The New Job

So, it's been just about three months since I started the new job.  Let me say that I'm so happy to not only be working, but be working at a really great law firm!

On the day I started (November 30, 2009), the firm opened an office in the Silicon Valley.  They're actually GROWING when many law firms are shrinking and laying off attorneys and staff (ahem-remember last May?).  I hit the ground running that day, helping get people set up with computers, phones and anything else that you need on your first day of work.  We were 13 people in a new situation starting a journey together.  It was a challenge and pretty frightening for me, but I couldn't wait.

After being there only two weeks, I was quite surprised when the office manager handed me an envelope with a check in it - a check for a Christmas bonus!  I about fell off my chair!!!  It was a small amount, but still, after only two weeks of work?  I wanted to frame it.

The beginning of January brought a more permanent schedule as the Silicon Valley office settled in:  I was to spend Monday, Wednesday, Friday in San Francisco and Tuesday-Thursday with my new friends in SV.  It was like starting another new job!  I had only spent a few hours in SF over the first 4 weeks, so I walked in like a nervous kid who had just transferred to a new school in the middle of the year.  Luckily, I had met a few of the SF folks so I didn't feel like a total stranger.

And on one of those days in early January, an e-mail came out from one of the higher-up partners in management:  the firm had a good year and they were going to reward the staff with a bonus!  Seriously!!  I was handed another check with a "thank you for all you've done so far" and once again I about fell off my chair.  That was 2 bonuses in about 4 weeks - it confirmed that this was a good firm and I was lucky to have landed there.

So now that I've been there for 3 months, I'm starting to feel like an old pro.  The IT group is really great; I've met (in person) the CIO (Chief Information Officer) and he's a really smart, nice guy; the engineers I've worked with from our DC office are very kind and understanding when I work with them; the 'west coast' IT team has been so wonderul, helping me to figure out what's what and covering my back when I feel like I'm drowning.

The best part is my boss.  I liked him from the first time I met him at my first face-to-face interview.  He's sharp and thinks quickly on his feet; he's totally fair to everyone on the team - if one of us makes a mistake, it's the team's mistake and no one is singled out in public.  He's willing to teach me the stuff that I don't know, even if it means showing me more than once.  And the best part:  he's got a sense of humor and he gets my sense of humor!

The job itself is crazy busy, but after months of not being busy at work, I'm welcomin the challenge.  It's the first time I've felt smart in a really long time.

Of course, there are the things that drive me crazy and the people that get on my nerves.  It's not utopia, but it's also not the Evil Empire.

I'm just tickled to be working and will be glad to do my taxes next year - I'll only have to deal with one W-2!

Until Next Time,

Kel