Time sure flies. It's been almost two months since my last post. It is time to make another. I've noticed that I haven't said anything about what's been happening in my life since I came back from China in November of last year. So, this is what happened. I came back in mid-November, started a job the day after Thanksgiving, at the same company I was interning that summer, and have been steadily chugging along since then. I have been involved with testing the services developed by my team, mostly. Automated tests. Usually, I'm not interested in testing at all, but the automation part has been a learning experience, and I like that. This is the first time I've worked with XMLs in depth, in the form of WSDLs and XSTs. Like most things, once you get into it, it's not a big deal. But, I would never have gotten into it on my own.
But, that's only half the story. The biggest thing I've learned at this new job is in the area of what it's like to work at a large company. Through my conversations with my older co-workers, I've learned a lot on how companies work, and what to watch out for. Basically, our system doesn't reward good characteristics. An honest, hardworking person who just makes sure to do a good job will not get as far as a person who does nothing but try to get ahead in the company. Things are more regimented, with lots of time wasted doing things that don't have much to do with real work. My conclusion is that I'm not sure I like it. I'm not even sure if the tradeoffs are worth it. Maybe if I was older and was ready to give up and go with the flow, then I'll just put up with it. But, currently, I'm still optimistic. I think I can find a place that I agree with.
Written on March 30, 2013