My apologies for my distance. I'm now in week three of my new job - which I'm hoping will be my last new job for a while - and things remain unsteady. I am still not sure what my job is. I know my title is a Senior Brand Analyst - which sounds kind of impressive to me. And to be fair - I do spend most of my day analyzing brands - mostly in the social space. (Note: I still don't get Twitter but I spend the entire day there now. It's a fascinating place - not fascinating enough to join - but good for stalking.) But I'm not sure long term I'm supposed to make a career out of following brands in the digital social sphere - and if I am, then I'm going to need to be able to make some recommendations based on all this observation. But it shows promise and it feels good to know that I'm sitting under the same dark roof as some very talented people.
Here are some general observations on my unnamed surroundings:
1. It is NOT a sweatshop. Some people work early, some work late - the majority are normal people who have a life and a job just like Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda did.
2. People aren't overly friendly. I haven't met anyone yet outside of my cubemate who started a week after me. I can't figure out why - maybe people have their own friends, maybe there are so many people here they don't want to say "are you new?" when i could have been here for three years without them knowing. Hopefully, as I gain more responsibilities, I'll get to a go a meeting or something. I'm employing patience.
3. This is by far the most generous place I've ever worked. You can bring your dog, your kid, your bike - anything - just show up and don't bother everyone around you. There's free breakfast food available all day. They'll pick you up in a bus to bring you to work. If you participate, you get a prize. And if you can't get out - they have a couple guys that will run your errands for you. It's nice.
4. Four words: Diet Coke on Tap!
5. Not nearly the ego I was expecting. One notable quote: "This might be the dumbest thing we've ever done. Funny, but totally dumb. But congrats to the production team who got the whole thing for steal!"
So - I think I've found a home. At least I'm more comfortable than I was hocking beer. We'll see in 20 more weeks.
