In the last year and eight months I've been feeling my way through a PA position; managing daily tasks, leading training calls and on-site trainings, providing go-live support, and wondering where I would end up next. In the beginning I was short on work, since we didn't have as many sales in my region as the other regions had. Therefore, I missed out on many learning opportunities that I watched my co-workers plunge through. I've been sitting here, with new feelings of discontent, saddened at watching colleagues move up the ladder and successfully lead calls as they begin managing their own projects...while I sit and wait for a new assignment. I had to ask my manager two times before he gave me my own client projects to manage.
D says to look inside myself and see if I am perhaps one of the reasons I wasn't assigned my own projects earlier on. Do I appear not ready? Do I exhibit characteristics of someone less motivated or less focused? Am I too lackadaisical in my daily work? I'm emotional; this I know. Take the emotion out of your work, I've been told. Fine, take it out of the "climbing the ladder" mindset, but take it out of my work? No...I'm not down with that. I'm passionate about helping my clients succeed, but definitely get stressed when things don't right, or go as planned. How do I not take things personally when they go awry or when clients get upset? It's the way I know best.
I know I'm being groomed for a PM position, as most of us are, but it's a tough road getting there. Traveling across 1-3 hour time changes, 9-12 hours driving/flying/driving to and from client sites (trying to work while on the plane, internet or not), late nights working in the hotel room, early mornings skipping the gym in order to prep for the 10-hour work day; it's exhausting and I'm feeling a bit burnt out from the 60-hour work weeks.
Lucky for me, Montreal is in 1.5 days for the long Thanksgiving weekend! We are two couples, good friends, driving up early Thursday morning and staying through Sunday afternoon. So excited! We're going to test out the bixi bikes, take in some art/theatre/opera/jazz, hopefully see some historical parts of the city, and eat some crazy yummy food (bagels and poutine!)...mmm, mmm, yes. This weekend shall revive me! (Or at least I'm hoping I can go more than one full day and NOT think about work...*fingers crossed*).
Buenas noches, mundo...hasta la proxima.
