I think I like my job

[cjsmith]

This place is fun. Busy, stressful, but fun. Yesterday afternoon somebody started crankin' the tunes; the office is tiny, so we share. :-) Today it's quiet. It's random. Thursdays we have a "happy hour", with the odd result that this is the only company in my career to hand me a margarita at my job interview.

I had a scheduling meeting about my first teeny Flash project this morning. Of course there were surprises. What's needed changes so fast! The VPE listed what I had to have for part one. I said "Oh, all THAT stuff's already done." That felt good. Part two will also be smaller than I'd been thinking.

Tomorrow I phone screen yet another QA candidate. I am, to my sudden bemusement, the "hiring manager" for this. If they make me really manage, my head may asplode, but I think all I have to do is hire and then guide/check-up-on.

Tonight I will go home, NOT take my work home with me because I'm NOT behind schedule, and GOOF OFF. Wow.

Comments

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

Yay! Sounds great!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I feel like I'm emerging from winter into spring or something! I suppose the first few weeks with any place are a honeymoon period, so I'm trying not to get TOO infatuated. :-)

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

When I first started at $FormerEmployer in '94, we had beer (well, I didn't partake of the beer just because I don't like the taste) and ice cream every Friday at 4pm. And a "staff lunch" every week until almost the time I took my layoff. Some companies may think that sort of thing doesn't mean much, but it can.

If they make me really manage, my head may asplode

*offers help if sought* :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

The happy hour is something I've seen before, but inviting a random interviewee to partake was a special touch! :-) I agree that that sort of thing can mean a lot. It doesn't cover for a fundamentally unhappy team, but it can add to an okay level of morale.

I'm looking forward to these Thursday gatherings so I can get to know my coworkers! I'm still shaky on a few names.

Thanks for the offer of help. Here's hoping I don't need it. :-)

[wooddragon.livejournal.com]

The fact that you like it already is a good sign to me. More'n I can say for any of my jobs that early...

[eichin.livejournal.com]

we do in-office lunch tuesdays and thursdays (rotating who picks and orders, company always pays); another nearby startup has ice cream friday afternoon. I think this kind of thing (eating together) falls under "startup best practices", because of the bonding aspects :-)

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

Sounds good. Sorry I can't submit for Q/A, too long of a commute. (Although it would be fun to work with CJ).

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I bet there's a lot to that. In a slightly larger company I would often go to lunch with my team members, but here, we're all teams of one. :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Really? I'm usually the starry-eyed one, liking my jobs early and then finding out what's what later on. Have you started out disliking (or neutral about) a job and later grown to like it?

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's a bit of a bummer, that commute!

[wooddragon.livejournal.com]

If I'm not familiar, I'm more uncomfortable, and therefore, it's harder to 'like.' However, I will say that I started journaling about my last job really early, and it wasn't good. Beckman just took me a little while to get used to.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I too have a bit of discomfort with the unfamiliar, showing up particularly with this job because it's so unlike what I've done recently. I'm very fortunate that other factors are outweighing that.

I'm shaking my head over the awfulness of that last job. Even your initial impressions, if I remember right, weren't "new and different and awkward" but "ohh, this looks Bad".

[wooddragon.livejournal.com]

Yep, I could see from almost Day 1 (but not the two interviews, although there were a few warning signs that I glossed over) that I was screwed...

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Ugh. *shiver* There but for the grace of God go most of us at one time or another. I guess we just have to get out of the bad ones as quickly as practical and hold on to the good ones as best we can.