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OPINION
Are we missing out?
As we continue improving work-life balance, we need to keep asking how we can foster those growth opportunities that come through listening and proximity.
W hen I walked into the office nearly 25 years ago for my first day on the job, I was excited, a little nervous, and anxious to start “engineering” everything I could get my hands on. Although I had interned for a public agency during college, and had a summer job throughout high school, I had no idea what to expect from a professional corporate setting. Turns out it was a bustling workspace, full of life, and much less sterile than I imagined. The reception area was relatively calm, but that quiet was punctuated by the sounds of phone calls, colleagues brainstorming in office doorways, and the copier cranking out specifications. I recall being introduced to at least a couple dozen folks, shown where to find staples and where to gather in case of an emergency, and eventually led to my cubicle to get settled.
Josh Nord, PE
I could only spend so much time fiddling with the computer, organizing pads of graph paper, trying to decipher the phone system, before I found myself sitting and wondering what I would do here for eight hours a day. The answer came a few minutes later when one of the senior engineers (no doubt tasked with keeping the new guy busy) popped by to say hello and invite me to his office to go over some assignments. He patiently explained how I was going to hand-color some maps for a crop survey, listened to my questions, and even took a little extra time to
explain how my work would fit into the big picture for that key client. I imagine he was amused by the copious notes I took before heading back to my desk to get started. Later that morning as I was up to my elbows in colored pencils (I remember thinking – am I getting paid to color?), one of the team’s CAD designers checked in on me. He reintroduced himself,
See JOSH NORD, page 4
THE ZWEIG LETTER FEBRUARY 13, 2023, ISSUE 1476
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