Don't worry-It's just me.

So, I know that a little bit ago, I said that I would blog more…and well, I didn’t. Sorry. It’s funny how life gets in the way sometime. I’ve actually had a half-drafted blog post saved on my personal computer for a few days now, but haven’t been able to finish it. Had a few different ideas for blog postings, but not enough time to write them.
I’ll try harder, promise.
But, here goes for tonight, more random ramblings from my crazy mind. Please excuse any typos and/or crazy auto-corrects as I am tying this on my iPad.
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To start this off, you’ll need a little background on me. After high school, I decided that I wanted to jump into the workforce while completing my education. I quickly was hired at a start-up, which was great. Allowed for a bit of flexibility to work with my schooling, while still allowing me to sharpen my skills and gain work experience. (this is starting to sound like a bad resume cover letter, isn’t it?) Another great thing about a start-up, was that it allowed me to progress quickly. Started in data entry, bottom of the ladder, then was given an entry-level coordination position. After 6 months, I was promoted to a Coordinator II position, and only a few months after that, was promoted to an Assistant Operations Manager over an entire region. I now had much older people reporting to me, after just turning 19. If you’ve ever worked for a small company or startup, you know that you are often asked to do things that don’t exactly fall under your job description, as I was, when the COO (my boss’ boss at the time) of the company asked me to split my time, and work half as an Asst. Ops. Mngr., but also as a Technical Analyst, given my prior technological training, and the fact that I was studying for my Computer Information Systems degree at the time. I’m still actually doing the Tech Analyst part to this day, but it no longer takes up 50% of my time, more like 15% now. A little over a year ago, I was given the title of Client Engagement Manager, and directly reported to the COO, and was now on the same managerial rung of the ladder as my former boss. Crazy. In just under three years, I’ve gone from data entry, to a cushy management position, with my own office and staff and everything. All this at 21.

Now, to people outside of the company, I may just seem to be just some 21 year old who probably hasn’t accomplished much. And I get why. Given most other companies, or other bosses, or other situations, I know I would not have been so lucky, and would be that 21 year old who was a barely accomplished cube-ite.

Over the past two weeks, we have been interviewing candidates for a few positions at our company. And when I say “few,” I really mean what feels like hundreds. And there are four of us that interview the candidates all at once: the COO, the Director of Compliance and QC, the Director of Operations, and myself. The COO and the Dir. Of Ops are both in their 40s, and the Dir. Of Compliance is 50. And there’s me, the Client Engagement Manager at 21 years old. Initially, the COO was only introducing us to candidates with our names, and our departments, not our titles (aka “Sherry So-and-so, Operations”). After the first few interviews, I asked the COO to introduce us with our full titles, to lend a little validity to me being in the room.

It may have just been a lapse in self-confidence as I was sitting in that conference room, but I felt like the candidates were not taking me and my interview questions as seriously as those asked by the others.

[I’m going to insert this little blurb down here in these brackets, because this side-note is purely ancillary, and has no bearing on how/why the above played out. If you watch Criminal Minds, then you know that all the team members are referred to as Supervisory Special Agent Hotchner, or Prentiss, or Morgan, etc. Only one member is not referred to as an SSA, and that is Dr. Spencer Reid. SSA Gideon insisted when Dr. Reid started with the unit, he be referred to as “Doctor,” not “SSA.” As explained in the pilot, this was done so people would respect him, even though he was young. Even though he is a child prodigy, with an eidetic memory, and multiple PhDs, and I am not anywhere close to being/having any of those things, I feel just like that. Anyway, back to my other blabbering on…]

And it may just be all in my head, or it may just be wishful thinking, but I feel like once she started introducing us with titles, the candidates were answering my questions right alongside with the others’ questions, and that I was viewed as an equal to the others on this side of the conference table. I was no longer the assistant in the corner of the room, taking notes, or the intern on a job-shadow for the day. I was my job, if that makes any sense at all.

I dont know why I was compelled to share this story here, but there’s no going back now. It’s all typed up, ready to go,as soon as I tap on “Create post.”

Just in case you were wondering, none of the candidates made it past the first round, and we are moving on to the next set of resumes. Looks like it’s going to be interviews on my calendar for quite some time.