…sometimes when it looks easy it’s not necessarily as easy as it looks :-)
It’s been two months since I started the new job at the State Library of NSW (SLNSW). It’s fab; it feels like the right move. I say this despite a week which was both my best and worst…I managed to be half an hour late for a major quarterly meeting. The meeting invites were sent out prior to my joining the library and everyone had assumed I knew about it as it was so major. Consequently I spent the morning upset and on the verge of tears. Yet, it was resolved amicably with apologies all round; I went home feeling at ease. So too, I’m starting to get to grips with the systems I’m responsible for, big and complex beasties that they are. I was actually able to engage in meaningful conversations around them. My command of the detail is small but I’m developing a sense of the bigger picture.
Having a new person on team is hard all round and it’s the same in any new job; I’d forgotten that at Gale it took me several months to get on to major internal distribution lists. It took a year, or longer to feel at home, to adjust to the new workplace. At SLNSW, I tried to cram it into 6 weeks – I went hard knowing that at least I had two weeks holiday lined up in WA for weeks 7 and 8. I almost didn’t make it. Post holiday, I need to be a bit more realistic. The job change was sudden: finishing at Gale on the Friday, starting at SLNSW on the Monday. The new folk have been supportive; keen to ensure that they don’t push me too hard, providing a set of professional training wheels.
This week, post holiday, I’ve been missing the old team a lot. After 7 years together we had each other’s measure, we all knew our strengths and weaknesses – a family of sorts. With the new team, most of them don’t know my history and I don’t know their histories. Almost a sense of starting from scratch. The job itself is full of new, whereas I had mastered the old job down to the level of instinct – I could look at an issue and know, before I could the frame words, what the problem was. 6 weeks into the new job, I don’t have 7 years of history to rely on.
For the first time in years, I’m flying by the seat of my pants. Scary and exhilarating, which is as it should be.
snail 
I think you are brave. You’ve described it all so well! I know I will need to move on from MPOW in the next few years, and the thought fills me with dread exactly because of the changes you describe. Are you coming to LIANZA still?
Like Penny said, very brave… and exciting. We just found out that Wayne’s job is being relocated to Sydney which makes you question lots of things. In the end we decided we love where we live too much to move, and I think we now appreciate that even more. I think I approach my current job differently too, knowing how close we came to deciding to – possibly – leave.
Good luck! And good luck Penny too!
@Penny thanks! Alas I’m not going to make it to LIANZA. Having two weeks off six weeks into a new position is not something I recommend though it was absolutely vital. Consequently I’m trying to focus on new position for now and adjusting to what fits. Not doing LIANZA was a hard call as it’s in Welly, which I love, plus meeting folk like yourself, @robxoda etc. Plus Jenica (from our DailyImage2011) is going to be there too.
@Tony thank ye :-) That sounds like you and Wayne had a lot of soul searching and either way, it would have been a hard but good decision I think. Congrats on working it through.
Good on ya, snail! :)
/hug
great post snail. I started my new job in July too, I probably pushed myself too hard I had a minor meltdown one evening after 12 straight days of work and conference, if I was in my old job I’d be able to handle it.
Yes it’s scary, but very exciting :)
Changing jobs is always hard and living up to expectations, both yours and everyone else’s, is the biggest hurdle.
You’ve survive the first 2 months and you should be rolling with the punches like a pro now.
Hoping I can cope as well with my move.
A refreshingly honest post Snail. Thanks for sharing it. Don’t be too hard on yourself; it will sound cliche, but change is hard. Really hard. I think we underestimate the impact it has on your being. Hang in there; you’ll no doubt be part of the furniture before you know it.
Great post and fantastic photo snail :-)
Scary and exhilarating is a great way to be every now and then. I always think doing something new is a guaranteed win: either you master it and boost your self-confidence or you fail and learn something really valuable. Its sounds like mastery is your future track!