Career Satisfaction, part 2

(This post is an addendum to the 5/22 piece entitled Career Satisfaction. )

Four weeks into my new job at Reuters and I am still happy with it. The global atmosphere there is really refreshing. In my group are 9 people. Most of them regularly speak more than one language in the office. Only 3 of us have American accents. One person is from Britain, one from Mexico, one from Argentina, one from Ireland, one from Asia, one from the Caribbean. The rivalry and teasing surrounding the World Cup games these last two weeks has been very amusing!

I am making good progress figuring out what my job is and how to do it. I know that sounds weird, but nobody in the US does what I am supposed to do, so there is no one to teach it to me. The other people who do what I do are all in London, so it was decided that I should go there the week of 7/24 to work with and learn from them. I'm very excited about that, and about the whole trip in general. I will be flying business class and was encouraged to take advantage of the weekends to visit with my good friend Maurene and do some sightseeing. So stay tuned... this blog will become a travel diary very soon, complete with pictures!

When I realized I would be changing jobs this summer, I decided not to go to the Irish Arts Week in the Catskills. For the last two years I've signed up for a week's worth of flute or whistle lessons and basked in the rarified air produced by playing and listening to Irish music from morning til the wee hours of the NEXT morning. Well, Irish Arts Week has arrived. Monday evening I was really depressed thinking of all my Irish music friends up in the pavilion on the hill in East Durham listening to wonderful music, and there I was in my hot kitchen trying out a new vegetarian recipe. After much deliberation, I decided I had to go too, just for the last 2 days if nothing else. I mustered my courage and after only one month's employment, I asked for 2 vacation days. My boss had absolutely no problem with it! As soon as I got off work, I rented a car, packed my bags, and at 6:30 am tomorrow I'll be on my way to East Durham.

So what more could a person ask from a job? Reasonable work and reasonable pay as well as interesting business travel and vacation at the right time! I LOVE THIS JOB!

© 2006, Linda Mason Hood
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