Life Update...or Ways that My New Job is the Exact Opposite of My Old Job

Well I've now successfully completed two days as a Network Administrator. I must say that it has been a suprisingly good first few days. I've jumped right into some tasks that my boss had waiting for me and the good news is that I've only caused two major servers to need reinstallation. That's a good sign right? Well anyway, I thought I would list off some ways that I've noticed this job is different than the church job I previously had:

• #1 - People genuinely seem to care. I've had at least a dozen people come by simply to introduce themselves and check to see how my first few days are going. They are encouraging and seem to really want an answer when they ask how I am doing. Contrast that with the usual church talk, "How are you?" "Great, and you?" "Great too!" shallowness and you can see why I'm optimistic.
• #2 - I have a general idea about what I'm doing. I may have been out of the computer industry for three years but even though the technology has changed the foundation remains the same. It's all built on logical, knowable facts. Contrast that with my previous job where every day was a crap-shoot and everyday I was less sure about my foundation than I was the day before. Add to that the fact that every day it seemed like my foundation moved farther and farther from the foundations of those I was "partnering with" in ministry.
  
• #3 - My boss checks on me. He seems to trust me to do my job but he's involved and has even been proactive in helping me learn things that I don't yet know. It's like a real mentoring relationship. Contrast that with the last job when I could go days without seeing my boss, and never in three years had a clue what his vision was or what he expected of me, much less that he ever invested any time in me at all.
  
• #4 - Mistakes are okay. It's good to fail because failure ultimately leads to success. We're not going to get it right the first, second, third, or even fourth time but we're not going to give up and eventually we'll get there. If we try something and it doesn't work, its not the end of the world, just another step in the process of learning and growing and becoming all that we want to be. Contrast that with the last place where words like "competition" and "momentum" were thrown around and the idea was to "succeed" in the immediate, with no regard for the important. 200 teenagers to fill a new building today is worth more than 20 teenagers who become true disciples of Jesus.
  
• #5 - Everybody is essential. There aren't a slew of people to do a few things. Everybody helps each other out and together we get the job done. Contrast that with the last place where every new problem or great idea required the addition of a new staff member. It's a sad thing when the ever-criticized state is a better steward of resources than the church.

So as you can see, this job has already been a breath of fresh air. I can't say enough how great the people are or how excited I am to get to know them better. It is a change for me to do the whole 8-5 thing and to leave the job @ work instead of bringing it home and letting it consume my thoughts but I think I can get used to it. The only drawback I've found so far is the traffic. When I took the church job I moved into the area where the church was located and lived about 1 mile away. It took all of two minutes to get to work and I could come and go all day long. Now I have a journey to and from work each day, with snarling traffic to contend with, especially in the afternoon.

So that's the update on my life. What's going on in yours?

Peace,
Paul