Yesterday was my service anniversary at work. It is one of those milestone days, like my birthday, that always causes me to stop and reflect. I like looking back over the years to see how things have changed because it reminds me that even though I may not see differences from day to day, my life isn't stagnant. At times, it's even flourishing.
Thirteen years ago I was ‘over the moon’ excited about going to work at a Fortune 100 corporation. A friend and I had written a research paper our senior year at college about this company and by the time we were done we knew everything from its founding fathers to its current product line. Both of us wanted to work for a company with such a great reputation for integrity and quality. We both succeeded and started here on the same day. I loved everything about the job, especially the commute (seven minutes if I had to sit through the red light).
I remember I wore suits almost every day. Even when I was told that it wasn’t necessary, that the corporate culture had relaxed into business casual quite a while before, I still wore suits. They made me feel like what I contributed mattered and made me feel more confident than I felt most days.
The first project I was placed on was huge. It was a multi-year, multi-million dollar effort that impacted every other team in our business unit. The coordination, change and communication efforts dwarfed the monstrous software development effort several times over. I remember feeling like I was part of something that really mattered, that some day what we were doing would be called out as significant on the corporation’s timeline of achievements. All I could see was a future of promise and opportunity.
Thirteen years later my workday bears no resemblance to the first one. I’ve had ten different jobs and five salary grade bumps since then. I’ve sat in 13 desks in six buildings in three cities. The friend I started with chose to leave the company last year and even though we never worked together, I miss her. My commute is still great though, just twenty minutes unless the construction crews are out.
I haven’t worn a suit to work in years, not since I led a project that required me to address all our marketing vice presidents every quarter. These days I wear nothing but business casual. Some days, even jeans. I can because I am confident that what I contribute matters. I don’t need my wardrobe to hold me up anymore. And that huge first project I was on? The software we developed is already considered legacy and is being replaced by another multi-year, multi-million dollar development effort. The circle of life in technology.
The role I play now is called significant. It impacts and integrates with every other team in our business unit and throughout many others in the enterprise. The coordination, change, communication, negotiation and conflict resolution skills I have had to acquire dwarf several times over what few software development skills I had at one time. I enjoy being part of something that leaders in the company feel brings value.
It's been a long thirteen years that have gone by in an instant. If you asked me where I will be thirteen years from now, I couldn't say. I do know that the future still holds promise and opportunity. How it unfolds is yet to be seen.
attitude, ;)
;)
;)
