So three months with the 'New' job and all is well.
In fact, it's absolutely the best move I could have made. The three month mark was kind of my probationary period - they were testing me out and I was getting used to the job and all that it entails - after which time I had my review. Which went something like this: My boss to me "Wow, three months already. We'll talk to Craig and bump your pay up as we talked about, I have no complaints, you've caught onto this pretty well. Just small things, attention to details - reading over prints one last time and that's it. We're happy to have you onboard and are pleased with your work."
Sweet.
It was a nice change to have the employer being aware of your start date and rate of pay increase (negotiated upon my hiring) and not having to track them down and twist any arms to get things rolling as I've had the experience of in the past.
It was also good to have the feedback, I have been a bit self-conscious on some of the projects I have worked on as far as me thinking that I am taking too long on it. Which isn't really a concern to them as much as it is to me - I need to slow myself down and not worry about how long something takes to do, just take my time and be meticulous in the details - which is definitely something I am capable of doing. I know that the "Get it done and get it out" attitude comes from the last few years working in the print industry where things were almost always a rush. Thinking back, over the last three months I've had two or three rush jobs (end of day deadlines) compared to the average of say ten-to-fifteen a day working in the print shop. Juxtaposed, its like night and day, the stress level at my job now is easily a quarter of what it used to be.
Although that might go up a bit over the next couple of weeks - my direct supervisor in the Art Department (which there are only two of us) is going on holidays for two weeks after the August long weekend - so that leaves Ol' Grindle holding down the art requests for the duration. Might get a bit interesting, but I handle that sort of thing well - and I've had plenty of 'training' in my last job. I actually like the opportunity to demonstrate my ability and prove my worth in situations like this.
The last three months have been good (with a stellar company bbq in there with beer o' plenty), the work is actually something I enjoy (95% of the time, every time), and I get to create designs I am proud to put my name on and enjoy seeing the finished product (post-production) throughout the city. This transition into the next 'phase' of my career has truly enhanced my (and Jill's too) quality of life and I am looking forward to continuing on with Neon and the everyday opportunities to grow as a designer.
