The Big News

I'm sure all of you out there in blogland have been waiting with bated breath to hear what this big, life changing news could be, right?  ...right??  Yeah, sure.  :-P

Welp, here it is...

...drumroll...

...I got a new job!  Yay!  Right?  Yay?  Yay!

It's a great position that gives me a 12% pay raise and a promotion from entry-level to SENIOR writer!  (Skips junior entirely!)  It's at a smaller company, is closer to MOTU's house (though further from mine, so the first couple months of commute might be bleh), and has equivalent benefits.  The people seemed really great when I interviewed...I kept thinking "I could be friends with you outside of work for sure!", which is a very good thing I think.  The overall vibe of the place has everything that I love about TMW, without the "big company trying to act like a small one" feel to it.  That's not an insult to TMW, it's just a fact...the company has gotten bigger than I think any of the original owners ever expected, and it's hard to adjust to that kind of growth especially when it's rapid.  They're trying their best though.

In any case.  I gave my two (well, three actually) weeks yesterday.  It was a lot like breaking up with someone, including the "I swear I can change" bit and the "you'll never find anyone better than me" bit.  My boss handled himself very well though...he's a classy guy, and I'm bummed I won't be working for him much longer.  I've only been working for him for about 2 months, and he had no idea I was even looking for new work (very few people did, hence the secrecy) so this was kind of a blindside for him.  Even so, he didn't get angry or resentful, he just asked what they could have done differently and if I'd consider a counteroffer.  I was really really impressed with him (don't worry, I'll make sure his manager knows that).

On that note, I'm starting a new crusade.  You know how easy it is to tell someone when they're doing stuff wrong, but how hard it is to remember to tell them when they're doing stuff right?  My crusade is that whenever you're thinking something positive about someone, TELL THEM.  Maybe it's awkward to say it to their face, but find a way to make it work...maybe in an email, or maybe in an email to their boss.  One way or another, don't let the good vibes go unheard.  I found, in talking with my boss yesterday, that realistically speaking I might have considered working harder to keep this position if I'd heard just a few more words of perspective.  I would have taken criticism, but the fact is (it turns out) that no one said anything because I was doing everything *right*!  This is my first job as a tech writer, and one of my first jobs out of college...I had no idea if I was doing things right or wrong.  An email saying "hey, I saw what you did here...looks awesome!" would have gone SO far!  I was utterly dreading my performance review last year because I had no idea what would be on it...I was SHOCKED when it turned out to be entirely positive!  I thought the awkward silence meant I was doing all kinds of bad things but no one was confrontational enough to tell me...little did I know!

SO!  If you think someone rocks socks, TELL THEM NOW!  You never know what the other person's perspective of themselves and their work is, but a compliment can rarely hurt!