i’m thrilled to announce some other big news in my life [besides getting married this past month] that i’ve been keeping secret for quite some time… i have been promoted by my company to the director of quality assurance over all facilities.

if you have been following my posts about work [here, here, and here] or talked to me a year ago, you know about my struggles early on with adjusting to my job.  it was a huge change from what i had been doing before – a lot of responsibility, a lot of things i had to learn, and a lot of time that had to be spent in this position.  let’s just say that the whole experience wasn’t for the faint of heart.  BUT, things got easier, i learned a lot, and i even really started enjoying the job, which was a 180 from where i started, haha.  i had been told initially that this would be a stepping stone for the next position, but i wasn’t convinced what the next position would be or when [or if!] it would be offered to me, and to be honest, it wasn’t seeming totally promising for me.  for one, i didn’t foresee any positions opening soon, and then if by some remote chance a position did open up, i also wasn’t sure if it would be something i would be interested in.

but then in july, the VP of technical services for my company completely shocked me and informed me that my boss, the director of quality assurance, was retiring in september and mentioned that she wanted me to consider the position.  it wasn’t a done deal at that point, but she wanted to know if i was interested.  i couldn’t believe they were considering me, as my boss is incredibly wise and has a massive amount of experience.  even though i felt completely inadequate for the position, i knew that there was no way i could say no to this possible opportunity, so i expressed my concerns but told her that yes, i would love to be considered and that i’m a quick learner and a hard worker.  and you know what she told me?  she said that it’s very normal for a woman to respond this way when offered a promotion.  i’m flattered, but are you sure that i’m the right person for the job?  are you sure that i can do it?  i don’t know if i have enough experience, yada yada… and she said, “jessica, i wouldn’t be considering you if i didn’t know you can do it.  i have no doubts about that.”  and i knew she was absolutely right.

it’s a good lesson for us women [and yes, that is a stereotype, so it could be a good lesson for some men too].  as my boss told me, it would be normal for a man with the same experience to be offered the same position, and their first response would be, what is the salary increase?  and it’s normal to ask a woman, and you’d get a similar response to mine.  as soon as she told me that, i felt a determination to be confident in myself, like a man would.  i knew i could do it, and i told her so.

and the best part was that by the end of the month, she told me that they for sure wanted me for the position and i had my offer letter a few weeks later.  i negotiated hard [like a man would, and thanks to some great advice from a previous boss], and i got what i wanted, and it may have been the most satisfying thing that i’ve done in my life.  and then, at the end of september, my dear boss retired, and i took over as director of QA.

{i’m not claiming to be this, but one of my employees, a fellow aficionado of the office, gave this to me as a gift for my promotion.  isn’t that the sweetest??}

this has all been huge for me – a great step in my career, and a great opportunity to learn.  i have MUCH to learn, but i am looking forward to gaining experience and knowledge and working more closely with the VP of technical services.  one of the things i learned in my previous job is that i love to lead, and i get to focus on that in this new position.  i know it’s not going to be easy, but i know i have what it takes to get through it after being in my last position.  i’m much more prepared for what might be thrown at me than i would have before i came to work for this company.  it’s not about what you know, it’s about how you handle yourself when you’re dealing with things you don’t know, and how fast you learn.  because you’re never going to know everything.  and i certainly have had to learn how to “fake it til you make it,” and then at other times, to be completely humble and honest and forthright about what you don’t know so that the pretending doesn’t hinder you from learning.

since our wedding and honeymoon vacation fell right after my boss retired, i had a couple weeks to lightly step into the position without fully taking on all responsibility, and now that our honeymoon is over, i’m jumping in headfirst!  and so, i begin this new opportunity with excitement and joy and a grateful heart, because God is so good!  and he deserves all the glory.  i’m thankful for his many blessings and thrilled for this new adventure.  xoxo