Quote #13: It Is Better To Believe

Some of you may know that I've recently spent 2 weeks in Rio working on a project. Now, in my field, you don't often find yourself among other women and it's almost unheard of to work in a group that contains only women, but during my first week, this was my reality. Myself, our client technical lead and two of the engineers in Rio spent our first week finalising items for our project and tying up loose ends in preparation for the plant go-live. It was such a privilege to work almost exclusively with a group of ladies for the first week and it coincided with me reading a very interesting book on women's confidence (The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman). 

I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons, but the main reason is that it has made me aware of differences between the way that men and women approach their jobs. I think the most important thing that it's made me aware of is that, women on the whole are much more risk averse and much less willing to jump into something that they have minimal skill/exposure/experience in. In other words, us ladies will only jump into the deep end when we've learnt how float and then how to swim, when we've learnt all the different swimming strokes and when we're sure that we need to be swimming free-style and not butterfly. On the opposite end of the scale, men on the whole are much more likely to jump into the deep end without any idea of how to swim, they'll somehow learn doggy paddle in order to keep their heads above water and then they'll improvise their style until they're swimming free-style with everyone else. 

At this stage of my career and for so many other young, professional women out there, I think it's really important to know that often, in order to move to the next position, we don't need to know exactly how to do the job. Instead we need to be willing to jump into the deep end without knowing how to swim. We need to remember that we're not the only ones in the pool/dam/sea and that there are people and things out there that will help us to swim as we go along. 

If you're interested in reading the Confidence Code, click here (it's worth the read, I promise!)

Finally, I hope that for the ladies out there who are wondering whether they're ready for that next role, this has inspired you to just go for it and dive into the deep end. And for the gents out there who are reading this - please keep in mind that you may need to give some extra encouragement to your girlfriends, wives, female friends or female colleagues to jump into that next role even though they don't feel quite ready for it.

The Reality of Work Travel

Reflection of cars in the building across from my hotel.
I thought this pertinent since we had a +- 1 hour commute from out hotel to the pant every day.
And the same on our way back.

So, you've been working for a while and you find out that you're going to need to do some travelling for work. You find out you're going to an awesome location and start getting exited, imagining sunning yourself on the beach after work or walking along snow-brushed cobblestone streets admiring the architecture and having time to sightsee. Your friends are all jealous and wish that they could come along in your suitcase to have fun with you.

This, my friends is a myth, reserved for holiday travel and is very definitely not what work travel is all about. I've been incredibly lucky to travel to some amazing places in the last little while for work and so I thought I'd share my experiences of what work travel is really all about - it's fun as long as your expectations are not the same as that of holiday travel!

• The probability of early mornings and late nights is high, especially if you're not the only one staying at the hotel.

• You're going to spend 70-90% of your time inside. Most likely the same office.

• You're going to spend 60-80% of your time in that same office, with the same people.

• You're going to eat a lot of restaurant food, which is delicious, but you will grow to miss a simple home-cooked meal.

• If you have people hosting you, they'll be able to advise you on some typical meals and drinks of the area - so you'll get to taste the "real" food of the place that you're visiting and not some tourist equivalent.

• If you're lucky, you will be able to squeeze in some sight-seeing between travelling to and from the office - an hour here and there to catch the main tourist attractions of the area, squished in between leaving the office and going out to dinner. 

• Most of your touristy photos will be from those squeezed-in-sightseeing-tours.

• If you're an introvert like me, you're going to get home and go into hibernation-mode and not want to socialise with anyone other than the people you live with for a few days.

• If you're working in a place that doesn't speak your language, you'll be excited to get back home to hear people speaking in your home language(s).

• You're going to, most probably, get to interact and chat with colleagues/clients that you've talked to over the phone a lot - so you will finally be able to put a face to a voice and name!

• Most of your pictures with colleagues will show you either in the office working, or at a restaurant eating.

• You'll get a chance to build relationships, make new friends and get to know people outside the office. It will be fun, just a different type of fun to holiday fun!

This is me, on the only completely sunny day we had in Rio.
Luckily, it also happened to be a Saturday - so this is me,
doing some fun touristy things in Rio.

What Do I Do? Project and Software Job

This time one year ago, I was still coming to terms with living a life where I didn't freak out every time my phone rang, worked normal hours and no longer worked in a factory. I had just moved back to Cape Town and almost 2 years of long distance for Frosty and I had just come to an end. 

I was just into my second month of my first job that my dad asked me what I did for my new company and at that stage I didn't really know, so I wrote a post on what I did at my factory job. Since I've just completed my first year with my current company, I thought that now would be the ideal time to share what my current job entails.

I am now a project engineer (well, that's what I call myself) and part of a project team with a few other members, which means that I get to deal with clients and develop software for them that will suit their particular operations requirements. In order to give you a vague idea of the industry I'm involved in, we develop software, mainly for factory environments, that replaces paper based record keeping with computer-based record keeping. The software helps to facilitate shift handovers, allows users to generate reports for those handovers and reports for other relevant operations information relevant to everyone from CEO level down to plant operator level.

On a day-to-day basis you will find me involved in some or all of the following:

• Keeping track of our project plan and status and other project management activities.
• In meetings (most of them calls) talking to our clients trying to understand their requirements for a certain piece of work.
• Configuring our "base" software to fit in with needs specific to our clients.
• Designing reports as specified by our clients.
• On Google, trying to figure out SQL queries*, python** syntax or some other thing related to coding that I still have to learn about.
• Sending e-mails responding to queries,  following up on requested information and generally "adminny" stuff.
• Organising monthly staff socials (the fun part of my job).
• Deploying bug or client fixes to client servers in order to make sure that their software is running smoothly.
• Putting together test plans, to make sure that our software works as specified.
• Every now and then, I also have the opportunity to travel, such as when I went to Italy for work (you can read about it here and here, and for the more "travel-like" posts on italy here, here and here).

I have to say that I really am enjoying my current job a lot more than my old job. I miss working with code that let me see a physical change in the factory (i.e. making a small change to a line of code could stop a tank from overfilling and overflowing). But getting to work normal hours, have weekends and be close to Frosty mean that I'm much happier overall, so it has definitely been a worthwhile change! Plus, I still get to be involved with factories without having to worry about the day-to-day issues that are involved with running a factory!

* SQL is a programming language that allows you to get a lot of information out of a database quickly

** python is a programming language, and the main language that my company uses.

Collaboratory Tools - Working Remotely

My job involves quite a lot of interacting with people across multiple cities in multiple continents in multiple time-zones. This is really exciting, but it also means that sometimes traditional working tools just don't make the cut. Microsoft Word is great...until you're e-mailing the same document back and forth multiple times per day with multiple edits, trying to keep track of who changed what. So here's some suggestions on useful tools, websites and cloud-based applications that I use in order to ensure project success.

• World Time Buddy - great for figuring out time-zone differences in order to schedule meetings at times that are appropriate for everyone (or almost everyone).

• Smartsheet - think of project planning tools and you will most probably think of something clunky and difficult to use. Smartsheet is the complete opposite - easy to use and the ability to share it with colleagues anywhere. The plan is stored in one place, but can be edited (or just viewed) by multiple people at one time.

• Google Docs - again, this is really useful for ensuring that there is only one copy of something, but with the ability for multiple editors (and/or viewers). The Google equivalent of MS Word and MS Excel.

• Skype - great for clarifying something with a quick skype message or skype call. And if you have a good enough internet connection, it's lovely to be able to see the person you're talking to's face.

• MS Lync - similar to Skype, which we have used for many of our meetings.

• KeePass - a password management tool. You can have one file and use it to keep track of all your passwords. Or you can have different files for different "categories" or aspects of your personal or business life, that you need to keep track of.

• Color-Hex - When specifying colours in coding, it's often difficult to know what a colour is, this is where this website comes in handy - it gives you "computer-readable" colour definitions so you can define which colours you want to use while you're programming.

Have you used any of these or do you have any other useful tools to add to this list?

Rewarding People By Not Making Them Managers

My grandfather, Boet, turned 85 at the beginning of this year and we celebrated with a lovely party thrown at my folks' house. 

During his party, we got chatting to how management can be a blessing or a curse, depending on who is doing the managing and whether they're actually qualified for it or not. Back in the day my grandpa was involved in Agriculture and then he ended up working for the South African Embassy in the USA for a while - so he knows a thing or two about bureaucracy and management. 

Anyway, we had a really good chat about this and our biggest point was that all too often we see people who are doing a great job technically, moving into management because that's the only way to grow (and get a bigger paycheck - because let's face it, we all need a bit of money to survive) within a company. Sometimes these appointments work out. Sometimes they don't. When they don't work out, then the whole department or team suffers as a result.  

The question that Boet and I were chatting about was, how do we retain and reward strong technical people without pushing them into a management role if they aren't interested in management? I don't know if there's a hard and fast answer here, you probably need to take it on a case by case basis. Moving into management often means one won't have a chance to use the skills that have been learnt over the years, which is a waste of knowledge and experience. Managing people is also something that needs a particular skill set - often this is something that either comes naturally to a person or it doesn't. Putting someone without those people skills into manager positions often results in unhappy staff and a disconnect in your team. Putting someone with strong technical skills into a position of mentorship, where they can share their hard earned skills with others is probably a better way to go about things. But this will only work if people feel secure in their jobs and are thus confident in sharing their skills with others, with the objective of improving the skills of all parties.

At my current job, we have two different "management" streams within our teams. The first stream is structured around people management, project management, basic technical ability and client interactions. The other stream is structured around in-depth technical know-how, project execution, helping junior developers with technical problems and technical interactions and specifications with clients. Both "managers" are responsible for the success of the team, however their areas of focus are slightly different, allowing the technical people to retain their experience and allow the technical leads to to what they do best and share that knowledge with others.

I think this is a pretty wide topic, with many different points of view. What are your thoughts on this? Any suggestions for things that have and haven't worked for you in the past in terms of rewarding technical ability without the person having to move into a management role?

Family Picture at Boet's 85th birthday - I printed this picture for him on a canvas
as my gift to him :)

Global Collaboration

Remember that time I was lucky enough to go to Italy for work? Well, since then I've been working closely with an multi-disciplinary, multi-company team in order to specify and define the requirements for a project that is going to span different continents and use a combination of our system and a system designed by another company. 

This has required a lot of calls. At any one time, there will be people from at least 2 different continents (and usually more) sitting around our virtual table. English isn't always everyone's first language and while the conference calling facility we've used has been generally reliable, we have sometimes run into problems such as the ones illustrated in the two videos in this post.

There are a few things that I've learnt while being part of this project:

• You need to make sure that everyone is on the same page.
  
• Internet calls allow for some great collaboration (however, sometimes that isn't enough and face-to-face meetings are more productive).
  
• Dial in to your calls at least 5-10 minutes early so that, if you have problems connecting, you can address them before the meeting.
  
• The "mute" buttons are really useful, but don't forget that while you are talking with your colleagues "silently" the meeting is carrying on for everyone else so pay attention to what is being said over the connection.
  
• Keep your language as simple and clear as possible, especially when English is not the mother tongue of some of the attendees.
  
• Screen sharing is useful. But sometimes it's easier to just have everyone open up the document being talked about on their own computers.
  
• A single point to save all working documents is important.
  
• Keeping detailed meeting minutes is, quite probably, the most important activity during your calls.
  
• Using on-line collaboration tools is great and can help make work run smoothly.
  
• Have an idea of what needs to happen next (eg next planning stage, other meetings, important activities) and at the relevant time start confirming that these activities have started and time they will complete.

Meeting Minutes Tips

Manual Meeting Minutes

When you're trying to plan something that involves multiple parties and discussions and follow ups, keeping accurate meeting minutes is probably one of your most important activities. 

I know that most people know this. If you're anything like the me-6-months-ago, you would know and understand why meeting minutes are important, but not really have a good idea of what constitutes good meeting minutes and how to go about managing them. 

Luckily, in the last 6 months, I have been able to observe and learn from a pro meeting-minute taker and project manager (let's call him Minute-Man for the purposes of this post). 

Here are things that I've learnt from Minute-Man:

• Not only are meeting minutes important, but so is communicating the minutes to all relevant parties who couldn't make the meeting (either via a separate call and/or including them on the mail of the meeting minutes).
• Use your minutes to track who is responsible for what - then FOLLOW UP a few days later with a mail.
• When you're not sure where the conversation is going, use phrases like "Sorry guys, I'm battling to follow where we are going with this point." or
  "I'm a bit confused as to what needs to be done here. Are there any specific actions that we need to note down or possible follow up discussions that need to take place?"
• Keeping time is important.
• If you see you are starting to go over the allotted time, check with everyone to see if they can carry on for an extra half hour or so, or if another meeting needs to be scheduled for a later stage.
• Refer to previous minutes to check up on previous actions.
• Before the meeting, have a basic agenda and discussion topics listed down and add notes to them as the meeting progresses.
• Use coloured highlights to note attendance and actions.
• Sometimes you need to have the same meeting with a second group of parties if you need their input on certain aspects of the project.
• Label you minutes in a logical way. For example if you have a weekly update meeting label them something like 01 - Update Meeting 18 Sept. Create a special folder where you keep the Update Meeting minutes.
• Lastly, be cheerful and upbeat (and mean it!) - you can hear it in the persons voice, and when the voice is the only thing you can interact with for a person, it makes a huge difference!
• Use words like DONE and OPEN to note the status of actions as you go through them.

If you are needing a place to start - you can check out an example of meeting minutes below. You can also download my meeting minutes template and use that as a starting point for your own meeting minutes. Happy minuting!

Example Meeting minutes: 02 - Planning Meeting
Meeting Minutes template*: Meeting Minutes Template

* If the page tells you it can't display this document, don't worry, it's because it's saved as a Microsoft Office Template file. Download it, when you open it, it will open as a document that you can then save in doc format and not template format.

Conference Call Reality

Part of my job involves conference calls. And when I say conference calls I don't mean a half hour catch up with my boss who is working from home. I mean 2-4 hour long discussions with people on multiple continents discussing 
requirements and brainstorming useful functionality for clients. 

If you take part in conference calls as a normal part of your working life, I'm sure you'll appreciate this as much as my whole office did when we were shown this clip a few weeks ago!

And, just for fun, another clip on what happens when you're trying to specify something using concepts that people don't fully understand...
The caption reads "Funny business meeting illustrating how hard it is for an engineer to fit into the corporate world!" which is pretty accurate as well.

Oh, The People You'll Meet

I sat in the same row as another engineer on my flights between Joburg and Paris, on my way to and from Italy. And I was reminded that people will always surprise you.

On my way there, I had the most wonderful, interesting conversation with a guy from Zimbabwe, who had studied all over the world and now works in the USA, making aeroplane engines for the A380 aeroplanes (among others). It was wonderful talking to him and we chatted about engineering and the jobs we had been involved in. We chatted about family. We talked about travelling. We discussed Zim and how his views on Zim (as an expat Zimbo). We talked about South Africa. We talked about people, in overseas universities, studying "Africa", without knowing what it's like to actually live here. About our skills shortage in engineers. 

He spoke respectfully and thoughtfully, without giving me the impression that he was trying to be cool or gain one-upmanship. Even when he talked about something that you would perceive to be negative, he did it positively. He engaged both myself and the other guy in our row (who was off to Italy to do training for forklift driving), in conversation and was genuinely interested in what we both had to say. Lastly, he addressed our Air-France hosts and hostesses in their native language! All without show. I have to say, that barely knowing this guy, he has gained my utmost respect.

Sunrise at Charles de Gaulle Airport on the way to Italy

On my way back, another engineer sat in my row. After the normal, "Hey, howzit going...blah blah" some of the next words out of his mouth were, "Wow, I'm so excited to be going home. This place is filthy and gross. I couldn't speak the language, no one could understand me and I can't wait to get out of here."
Wow, strong sentiments to express to someone who you've only just met and a country that you haven't had time to explore. Although, to be fair, he had been staying in a red-light district and didn't get the note that in France, corporate engineers suit up to go to work and don't really do the whole jeans-and-collared-shirt thing. 

We talked a bit more and I found out he's working for a company that builds trains and he did his thesis in microprocessors and sensors for microprocessing. Interesting job and thesis topic, but after one or two more questions from my side, I gave up making conversation. This guy seemed to be only interested in blowing his own horn or complaining about things. And, to be frank, he was annoying me and all I wanted to do was read my book and then try to get some sleep.  

So, two different flights. Two different chats with fellow engineers who were like chalk and cheese. So much for those boxes and labels that we all automatically put people into when we first meet them (and don't lie to yourself, even if you have an open mind, you make a judgement on people before you even talk to them). 

And I was reminded that people will always surprise you.

Italy - Work Highlights

I've been incredibly privileged to have been in Italy this week for work as part of one of the projects I've been working on. I'm here for a few more days, but I thought that I would share some of the highlights that I've experienced so far.

View from the Bridge a 5 minute walk from our hotel

• Coffee in the French airport and talking philosophy with my colleagues (thus experiencing France without having to leave the airport).
• A great walk along the Savona beachfront with my two colleagues.
• Getting to meet, in person, all of the people that I have been talking to over the last two months or so for work.
• Getting educated by Italians on coffee and the many intricacies that go along with it (it's taboo to have cappuccino after about 10am in Italy, as our UK team member found out!).
• The sun staying up until well past 9pm - such a treat coming from the South African winter.
• Mealtimes with Italians are times for eating vast amounts of food (think 6 courses!) and drinking lovely wine.
• Laughing about the stereotypes of the different cultures and sharing a bit of the South African culture with my team members.
• Convincing everyone to come and visit South Africa at some stage.

Our workshop is now finished and I have 2 and a bit days to see a bit more of Italy, so watch this space for some more updates!

Part of the Castle a 5 minute walk from our hotel

Would You Tip Me? How I Was Expected To Serve

Dear Service Industry Workers,

I worked in the Service Industry and learnt so much while I was working there that I've carried it through as a general life skill. And whenever people comment on my work, it's often comments related to service, even though my other fields of work had nothing to do with the service industry.

Maybe my expectations of you are too high. This is why:

So, what would you tip me?

• I was not allowed to be seen with my cell phone in my hands, even if the shop was empty. 
• I greeted people with a smile. Always. No exceptions.
• When 5 people were all calling reception at the same time, my goal was to answer the phone within 30 seconds, even if it meant putting people on hold and getting numbers to call other people back.
• I had to deal with a woman asking me over and over for body wash/ something to clean her body with/something to make her body clean/something to wash her body with. After telling her for the 10th time (in a different way to the 9 previous times that she asked) that we didn't have what she was looking for, she spotted some shampoo and said that that's what she'd been explaining all the time. Something to make her HAIR clean! And you know what, I kept smiling the whole way through, asked if she would also like some conditioner to go with that shampoo and gift-wrapped her entire purchase for her.
• I was expected to know the area and be able to recommend restaurants, fun activities and directions from the highway, even though I was a foreigner, didn't drive and all the activities were WAY out my price range.
• I was expected to be able to recommend treatments offered, even though I had never had any myself.
• I was expected to acknowledge all guests/customers by name if at all possible.
• Managers NEVER told the clients they were wrong and if the client felt wronged in any way, they would go out of their way to make amends. Bad service? I'm terribly sorry, we're had a huge group booking that required all staff to be available at the last minute. Please, have a drink on us while you wait for your reserved table to vacate.

Some of my co-workers and I from the Spa

I will always be thankful for the training I got when I worked in the service industry. Does it make me judge your service? Of course! But I feel your pain when you've got 20 people in line, waiting to be served, the phones are ringing off the hook and you're trying to acknowledge all the people who walk in, answer the telephones, get people into their appointments and still smile. 

If you can do that and still smile at me, the last person in your line, I will commiserate with you. I'll say, "Don't worry. I know what it's like to be in your shoes, you did a great job dealing with that big rush."

Maybe I'll even tip you. If it's appropriate ;)

Click here, here and here for the other posts in this series.

Also, what do you think of Practical Cookie's new look and mascot?

Will I Tip You? Exceptional Service

Dear Service Industry Workers,

Do you want to know why I'll tip you MORE the industry standard?

You probably do some of the following:

• I get greeted with a smile and am made to feel welcome.
• There's not a cell phone in site. You didn't have one in front of you when I walked in, and if a computer is in front of you, it's open to something that looks like work (and not Facebook).
• You approach me and ask me if there is anything you can help me with.
• You think about what I will need and address it before I ask - cold day outside and door wide open: "Can I close the door for you? That breeze looks like it's whipping inside and making you all cold". Glass of water has a few sips left: "Can I get you another drink?".
• You attend to my most absurd requests with a helpful attitude. "I haven't heard of that restaurant down the street, but let me check with someone and see if it's good." "You're looking for a doctor, even though this is a restaurant? Let me call my manager for a recommendation." "You're wanting the greek salad, without tomato or cucumber? No problem. Can I add some dressing on the side?"
• On my 3rd or 4th visit that week, I'm greeted by name and asked if I would like to start off with your usual insert-name-of-favourite-drink-here.
• I leave thinking "Wow, he/she was so helpful. I can't believe the service at that place. I'm definitely recommending it to all of my friends."

If you've missed the other posts in this series, click here and here to see them.

Will I Tip You? Average Service

Dear Service Industry Workers,

Do you want to know why I'll tip you the industry standard?

Restaurants - it's not only up to your staff.
If you train them properly, they'll perform to the standard you expect. 

You probably do some of the following:

• Put away your cell phone when I walk in and acknowledge I exist.
• When I ask for something, my request is taken seriously and addressed without too much hassle.
• Minimum service expectations are met. Sometimes with a smile. Sometimes with a serious face. But at least when you talk, I can hear you and understand what you're saying.
• I leave your workplace thinking: "Hmmm, that was nice, the waiter/waitress/receptionist was OK."
• When I'm finished, it takes a while for you to come and see if there's anything else you can help me with.

Click here for the previous post in this series.

Will I Tip You? Bad Service

Dear Service Industry Workers,

My tip is proportional to the service I receive. So, do you want to know why I don't tip you as much as you expect?

Probably because you:

• Ignore me when I arrive at your place of work.
• Drag your eyes away from your computer/laptop/cell phone/the TV when I say "Hi".
• Stare at me like I've walked out a block of mouldy cheese when I ask if you're going to be able to help me.
• Carry on taking your clearly personal phone call even though I've just walked through the door, then hang up with a sigh and an "I'll call you later" when I stand directly in front of you and you are unable to pretend I don't exist any more.
• Mumble sweet nothings into the air around you while you "help" me with a perfectly reasonable request like "Please may I have some cream".
• When something is taking a long time, you think that it will go away by ignoring it and by not telling anyone why, exactly, it takes so long for you to swipe my card at the machine.
• I leave your establishment thinking: "Oh my word - I'm glad I'm out of there and don't have to interact with that person again".

Don't expect a tip if I feel that you're sleeping
on the job...

What Do I Do? Factory Job

My dad asked me a question recently. 

"Chick, what is it, exactly, that you do?". 

This was in reference to my new job, which I'm still settling in to and figuring out, so I couldn't give him a proper answer right then and there. But it did get me thinking about what I did in my previous job...

When I was in varsity, my folks asked me a similar question:

"Chick, your degree is a very good degree, but once you're

finished studying, what, exactly, will you be able to do with it?"

There is pretty much no straight answer to these questions. As students we were told by our unforgettable Maths lecturer that as engineers, we are taught to think and solve problems.* I think that sums up pretty well, what engineers do. But it's also incredibly broad and still leaves you with no idea of what I would do on a daily basis. 

So, in a nutshell, here are some of the things I did in my previous job:

• Learnt something new most every day
• Helped to look after and maintain the software that controlled our factory operations
• Debugged code (and either fixed it myself or got others to fix it for me) when it was causing issues in factory operations, for example when:
• Valves stayed open/closed and tanks overfilled/didn't fill up - incorrect mass set points in the code
• A software sequence was stuck on a step - it was waiting for another sequence to end so it could use the same device
• Helped process engineers to optimise code by testing and monitoring proposed sequence changes with them and noting if it was physically possible or not
• Co-ordinated weekly maintenance planning meetings and followed up on planned maintenance activities carried out by the artisans
• Tracked breakdowns that occurred in the plant and put together action plans to improve the ICE (instrumentation, control and electrical) issues
• Attended project meetings
• Got called out a lot, in the middle of the night, when my team were battling to solve a software related issue or troubleshoot on the code (definitely the worst part of the job!)
• Worked on stabilising our control systems by facilitating the upgrading of our servers, sorting out licences and ensuring future projects took the control systems into account
• Helped to co-ordinate a supply chain graduate induction program in my second year (not exactly engineering, but such fun!)
• Maintained and kept track of any software change requests that needed to be sent to our 3rd party software guys
• Helped to commission some projects

This device is one of many that I had to learn to troubleshoot
on at the factory

The key is learning how to interpret the
error messages (and knowing when it's
time to replace the entire unit!)

It was a pretty stressful job, but I learnt so much from it and got to work with the most incredible team. This is just one of many types of jobs that engineers end up in. My current job will be very different from this and once I get my teeth into some proper work, I'll update you on what else an engineer does!

So, now, I hope that you have a better understanding on possible jobs that an engineer can be involved in. 

And, if you're an engineer, what does your day-to-day job involve?

*He also told us that the only three things you need to remember in life are:

1. Your wife's name. 

2. Your wife's phone number. 

3. Where you left your car keys.

And the rest of the things can be worked out if you think about them carefully enough. 

(This is difficult if you're a straight female...but I think it illustrated his point quite well:) ) 

The Winds of Change

I think the factory knew I was leaving last week. On Friday morning (my last day) myself and my team were greeted with a breakdown that had brought the line to a halt and I spent the morning of my last day trying to figure out exactly what went wrong... I even had to leave my team members fixing the problem so that I wouldn't be late for my own farewell breakfast that my boss had kindly organised for me! Unfortunately, many of my closest team members missed the breakfast due to them staying at the factory to fix the breakdown - such is the factory life. After breakfast and back at the factory again, I luckily got time to say goodbye to almost everyone I wanted to say goodbye to before I left.

I must say, I felt quite melancholy when I drove out the factory for the last time - in these last (almost) two years I've made a good name for myself and was reaching a point where I felt like I actually knew what I was doing (most of the time at any rate!) There's something comforting about going to do your job and actually knowing how to do it, as opposed to just winging it and hoping for the best. However, with that comfort level, there was also a level of of complacency and I think that if I had stayed in my previous company, I would have moved roles in the next little while anyway in order to expose myself to new challenges.

I've now completed my first few days at my new job and I'm still doing a lot of reading of documentation and teaching myself the syntax of a programming language called Python. And for those that are interested, it's not named after the snake, but rather after the Monty Python's Flying Circus comedy! There is going to be a lot to learn, but I'm definitely ready for the new challenges that I'm going to encounter at my new job. 

Keep an eye out for this picture in a later post!

Goodbye Hello

"Cause it's a bittersweet symphony this life..." 

- The Verve

I'm feeling extremely bittersweet about moving on to a new job. At times I feel so fed up with thinking for other people and sorting out issues that aren't mine to sort out, that I would be happy to walk out the door at that instant. And then, 5 minutes later, I start to feel extremely sad at leaving a bunch of people who I've worked closely with for the last (almost) two years.

There's a list of things that I'm not going to miss that runs through my mind on a daily basis, but for every "thing" that I won't miss I have at least one "counter-thing" that I will miss.

I will miss teaching the people who have a genuine thirst for knowledge and who use that knowledge to go out and improve the plant. To see someone use what you have taught them, it something incredibly rewarding.

I won't miss teaching the same people the same thing, day and and day out, who come to you with an issue expecting you to solve it before they've even looked at the issue themselves. It's soul-destroying and frustrating.

I will miss meetings that turn into an impromptu chat with the other 1 person who is also on time, where you learn more about work and the history of the factory than you would have from the meeting that was meant to happen.

I won't miss going to meetings where arriving on time is considered to be early and the word "late" does not seem to exist in peoples vocabulary. Neither do the words "Sorry I'm late" exist.

I will miss the fact that when I've been called out by one of my team, no matter what mood I'm in, somehow I always leave with a smile on my face.

I won't miss the job and the fact that I work at a place that never sleeps. Ever. And the guilt of missing calls or not being able to help when you're far away, even though it's not even your problem to begin with.

I will miss being able to disappear into the factory for hours at a time when I have nothing to do in my office and a craving to walk around. No one ever questions someone walking around the factory, making sure the lines are running smoothly.

I won't miss my heart speeding up and adrenaline coursing through my veins every time my phone rings - because usually it's someone from work. I won't miss being complained to but not ever given a solution for those same complaints. Being told about problems that don't concern me and being expected to fix them or know why they're there. Repeating myself day in and day out, reminding people (who are grown ups) to just do their jobs. Going to battle every day, suited up in white coat, earplugs and hairnet. Banging. My. Head. Against. A. Brick. Wall. 

I will miss the people. The individuals who commiserate with me when I'm frustrated and celebrate with me when we get something right. The ones who have been at the factory for years. And the ones who have been here for a few months. I will miss our Engineering morning meeting prayers. How everyone greets each other, no matter if you've seen that person 3 times before that day or if you're complete strangers. Planning fun events for new grads with a group of people who are based at all our different sites. Trips to Durban HO. The laughs I share with my team and learning about people who are so different to me in so many ways, but similar to me in the ways that count. I will miss learning and interacting with company leaders who challenge our points of view. Promising to go for coffee breaks with colleagues every day, almost going to a coffee break (and then one of us gets called to look at something) and then finally, actually going for that break about 2 weeks later. 

Maybe one day I'll come back and see how the factory is looking. Maybe I wont. Either way I'll be sad to say goodbye. On the flip side, I'm excited for what the future hold and new challenges that are coming my way. I'm down to single digit sleeps until my last day. I can hear Cape Town calling!

When My Phone Rings

I was chatting with some colleagues the other day and apart from the fact that we work in the same place, we all had one other thing in common. 

When our phone's ring, our hearts sink.

It doesn't matter whether it's the middle of the day in the middle of the week, in the evening, early in the morning or over the weekend. If it's the middle of the night, as I struggle to get my brain cogs turning, I know for sure that this sinking feeling is an indication that in the next 5 minutes I'm going to have to drag myself out of bed and go to work.

The first thing that any of us think any time that we hear our phone ringing is

"bugger, what's gone wrong at the factory now? I hope I don't have to go in."

We never think, oh, it must be my friend calling to meet for drinks or dinner. The thought of parents calling to say hello is the furtherest thing from our minds when our phones ring. 

Instead our hearts start pumping and adrenaline starts building up, preparing you for the inevitable call to work because something has gone wrong and you're the lucky person who has to go in and fix it - possibly for unknown hours on end.

Even when we're expecting a call from someone, that feel of dread rises up until we see the number. If we're lucky enough that it's a friend or family member, we start to breathe and calm the panic that started to flutter in our stomachs. If it's someone from work, you can be guaranteed that in the next minute or so you're going to need to drop what you're doing and prepare yourself to go to battle. Yes, battle. Adrenaline then really gets pumping and only stops when you've solved the problem and are back home.

Private numbers are the worst. 

Because at work all the landlines are set to private number. You should generally answer private number calls during business hours. Even though private number calls also turn out to be those annoying people who are trying to sell you another cell phone contract or insurance that you don't need and can't afford. Or it's some bloody annoying person/program that calls your number 5 times a day EVERY DAY and hangs up as soon as you answer the phone. 

I've taken to waiting a few seconds before saying hello when I get called on private number, because if it happens to be that stupid "hanging up" person I want to waste as much of their airtime as possible. Then I suspiciously speak and only once the person has introduced themselves to me (and I've verified that they're not from work or trying to sell me something) then I become friendly.

I don't know if other people have this problem with their work. But we do. And the fact that my colleagues feel the same way that I do makes me feel a little better about hating it when my phone rings. 

It's Not Personal, Just Business

This week my factory colleagues and I went away for an over-night trip so that we could reflect on our year and plan how we can ensure that we set ourselves up for a good year next year. It's been a tough year for the factory, however, we're starting to see a more positive trend and want to be able to carry that trend into next year and exceed expectations by pushing our limits and the limits of those around us.

I got to interact and chat with people that I don't talk to very often. The most rewarding of these chats was during breakfast on the second day. I was sitting with a group of ladies and two of them shared with us painful experiences that were incredibly similar. Their outlook on these experiences and the faith that they displayed while telling the rest of us their stories was incredibly inspiring. They both believe that things happen for a reason and that there's a bigger plan that God has for each of us. Even if it didn't make sense at the time, they've put complete faith in Him and feel no bitterness towards the events from their past.

I came away from that breakfast with new admiration for two women who I don't know very well. It made me realise that even though there are people that I work with every day, there are many people who I know only on a work-related level. This time away gave me a chance to connect with some of my colleagues on a deeper level that we just don't get to do when at work.

Sometimes it's easier to not know someone's story, especially in a work-related environment where it's "not personal, just business". But when you know someone's story, it's much easier to understand him or her as a person. In the end, you're working with people, not robots. Even if you work in a factory full of machines and computers. By understanding the person you'll be able to get that much more out of them by pushing them to achieve in a way that they will understand and react to. If you can get each individual to achieve and push their limits, then the group achieves. And the business is happy. 

So, it may be "just business". But I hope that by pushing myself to get to know my colleagues at a more personal level, I'll be able to do better business that if I knew them at only a superficial level.

Let your colleagues inspire you!

The Time We Lived In A Snow Globe Town (Part 2)

Jobs

So, the main reason for our trip to Vail was to work, ski and earn some money so that we could travel the States for a month before coming back to South Africa.

I worked two jobs while I was there. The first was my "full time" job - I worked at the Spa as a receptionist and Kids For All Seasons (KFAS) attendant. I also got a second job at the local cinema, called the CineBistro, after I injured myself on the mountain and had nothing better to do.

More Four Seasons Bears
The Spa was down the stairs on the left, past the swimming pool and through the glass doors on the other side.

At The Four Seasons, when there were no kids to look after I answered the phones

"Thank you for calling the Spa at Four Seasons. This is Cath speaking, how may I help you?" 

was the constant greeting I gave to anyone calling the Spa.

We aimed to answer the phone within 3 rings which is a lot more

difficult than it looks when you've got people standing in front of you wanting to 

check in for appointments, others tying to check out and pay their bills, 

someone wanting to know whether they should buy x or y item from the store

and 2 or 3 different phone lines ringing! 

Don't ever underestimate the power that a receptionist holds to juggle

multiple tasks, all the while keeping a smile on their face.

took bookings, called people to remind them of their appointments, wrote reminder cards for guests at the hotel, gave tours of the ladies locker room and assisted anyone who was interested in buying something from the Spa Shop. I also sometimes had to cover or uncover the loungers by the swimming pool. When it's snowing outside and each lounger cover in literally an ice block itself, it wasn't an easy task! 

When there were kids for me to look after, I got to spend my time painting, playing wii, drawing cartoon characters for kids to colour in, reading books, watching Disney movies or the Disney channel and basically doing cool kids stuff. Sometimes the kids were demanding but most of the time they were lovely. It was awesome being able to be like a kid again.

There were some kids who were very demanding. One insisted we play the same game over and over again - for FIVE hours straight. Then she came back the next day to do the same thing! Another one got very sulky whenever she lost a game on the wii. But most of the kids were good fun and only there for a few hours at a time.

Me and some of the KFAS/Front Desk girls, one of our therapists and
some of the girls boyfriends. All proud Four Seasons employees!

I worked with an amazing team of 2 spa managers, a lot of therapists, a hairdresser, front desk ladies, KFAS attendants and locker room attendants. Everyone else was American, other than myself and some of the locker room attendants, who were South American. 

Everyone at the Spa was very interested in South Africa and what it was like. I was able to show them some pictures of my life and hopefully one day, one or two of them will come to visit me in South Africa! There was one therapist who had been to South Africa and we chatted a lot about the wines that we had to offer, it was awesome to meet an American who knew South African wines and wine farms!

My other place of work - the CineBistro was the most awesome movie theatre I have ever been to! You'll read more about it in a later post. But for now, I'll leave with with the idea of "Dinner and a Movie" all in one. Frosty also got a job there which was a lot of fun as we got to see a bit more of each other.

We had some awesome managers at CineBistro as well. I was a front desk person again. This time my duties included answering the phone, recieving customers and assisting them to buy tickets, giving advice on the movies that were on show (even if I hadn't seen them!), ushering guests into the theatre and showing them their seats, making sure the entrance doors were clean and all the floors were swept and preparing the theatre before hand with menus and cutlery. Frosty mainly ran food to the guests in the theatre and cleaned the theatre afterwards to make it ready for the next guests.

This sculpture sat right in front of the CineBistro doors. Since they were
glass, I spent a good few hours looking at this sculpture. At night it lit up and used to
seamlessly morph from one colour to the next.

The perks of the job were awesome as well - free movies for you and a friend, free popcorn and soda any time you wanted and discounted meals!

I worked front desk with one old guy who worked to keep himself busy. I'll always remember his favourite reply whenever anyone asked him how he was doing, was

"I'm just peaches and cream thank you very much!"

There was a lovely Jamaican girl who I also worked with. She loved getting Frosty to come and chat to her and say "ice" because in our South African accent, it sounded just like "ass" to her ear. We laughed a lot over that. 
One of the runners was an awesome South American guy and his little son used to come and visit us quite a lot. He was the cutest little guy and all of us used to fawn over him!