Background Bit I
I work for a big consulting firm. Working for a consulting firm is a bit different to working for a non consulting firm. When you work for consulting firms you work on projects and you work on these projects at the client. Starting a new project is a bit like starting a new job. New work, new faces, new location, etc
Background Bit II
I used to work for the consulting firm I know work for. In fact I started working for them in '97 in South Africa which now seems ages ago. In September of 2000 I joined a firm (venture if you will) spun off from the consulting firm (but still largely owned by the firm). Shortly after joining this venture, the bottom fell out of the bubble and our clients ran out of money. The economy went to shit. At the end of last year the parent firm, the firm I used to work for and the firm I now work for, reabsorbed my company.
Tomorrow I start on a new project. For a new client. With people I have do not know. Doing work I think I will be really good at.
I'm shitting bricks. Large construction bricks. I feel like the bit in 8 mile where Eminem is throwing up before his big shot. Unfortunately I don't get to screw Brittany Murphy. I just get to throw up.
You see the thing is this. Because the market went up that creek missing that paddle, I ended having to work on roles that weren't quite the roles I wanted and that didn't quite give me the chance to advance. I was doing work that was often below my level because we needed to take what work we could get. I was also on the bench (unassigned / not on a project) for a significant period of time.
During this unassigned period, I redid my website. I learnt a lot about development and got even more involved in the web. During this period I realised I wanted to be involved in web centric work. I learnt that I have a deep understanding of the web. I know the web. The web is me. During this time I starting reading more and more sites like The Daily Report and Dive Into Mark and everything they linked too. I picked up a lot of knowledge and interest.
Now here is the crunch. The work I am starting on tomorrow is advising on a major (and I mean fuck of big) companies website with a view to increasing revenue. This is work when my confidence is high I would say undoubtedly that I will be fucking good at. At the moment I hope I wont be shit at it. I hope that I will be able to do what I think, but don't know I have the skills for.
I haven't done this kind of work before. I do not have direct experience in this. I have the experience I have from my website (and designing a few others) and I have 7 years of working for a consulting firm. The last 4 years for me have hardly been growth years (damn that economy).
Do I really have what it takes? Can I pull this together? Am I smart enough to handle this? Can I get it right? I'm nervous like you would not believe.
Tomorrow is the start of a sink or swim period of my life.
Tomorrow I find out if I am a failure or not.
1. Gordon
You’ll be fine I’m sure. Just take some deep breaths, don’t rush and remember - YOU KNOW HOW TO DO THIS.
2. melly
Don’t psych yourself out before you even get in there to give it a shot. I think you’ll end up surprising yourself. You’re very smart, Adrian. Now, shut up and kick some (you know it) ass.
I seriously didn’t mean for ass to come up again. It just did. So it must be fate. Either that, or I really am obsessed.
3. Chicken
I think you are going to do a great job. Mell is right. Keep a level head and a modicum of confidence and it will be fine. You’ll be a swimmer - just give yourself a chance to get used to the water.
4. Daisy
YOU WILL BE FINE! Go and enjoy it.
5. Steve
Blag it.
6. Dragon
You’ll have no problems. Good luck!
7. Lori
Dude, you can so do this! Seriously. (Damn, I’ve been watching too many movies.)
You are a very capable person and I’m sure you’ll be fine. You know all that great advice you gave me when I got that job offer? Shall I email it back to you so you can see what a great guy you are? If I can think positively, it should be a doddle for you.
Good luck hug
8. Loki
Mate, no worries what’s the betting that the rest of the team including the client (!) feel about the same. It’s like bungee jumping, you know you’ll love it and that it ain’t going to kill you but it wouldn’t be any fun if it didn’t scare you a bit!
9. Andy
Good luck rabbit.
10. Shelagh
Did you find out yet that you’ll be fine? :)
11. zed
why put yourself down before you’ve even started ? i’m sure this will be a breeze - just put your head down and concentrate. good luck.
12. Myra
Adrian,
Get off it. You are fucking brilliant. And you know it, too.
13. Destructor
Don´t listen to them, Adrian!
How you perform at your new job won´t make a difference in the long run. No-one will remember us, humanity is doomed, everyone will betray you, love is hollow, things never turn out the way you want them to, our little lives don´t count at all.
d
14. razorhead
Just remember that it’s everyone else who is the moron. Works for me, though I need to work on my interpersonal skills.
15. shift+e
Don’t be such a big girls blouse - you know you are THAT good - and I’d be willing to help if needed - just think of everyone as if they where walking around in their underwear [except the really good looking ones - they can go naked] it makes things easier, just try not to laugh out loud to much
16. Ron
Take a dump. Go in drunk. Offend everyone. Use big hand gestures to make even the smallest of points. Make wild claims about being better than everyone at everything. Declare war on the head of the firm. Remind everyone how good looking you are. Then look for new job.
17. Lori
So… how’d it go?
18. Francesca
Have faith, dude :) It all works out in the end.
19. Adrian
Well thanks all for you help, advice, support and insults. Things went pretty well yesterday up until I tweaked a registry setting and screwed up my work email.
Aside from that things are going OK and I am getting into things pretty well. The next few weeks should be pretty intense and this is only just beginning. But the start wasn’t terrible and I seem to know what I am talking about. Let’s hope things stay this way.
20. Stuart
Damn, I arrived too late to illustrate my damning doubts in your abilities and too far after the event to pronounce, in my own opinion, your likelihood of success being so tiny as to need tweezers to pick it up and examine it.
Ah well.
;-)
Glad it went okay dude.
21. Adrian
Well things seem to be going ok, just got this from my manager
Thanks for all your input today. I think you did very well and quickly established yourself as very credible for both the ACN team and the [vendor] team
22. Stace
Welcome to the deep end of management. Shit the bricks with razorblades and you’ll have an idea of working on a Nedcor project. Avoid the politics. Add value Treat people like people not resources and you’ll be a leader! So go lead.