Change is the only constant.
Feb 18
I seldom, or never blog about work. That is a cardinal rule that one
must uphold. The stupidity of yapping about internal company squables
on a noobies blog are as infinitely stupid as the repercussions they
will have. I’m a little bit older and wiser then that. But one can
sometimes reveal something about ones JOB. About ones profession so to
speak. And it is that which i want to share with you today.
As
some of you know i’m an IT consultant for my dayjob. This means i work
for on different projects, for different clients. Sometimes I work for
six months, or a year on a certain project at a certain client, before
moving on to the next client. Its a very interesting and dynamic
professional-life that I greatly enjoy. With every new assignment , new opportunities and challenges present themselves and one finds new ways
to grow, both in ones career as as a person.
Today was one of
those days again. Many people only have "one first day" at work for
their entire professional life, i have the honor of having "first days"
on a semi regular basis. Change is indeed the only constant in a
consultants life. On a day like today I’m always a little nervous. New
place of work, new people, new faces, impressions and most of the time
a new professional ‘role’ to play. Although I should be used to it by
now, its still a little weird. Take the morning commute for example.
For many of us its a ‘drive to work’ that we can do blindfolded. For me
it’s not. Its a whole new routine. Getting up a little earlier, leaving
home a little earlier. Following the carefully planned route on the
GPS, while looking out for shortcuts or ‘alternative routes’ to make
the trip go as fast as possible. Meanwhile taking in the sights and
sounds of the new world. Passing by new houses, new people. Memorizing
gas stations along the way so you know where to go when in need of
refueling and such.
And once you get at the workplace its
always something new. See a lot of new faces, shaking hands, trying to
remember all the names, taking carefull looks around to get first
impressions and stuff like that. And even in these changes I have a
little mental routine. Something to help me hold on to things I ‘know’.
Silly routines like finding the coffee machine and choosing the right
combination of milk and sugar, and sticking to it for few days. Or
putting up a picture of my wife in the corner of my desk. Little things
that give you and little bit of "things you know" in a world that is so
new.
And with meeting new people, comes saying goodbey to others.
Not always a pleasant thing to do. I had to leave behind some fun
collegues and friends at my previous assignment and thats seldom a fun
thing to do. But experience has taught me that, allthough my world is
new and strange today, it will become "known" to me over time. Change
is truly the only constant.
