So I didn’t really post anything about my recent business trip to Colorado. I went along with a small group of support staff to facilitate our annual owners meeting. I was primarily acting as technical backup and a photographer. Everything went really well this year, and I ended up getting jazzed up about my work and my future in the company.
Part of that is my involvement in a rather large project at work for which I am the project manager. My department director is going to be project lead and brought me on in an effort to crash train me in project management with the eventual aim that I would become a full time project manager with the company. Needless to say this is a good thing for me. I’ll be pulling away from IT, which is both a good and bad thing, but mostly good. IT has been pretty boring for me for a while, and I haven’t had the free time or inclination to delve into new technologies that are interesting, but have nothing to do with my job. I could seek out other jobs to work on them, but I just don’t think it’s worth it. I’d rather invest in skill sets that will allow me to work in any large enterprise company regardless of product.
Of course, project managers can be disposable in many companies, and I’m well aware of this, but at the same time, I know a couple of project manager consultants who maintain a few different clients and do very well. Also, general management experience can’t hurt.
Kelli has also been called on to manage a project in her department, but with the aim of preparing her for her bosses job a year or so down the road. If she gets that job, I can’t see her ever becoming a full time teacher, as many college professors wouldn’t bring in a comparable salary. But such is life. I was going to be a philosophy major.
At any rate, as much as I don’t want it to, work will be eating up more of my free time. But it’s okay as it’s interesting work which promises nice rewards. It may end up that I have to spend a little less time doing the martial arts thing though, which could be a bummer. We’ll see how it works out.