I have to talk about my job right now...

I have to talk about my job right now and this is likely to be a long post.  But if you are in any way considering moving into the tech space career-wise, then you really might want to read this.

This "conversation" is coming up because of a monthly team call that we had yesterday.  As you might infer, these do happen every month and are usually about an hour long.  They happen via Zoom and EVERYONE in the company is invited.  In these meetings, they go over how the company is doing, what it's goals are, promotions, work anniversaries, "GOAT" awards, shoutouts, etc.  And every time I attend one I leave it feeling SO. FUCKING. GRATEFUL.  Like with legit tears in my eyes.

Last night the call ended up being about 2 hours long.  It happened mid-month because most people are taking off for the holidays - not only because it's our slow time of the year, but because we deserve to be with our families (more on that in a moment).  The owner of the company is ALWAYS on the call and ALWAYS interacts.  He shows that he cares about us and is grateful for our hard work; we are NOT just numbers.  Last night, the number one goal he had for next year was "That you still love working at GlideFast."  Of course it is a business and there were number goals to hit, as well, but the culture comes first.  I'm still in my feelings about it, to be honest.

The meeting went long because they did some background for us.  Showed us where the company was 5 years ago and where it's headed now.  There were TONS of shoutouts and lots of appreciation shown to some people who really earned it.  They even shouted out the GCU managers (who are honestly amazing) and the whole class because we were promoted to Technical Consultants this year.  It makes me feel so welcome and seen and appreciated.  We also learned that our GlideFest adventure next year is in Las Vegas and I am EXCITED about that, holy shit.

I know that people say it's a red flag when companies say they're a family, but we're a family.  I don't care if I sound like I'm drinking the Kool-Aid - it's Kool-Aid I chose and I'm THIRSTY.  I love my company, I love everyone I've met, I love that I'm surrounded by curious, nerdy, hardworking, helpful people.  We don't want to meet expectations - we want to EXCEED them.  And I love that.  I live for that.

When GlideFast says they care about you and want you to be happy, it is sincere.  Besides great pay, 401k and health benefits, we also have Unlimited Paid Time Off.  I've felt guilty for asking for time off, but I have done it.  Listen to what I've been given:  A paid week off at Thanksgiving.  A paid week off when I had COVID.  And I'm getting 2 paid weeks off starting next week - because I asked for it.  That is 4 weeks (a whole MONTH!) of paid time off and I've been with the company since August; a whopping 4 months.

So yeah, I'm in Cincinnati for training for up to 2 more months - away from my family, friends, and pets, but I am well taken care of.  This is 100% worth it and I would choose it and chase it over and over and over again.  When I say my life changed when I got the call that I was hired, I was NOT kidding.  Not even a little.  When I said that this was the holy grail of jobs and I almost threw up when I heard I was hired, that was not a joke.  I'm like, in tears right now.  And every time we have those monthly team meetings I'm reminded of how lucky I am.

Technical Stuff for the Curious:

We work on a platform called ServiceNow.  If you are interested in learning about it there are tons of articles you can read, but you can also dig in and see if it interests you.  I would recommend following this link (https://nowlearning.servicenow.com/lxp?id=search&q=citizen%20developer) and trying out some of the free Citizen Developer courses.  If they interest you, keep going and see how you feel about a bit more advanced content.  I'm happy to answer questions to help steer you on where to go next, or put you in contact with our recruiters.  One of the other things you'd need is to be willing / able to learn a bit about computer programming.  We use JavaScript and there are tons of free tutorials on the web, but I highly recommend following through Chuck Tomasi's series because he shows how it's used on the ServiceNow platform. Link because I love you: https://youtu.be/nK1aPdGyGak

We have a new cohort starting in April, so... do with that what you will.

#LFG

Got to do the light tour this evening...

Got to do the light tour this evening. It was gorgeous out, but gusty.

If you watch the video, be warned that it's loud.

This is probably only interesting to like, myself, but...

This is probably only interesting to like, myself, but here is a "resume" generated by ServiceNow (the platform we use at work) that contains the badges and achievements and certifications I've earned. It reminds me of Xbox achievements and I like it. 😂😂😂

https://nowlearning.servicenow.com/lxp?id=nl_public&user=bluxenethos

I'm going to work!

It's a great day...

It's a great day to be working from home. /sarcasm A water main broke and no one in the apartment complex has water.

Just swabbed my brain again and I'm FINALLY testing negative. I'm going back to the office tomorrow! 😁

I'm not feeling 100% today.

I'm not feeling 100% today. Good thing I'm still working from the apartment.

Waking up early yesterday might have worked too well because I crashed out by 8 pm last night. I'm not usually so easily tired... except for when I have PMS. That tracks since I've been cramping for 2 days and I'm super bloated. My mood is also crappy today. I'm usually pretty chill, but today I'm grumpy and I just want to go home to my family.

I'm still testing positive for COVID so I can't go back to the office yet. The office Holiday Party is tonight and I really wanted to go, but I can't. It's at a museum and they are having some delicious food catered and I miss everyone. I'm bummed. And I just wanted to get that off my chest, I guess.

I hope you all are having a good day. This isn't my best day, but it's far from one of the worst so I'll take it. ❤️

Words I never thought I would say:

Words I never thought I would say:

I miss my routine.

When I had the 'Rona of course I slept a lot and tried to let my body heal. I didn't stick to any routine; I just did whatever made me the most comfortable in the moment.

I felt mostly better last week, but wasn't allowed back in the office (and I'm not mad at that - I think this whole pandemic could have been avoided if more people had taken the "better safe than sorry" approach), but working from here in the apartment was really different for me. Being able to sleep later and still make it to my laptop on time, or skipping showers because I was basically here alone, and eating whatever / whenever I wanted to...

Those things might sound like perks, but I didn't feel so great last week. On top of sleeping like absolute crap all week (which could be a hormonal thing or a post-'Rona thing or a "my schedule is out of whack" thing or a combo of it all...) I felt a bit disoriented. And I wasn't taking as great care of my body as I'd gotten used to doing.

So it's a new week that starts with me still working from home. But I'm awake and showered and am about to do my morning skincare routine and have breakfast. The only thing I am not going to do is put on uncomfortable office clothing. I see no reason to make extra laundry if no one is looking at me.

I feel like this is a personal growth thing for me. I used to detest schedules and being told what to do with my time. I used to revel in staying up late, and hate the morning rush of scrambling to get ready for work on time. Since I've been here in Cincy, though, I easily fell into waking up at 6, taking care of myself, working, and crashing out by 10 pm so I could do it all again. And getting out of whack after being sick made me appreciate that. So yeah, I'm saying it:  I missed my routine.