership with the instructors I work with.
In the interviews, I was told that there may be travel. The first meeting I had with a client, I found out that yes, there will be travel, and for this program, it sounds like it will be all mine. (My team will get two more instructional designers, but they haven't been hired yet.). I haven't traveled for work in ten years, it will be nice, and because I'll be with the same school for a while, it means repeated trips to the same area. Bonus is that it's one place I've been through, but never in.
The workspace is a cube farm, and I hit it nicely with mine-they are all Disney freaks. However, the geeks and nerds are everywhere, and I'm finding common ground with just about everyone I've met. Probably the funniest thing is that my shoes have a reputation-a few others were looking to see what I had on Friday (the Alegria owl shoes). I run out of different Allegrias on Tuesday, and then the jig will be up on my 'cool shoes' title.
It will probably take a while to relax, after the time in the toxic environment I left, but so far, so good.
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