That first day on the support queue. Hundreds of messages were in it. It seemed like it scrolled forever.

I felt like a tiny fish in a tank of sharks. Luckily, I was not completely without aid, as the support veterans were not far away, virtually and physically, and I slowly gleaned wisdom from them, even as I took notes and learned not only how our hosting system works, but filled in gaps in my knowledge of how the web works.

I could bounce a question (or 2, or 10…) off a grizzled tech, or a lead, and usually, they let me know what’s up, or, better, how I could proceed towards a solution or unlock tge needed knowledge. I definitely worked with some wizards (and still do!)

Nearly 9 years later, I don’t see that queue so often these days, but I do still learn things, even as I work to improve the support the company provides. I was warned, even though the job felt like a dream job, the pitfall of cynicism was tricky to avoid.

I think I’ve avoided becoming jaded pretty well. I think that has been made easier by seeing pretty regular successes, even with the missteps that can happen to any growing company.

This is the longest I’ve been with any company. I’m glad it’s worked out and look forward to each day because of getting through those initial months when it was “sink or swim.”

What about you, kind reader? See other responses here:

Sink or Swim

Photo credit: Matthew Wiebe – unsplash