A Month In

Well, it's been one month since I started my new job. I approached this whole new job thing with a lot of trepidation. I'd gotten really comfortable in my old job, probably a little too comfortable, so it was difficult to move, or even contemplate switching jobs.

Taking the time to stop and think about it, it has been a good change. There's both good and bad things about the change, as there would be with anything in life, but overall it's been a very positive experience. My new company seems to be quite generous. They definitely have an employee positive policy.

The whole idea of starting a new company also had me a little worried about the impression I would make at the new company. The people there don't know you, and they don't know what type of work you're capable of, so you have to prove yourself all over again. It's that innate fear that somehow you'll make a fool of yourself or just not prove worthy enough to be in that position or make that salary. But as usual that little nagging voice in the back of my head was wrong. I had nothing to worry about. With a month under my belt, I've already proven myself useful a few times over at my new company.

And sometimes it's the things you don't expect to be useful that turn out to make the biggest impression. My second or third day at Blue Coat, I fixed a co-worker's wireless setting on their laptop. Not part of my job description, typically something the IT department would do, but it got everyone talking about me, "yes, the newbie fixed it", and gave me instant credibility as a technical guru.

So what's the moral of the story? Don't overlook the little things you're capable of, they are sometimes much more useful than you give yourself credit for.