What a way to make a living

I have worked at the same company for just shy of two years. About 8 months ago, I switched departments. Since that time, I don't think I've worked on a single project for more than two to three months in a row. Constant change is the the only constant, it seems.

Whenever I am asked what it is I do for work, I tend to describe the company mission overall. That usually provides enough disctraction to avoid having to try and explain what I do. The astute ones know to ask further, and then I give a general "well, marketing and outreach, mostly" response. Which is mostly true, but doesn't actually describe how that fits into the general scheme of this weird company I currently call home.

Thus, when I received a meeting invite from my boss with the following goal, I couldn't help but laugh. And feel weirdly vindicated...

"The goal of the meeting is to develop a framework for what we do"

Friday morning, 10am

Got into work this morning, and didn't speak with anyone for the first 30 minutes. Just slipped into my cube, got some tea, and opened up my email. Is that normal? I have worked at my current employer for nearly two years, and have yet to become accustomed to the corporate culture here. That culture being quiet, and in love with hierarchy.

This being my first corporate job, it's been a big adjustment. I was a non-profit (or not for profit) kid until taking on this post, and when I did it was for specific reasons: take a risk career-wise, end a long commute into Boston, higher pay to help out while P is in her residency, check out the business arm of a PhD program I had considered attending (still considering it...). I'm not sure if it is this corporate environment, or the corporate world in general, that I find weird and sterile.

Given that I have been here for a while and still wonder when I will start to feel at home, I don't think it will ever happen.

From an anthropological perspective, I have discovered people really do use buzz words in actual conversation. Here are some sentences from the past week:

"I wanted to touch base with you on [insert topic]"
(translation: "Can we have a conversation?")

"What's your bandwidth like these days?"
(translation: "Would you be able to take on more?")

"We need to align priorities to create synergy"
(translation: I have no idea... this just sounds like sound filling space)

Here's one of my favorite examples from a memo I wish I could simply copy and past into this entry. It literally makes you tired trying to sort out all the letters strung together:

What are the complete [client] internal timelines that affect the process of delivering [product] in [initial] release and [subsequent] release and the data issues and answers appurtenant thereto

I bet you had to read it three times at a minimum to see that it was actual words being used, and not just one big vowel movement.


PS - HIllary, my current power song is "Ride" by The Vines. More on that another time...