Much To Tell

there's a lot going on at work and i'm not referring to the actual work. while i wish that was the case and i'm sure it will be soon, the stuff i'm referring to is more on a personal level. i've read enough blogs to know to be careful and cautious when writing about work. so i hope i've done a good job in concealing the type of information that would tie me to the blog. in fact, i never, ever mention to anyone at work that i have a blog as i know the danger in that. the only folks that know about my blog are the adorable one, my sister, my folks, my best friend twin, and the good readers who find this site interesting.

but i need an outlet, if nothing else, for myself, to put the unfolding events into words. i need some kind of record, so that i can go back in a few months, a year, whenever, to determine if my gut served me well. concern numero uno is our new person. when we first heard about her, at our team-building lunch last month, a bunch of red flags went up. mostly because my supervisor was announcing her like she was the second coming of christ. no joke. which had i been in my work twin's place, i would have been steaming mad, because my work twin was selected over suzy q (my nickname for the new girl) and here's my supervisor literally gushing about suzy's greatness.

we've been told that suzy is bright because she attended notre dame. and led teams at target. and is only 24. that's been drilled into our brains repeatedly. and there's no doubt she's a freakin' eager beaver. and asks a gazillion questions a day. making my and my work twin's brains hurt. but dollars for donuts, she's got nothing on us. for starters, she has no actual experience with the main requirement of the type of job she's been hired to do. i think, because she was second choice (behind my fab work twin), my supervisor didn't want to throw out the nets again to interview for a new person when the cabbage patch head was promoted out of our group, leaving us one short (note: i was not complaining at that point.).

the problem with suzy q is that she's actively trying to take over my work twin's job, despite not having any idea of how to really do it. and she's trying to horn in on some of my work, which includes a pet project that i have been working on for 1 1/2 years. so why suzy q thinks she can waltz in and take over is beyond me. because i'll tell her, to her face, to nicely and politely to back off. i'm not really shy that way.

so, that's going on with that situation. and while it's allowing me and my work twin to bond, i know there are land mines in aligning, even unobtrusively against another coworker. which is why we don't ever name suzy q. or talk out loud. at most we whisper. or share a grimace. but publicly we are nice, helpful, and behave decently to the interloper. we just don't like her. at all.

sort of coinciding with this internal unrest is another coworker, who i like immensely, but has been the proverbial square peg in the round hole. and while i thought he would remain in our group another six months or even until the end of the year, he told me, privately and secretly, that he has already been selected for a new position in another department. of course, i'm very happy for him. he's been wanting this for a while, and it's a good move for him.

with him leaving, in maybe three weeks or longer, depending on when they transition him to his new position, his old position will be open. the thing is, his position would be a promotion for me. it would be the next step in my career track. i just don't know if they are going to post his job or give his product line to another in our group, as the other people that have the same position all have two (and my supervisor has three, previously four) product lines that they are responsible for.

i probably won't know until the announcement is made if they are going to post the square peg's position. if yes, i will throw my hat in the ring and pursue it with the nature of a bloodhound hot on the trail of prey. and even though i have some doubts about grasping the technical knowledge of the product line, i'm confident that i can learn it and in time, talk about it knowledgeably. but i'm gonna be assertive about the pursuit of this position and not let my fears deter me. and hypothetically, if someone else is selected for the job, then they were the better candidate, and again, i'll wait my turn.

because the thing is, if i go for the position, i'm none too sure that my supervisor, who is tasked with making us promotable (his words to me and the cabbage patch head), will support me if i go for it. the problem being is that my supervisor had my job for six years until he was promoted. and as he's assigned me to the product line previously supported by cabbage patch, his true preference is for me to learn that product line. for like another three years. even though i can't wait to be rid of them. which is another story for another day. probably tomorrow.

i don't want to babysit these people. not for three months. or six months. a year. two years. whatever. i want to, as quickly as possible, be able to shed them like my work clothes at the end of the day. because they are demanding. and difficult. and a lot of work. which of course, my supervisor likes. he thinks this type of challenge will make me a better employee. person. whatever. i want to be free of them. frankly and truly and sincerely.

so it's troubling that i don't trust that my supervisor will support me in my pursuit, if the position is posted. and it's bothersome that he doesn't think i'm ready and that i should be relegated to another three years of indentured servitude. because that's what it feels like.

i do wish i had more time to prepare for my coworker's transition. i was hoping i had half a year, but that's no longer an option. so either i'll go for it with the force of a type 5 hurricane or have to wait until another position is posted.

regardless, it's going to be an interesting couple of months.