A Different Kind of Busy

So for some reasons the planets aligned and a couple friends of mine got new jobs right around the same time I did. Oddly enough their old jobs were in agencies doing interactive work as well. Ben and I were in our old positions a while - 6.5 and 8 years, respectively, so we were problably due for a move. Myles had a pretty good gig for a couple years and just happened upon a good situation for him.

The net of all these moves is pretty much the same. We are all getting away from the emotionally draining business of agency work and moving to areas which best suit our capabilities. I run a group responsible for database work in financial systems, which matches my pre-agency work history. Ben is focusing on some pretty cool social networking stuff in flash. Myles is going to be reworking the foundation of a web-based business application for a company that does something really cool in the medical field, but in all honesty I really don't understand it - which is pretty much exactly how my wife feels when I get home and start talking about investment accounting.

When you first leave agency life it's hard not to smile a little when someone says your new company is "a dynamic workplace with constantly changing priorities." Corporate America's got nothing on agencies when it comes to the brutality of true chaos. No planning. No organization. No proper product spec. Nothing of the kind exists in the world of Interactive Media. Like I have said previously, you're job is to just figure out how to get things done in a place where the company mantra is that it's better to beg forgiveness than ask permission - and easier to do it if you're easy on the eyes, which is why so many attractive women work in the ad business. :)

So what of our new homes? Well we're busy. Very busy. I can see why they insisted on making it clear to me during the hiring process that they lived in constant chaos and turmoil. The truth of the matter, however, is somewhat different. The work is draining, for sure. But its mentally draining as opposed to emotionally draining. The problems we solve are bigger. They require more overall thought with regards to their internal workings and their ramifications. The data I deal with is legacy in a lot of ways so there is history to consider as well. Ben has to consider compatibility and different API support. Myles has to deal with code written by developers 750 miles away in Florida. All of us have "big picture" concerns that didn’t exist for us a couple months ago.

All of this is a big change for us. Our old jobs were usually small from a technical standpoint but high in level of detail. We are used to gigantic stress parties about seemingly irrelevant details. My first meeting at my old company was a heated 90 minute affair with 6 people discussing whether or not to use "family" or "families" on the company Christmas card. The slightest pixel shift between page loads on a website would bring the release process to a screeching halt. Everything mattered. That’s why people paid so much for the work we did.

Oh, and by the way. The client has advertising dropping in the morning so she needs it by End of Day.

Emotionally draining.

So we are adapting. We all seem much happier. At least more jazzed about what we do which is a good place to be. Solving larger or at least deeper problems makes for a greater feeling of accomplishment on the ride home. We're tired, but a different kind of tired. A better kind of tired.

At least for now ;)