Ten for Tuesday

This is actually an older Ten for Tuesday that I saw awhile back on Echo’s site and had put aside in my blog ideas notebook for later use.

I have been kind of thoughtful lately about jobs and work and how other people’s days function. Sometimes I think it’s because I get so content at my job that when I talk to others or visit other offices, it all seems much cooler or nicer or better – as in, if you have a different color of Post-It’s or nicer office furniture or newer computers, I’m probably envious of you, how cool it would be work to there instead of where I’m at. Not to say I don’t love my job but I guess it’s more of a switch up of a routine.

Though I am and will always be envious of you if you get to actually wear jeans to work because I have been trying to find a gig like that for years and thought I had it with a hospital job (hello, scrubs & sneakers!) but since I am not clinical, I am stuck in a “business semi-professional” that I try my damnedest to skirt the line closer towards “business casual” than I probably should.

Without further ado, here’s the Ten for Tuesday about work:

1. What do you do for a living?

I am a Systems Analyst for a Cancer Center – which means it is my sole responsibility to provide technical support & troubleshooting as well as maintain system upgrades, installs and backups for just the employees in this department only (the hospital has an IT department & corporate also has one for problems the hospital one can’t handle – I am essentially here to ease the burden off them because we have so many specialized pieces of equipment and software).  I also do a lot of process improvements and policy writing – i.e. how can we make this process more efficient using the technology that’s available.  My biggest project is going to be taking our paper charts and converting them into electronic medical records and building the processes for how to do that effectively.

2. What’s your favorite thing about your job?

I love the autonomy. For the most part, I am the only one in this department doing my job – I have no one who reports to me and my boss is fairly hands off with regards to my work (mostly because I work better that way – the biggest mistake someone can make is trying to micromanage me).  I can pick my routines daily and work on what I please as long as I make my deadlines.  It’s also fun to be the hero, especially for fixing the littlest things.

I also really enjoy the majority of the people I work with and seeing the help we are providing to the patients.

3. What’s your least favorite thing about your job?

I interact more face to face with end users than I ever have so it can be a difficult to get my work done while literally being pulled away from my desk every ten minutes (I was previously used to a help desk ticket system where I could prioritize my tasks better).  Also, I went from spending my days with four other geeks like myself, very little interaction with the rest of the office to constantly interacting with all 30 people in the department and that can be a bit overwhelming and daunting, especially when the high school cliques and antics crop up (I REALLY hate office politics!).  And sometimes, things can be a bit mundane, especially slow days.  But I don’t take those for granted because I know there will always be awful days.

4. If you weren’t a ____________, what would you be?

Steve and I like to talk about owning our own business that has something to do with our passions and we still go back and forth about having our own four-wheeling park or dragstrip.  That way we could spend days and nights making money off of things we love – and our skills would suit because he can offer mechanical advice and I could market the hell out of it with my web and advertising background.  We actually even thought it would be neat to have our own shop – like custom auto shop or something and I could run the office and marketing and Steve could do the work.  Maybe one of these days!

5. What is something that you would love to get paid for that you think no one would every pay you for?

Write a book.  I used to fancy myself a writer and have tons of stories and poems from when I was all teenage angsty and wanted to get revenge on those who had wronged me (no lie, I wrote a story once about these people who were supposed to be my friends but had really screwed me over – and “my” characters revenge was to drop them off on an island somewhere – I can’t make this shit up, y’all!).  But I am older and there’s not much angst left and all of the good vampire and werewolves and witch crap has been taken and well, I just don’t think anyone would look at what I write and go, “You know, this is awesome! Let’s publish it and pay you millions and then make movies!”  Then again, after reading the crap that is Twilight, I guess I might have a shot!

6. If you could have any job for exactly one day, what would it be?
7. If you had to do manual labor, what would you do?

Nothing that pays me flat rate because that is some bullshit (paid by the job, no work equals no money but it also means you stand around for ten hours a day for nothing – not that I’m speaking from experience or anything but this is our (Steve’s) life).  Nothing outside because I don’t do manual labor and heat.  Probably cleaning houses because there is nothing I excel at more than a hard day’s worth of cleaning (two weeks ago, Steve asked me to help him with his car and after fifteen minutes of trying to unscrew a bolt I gave up and was like, “Can you just give me something to clean?”).

8. What is something you were forced to learn in high school that was supposed to be super important, but you never actually use?

Um, everything!? I don’t use Algebra or any of the Maths.  I also don’t use Science very much.  History, while interesting and understandable as to why you need to know it, is irrelevant to any real world skills.  The closest thing was probably English because it taught me how not to sound like an idiot in business correspondence.  I wish there would have been more technology stuff though by now it would have been obsolete.  But most of what I use now is a combination of logic, writing skills and social skills (because there’s a certain bit of tact you have to deploy after you shown someone how to do something at least five times and they still don’t grasp it).

9. Who was your favorite boss?  Why?

I’ve had three bosses in my professional career and I loved two of them.  Both were from the banks I worked at and I loved them because they were supportive and really fun and very smart and they respected my skills and opinions.  They didn’t micromanage but they held me to my deadlines and taught me responsibility.  They saw my potential and expected the best out of me and pushed me to be the best without being jerks about it.  They were really, really awesome – as a matter of fact, one of the things I miss about my last job is my boss.  Especially in light of the new one – I guess I was just due for a terrible one eventually.  Aren’t we all?

10. Where would you rather work: Dunder Mifflin Paper Company (The Office), Wernham Hogg Paper Company (The Office, UK), or Initech (Office Space)?

I’ve never seen the UK Office and Initech was just everything that you didn’t want to deal with at work.  I do hold a special place in my heart for Dunder Mifflin but if I had to work there, I’d kill myself … or quit, whichever came first.  I think I’m ok working some place where everyone did their job efficiently, didn’t worry about what other people were doing and treated each other like family.  For the most part, I am about 75% there.

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