10 days into my job at Cisco and things are going pretty well. With my computer not having access to the computer systems I need and without email, there has been little work that I have been able to do. Luckily, due to Cisco's relaxed atmosphere, I am able to chat with my colleagues while I work and go for breaks regularly. The team are really nice, including the two most senior people - even though they are very busy they always have time to answer my questions and help me out. The people in the team also have a great sense of humour - I am constantly joking around with the guy that sits next to me. Lunches here are excellent - they have so many choices, including a wok guy who cooks you fresh soba noodles with your choice of extras. All reasonably priced and tasty. This morning I joined the gym so I'm planning to go there every day of the week before work starts in order to burn off the extra calories from the desserts I've been eating here...!
Whilst I haven't had that much work to do, it seems that will all change by next week when the busy period begins. Apparently that's when people in the team have to stay until midnight every night to get stuff done. This period will probably go on for about 2 months. Hopefully those rumours are exagerations, but in any case I'm not looking forward to the heavy schedule. On the other hand, it is an opportunity for me to shine and may help me be offered the permanent role.
After thinking about my trip to Japan in December, I decided to purchase a Nintendo DS to keep me occupied during my long flight. Yeah, I know my trip is months away, but it helped convince me to buy one. hehe. I'm really glad I did and I can see why it's so difficult to get one in Japan.
I've also tried to get a bit more serious about songwriting and recording. I was doing a bit of it last weekend and will try to continue this weekend. Although it's very time consuming, I'd really like to build up my song list - maybe I'll have enough for a full setlist including encores sometime soon. :o)
Jody
Friday, 27 July 2007
Tuesday, 17 July 2007
Fantasticisco
After a week of relaxing and getting ready for my new job, today I finally had my first day of work at Cisco. I arrived at their offices in this morning and had my induction, including a tour of the premises. The company has 3 main offices right next to Bedfont Lake.
They also have an on-site gym (only £15 a month), several sandwich bars, subsidized canteen, and free tea, coca-cola, mineral water and even fruit! Sounds more like a hotel than an office, right? Well, even though the amenities are very nice, I anticipate a lot of hard work in the near future. However, I am looking forward to the challenge ahead.
The people in my department seem very nice. Actually, a new person already started yesterday and another new person a week before that. The team is currently 12 people, but they are budgeted for it to increase to 29 next year. I'm looking forward to getting to know the staff more and networking.
Talking of nice people, it was a shame to leave P&G. On my last day I went out with my colleagues for lunch. They gave me a goodbye card and some bottles of wine as a leaving present. Even though I was only there for a short time, the people there were really nice and I enjoyed working with them.
I'll update my blog with more details over the coming weeks of my time at Cisco.
Jody
They also have an on-site gym (only £15 a month), several sandwich bars, subsidized canteen, and free tea, coca-cola, mineral water and even fruit! Sounds more like a hotel than an office, right? Well, even though the amenities are very nice, I anticipate a lot of hard work in the near future. However, I am looking forward to the challenge ahead.
The people in my department seem very nice. Actually, a new person already started yesterday and another new person a week before that. The team is currently 12 people, but they are budgeted for it to increase to 29 next year. I'm looking forward to getting to know the staff more and networking.
Talking of nice people, it was a shame to leave P&G. On my last day I went out with my colleagues for lunch. They gave me a goodbye card and some bottles of wine as a leaving present. Even though I was only there for a short time, the people there were really nice and I enjoyed working with them.
I'll update my blog with more details over the coming weeks of my time at Cisco.
Jody
Monday, 16 July 2007
Monday, 9 July 2007
The wait is over....
Well, it's been a long time coming, but I can finally say that itlooks like I've got myself a new job. Actually, it's not a permanent job, but it will become a permanent job in the future if they are happy with my work and, of course, I am happy with the job. The company couldn't be more perfect for me....it's Cisco, one of the world's biggest companies. Their offices are about a 15 minute drive from my house. Fantastic offices too - the nicest offices I've ever seen. They have three large buildings on their own estate right next a beautiful lake. I was very impressed by the people I met andthe facilities available.
The job title is "Commissions analyst". The role itself is a little difficult to explain because a) not all the responsibilities have been finalised b) I have no experience of doing many of the tasks involved, so I'm unsure exactly what the work entails. However, I do know that the job incorporates elements of finance, maths and.....teaching. Considering my 3 big selling points are my accounting experience, my physics degree and being a teacher in Japan, it's easy to see why this role fits so well with me.
I have a few reservations about taking the permanent role at this stage....the biggest one being the role does not (currently) give me support for studying to become a qualified accountant. I didn't actually want to mention anything about getting that kind of support during my interview - I think it's just best to take the temp role regardless of that and ask about it later. Another big reservation I have is that I don't know exactly what I'm doing in this role, but I do know that it will be very demanding and require a lot of work - it actually sounds like 4 jobs in 1.
However, at this stage, the plus points are definitely outweighing any doubts I have. The company are great, the offices amazing, nice people, and a job that suits me and has a lot of potential for the future. They even have 10 major offices in Japan (including one in Okinawa). Considering that the team I will be working with are almost all foreigners, I am confident that there is potential to work in Japan in the future.
I'll finish my current job on Wednesday, which gives me about a week off to relax before I start my new job.
Jody
The job title is "Commissions analyst". The role itself is a little difficult to explain because a) not all the responsibilities have been finalised b) I have no experience of doing many of the tasks involved, so I'm unsure exactly what the work entails. However, I do know that the job incorporates elements of finance, maths and.....teaching. Considering my 3 big selling points are my accounting experience, my physics degree and being a teacher in Japan, it's easy to see why this role fits so well with me.
I have a few reservations about taking the permanent role at this stage....the biggest one being the role does not (currently) give me support for studying to become a qualified accountant. I didn't actually want to mention anything about getting that kind of support during my interview - I think it's just best to take the temp role regardless of that and ask about it later. Another big reservation I have is that I don't know exactly what I'm doing in this role, but I do know that it will be very demanding and require a lot of work - it actually sounds like 4 jobs in 1.
However, at this stage, the plus points are definitely outweighing any doubts I have. The company are great, the offices amazing, nice people, and a job that suits me and has a lot of potential for the future. They even have 10 major offices in Japan (including one in Okinawa). Considering that the team I will be working with are almost all foreigners, I am confident that there is potential to work in Japan in the future.
I'll finish my current job on Wednesday, which gives me about a week off to relax before I start my new job.
Jody
Blog off !!
Hey chums.
I've decided to do away with my old website for a couple of reasons. First reason - it makes more sense to have two separate blogs; one in English, one in Japanese. This will be my English one. The Japanese one can be found on Mixi. (If you use mixi and want to add me, let me know and I'll add you). Second reason - this blogger is simpler to use and easier to update than my old website.
So from now on, please visit this website and I'll try to keep it updating more frequently.
Jody
I've decided to do away with my old website for a couple of reasons. First reason - it makes more sense to have two separate blogs; one in English, one in Japanese. This will be my English one. The Japanese one can be found on Mixi. (If you use mixi and want to add me, let me know and I'll add you). Second reason - this blogger is simpler to use and easier to update than my old website.
So from now on, please visit this website and I'll try to keep it updating more frequently.
Jody
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
