It's Been About a Month....

Since I've started my new, regular full time position (after 1.5 years of contracting), and a Lead in the department remarked the other day that my information intake is now downgraded to "drinking from a fire hose!"   There's nothing like starting a new position:   you feel exuberant, everyone is nice and friendly, and if you're a Supervisor of some sort, they are all really nice.

After that first day or week, you do your best to really learn enough to contribute some intelligent input into projects and meetings.   If you work for kind, encouraging people, they try to encourage you, and that's the kind of folks for whom I'm working.


Studies have shown that most supervisory and executive employees take 6-12 months to get fully functional in their jobs.   Of course, not all of us have such time to learn and adjust, and we do the best we can with the time we have.  Orientation programs can help considerably with "coming up to speed," but in the end, you will need to put extra effort in to catch up, as your success is dependent on the effort you put in on the job.  I have found that the first 6 months of any new job is stressful, as you are spending extra time learning and doing things that will take you a fraction of the time a year from now.   That is normal.  If you're in a new position, try not to stress out for the first few weeks.  In no time, you'll be so comfortable with the new systems and processes that you won't be able to understand why you thought is was so difficult to learn that stuff.

With all that said, I'm enjoying the new learning experience, as it is stretching me in some ways, and I look forward to making positive contributions to my company.