Rants and Ramblings: random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot.

new kid on the block

Learning the ropes at a new job feels a bit like learning a new dialect. I understand the underlying grammar and structure of the language, but the syntax and usage may be at times drastically different from or deceptively similar to what I learned before. My attempts to “speak” this new language at first feel stilted and incomplete, as the limited vocabulary I’ve learned thus far stifles my ability to articulate the full scope of my understanding of a given issue. With time and experience, the roadblock gradually wears away. But the journey can be frustratingly long.

(It’s sort of like my attempts to learn Italian after having minored in Spanish in college, except the 8-plus hours a day I spend in the office amounts to a full-on immersion course, which drastically increases my chances of eventually becoming fluent.)

I wanted to be able to leap in and make a running start, right out of the gate, but I’m stumbling a bit. I haven’t had a chance yet to really internalize How Things Are Done here to the point where churning out projects quickly and as close to publication-ready as possible on the first try is second-nature.

Right now, I feel frustratingly unproductive, constantly having to ask about site design standards and best practices and how well my work conforms to that. (I’ve also been unforgiveably bad about remembering names. Unless I write it down immediately, I forget someone’s name almost as soon as we’re introduced, and I’m left nodding awkwardly, looking around furtively in case their name is printed somewhere nearby.) I’m paying close attention to everything I’m told to do and asked to correct, and taking detailed notes. I want to learn all this cold, and I want to learn it quickly. It’s disconcerting not to be up to the same level as everyone else; I feel like an intern, but I want to be a player. It’s painfully humbling to be the weakest member of the team.

I hope I round that learning curve soon.