Today I had my midterm performance evaluation with my group lead. It’s a very informal meeting where we sit down for a half hour, talk about the goals we set for me for the year (our “year” runs from May to April, no idea why), and see how they’re going. I’m not very good at being aggressive and talking to my manager when there’s something on my mind, so this informal meeting couldn’t have come at a better time.
We had a good conversation and talked about a lot of the worries I mentioned here yesterday. As a result, I’m now scheduled for my midpoint evaluation as a rendezvous support officer. The date is not entirely set due to the upcoming shuttle flight, but it could be as soon as December 5 if the shuttle launch slips. I hope that doesn’t happen, so more likely, my midpoint will be in mid-January. Either way, I am on the schedule, which is a step in the right direction for me. A midpoint evaluation will allow me to get feedback on how I’m doing and work on improving my weak areas. I’m excited. Progress is good.
My group lead also told me that he’s been getting good feedback from my coworkers on the sims I’ve worked so far. I am my own worst critic and never really believe it when people tell me things like that — mainly because I unrealistically expect myself to perform at certification level from day 1 — but it was definitely nice to hear.
I told him that I feel like I’m stalled, and talked about options to get me moving again, and get me some tasks beyond just my training. We also talked about the possibility of my continuing to work ascents indefinitely, provided it is not too much of a conflict with my rendezvous work. Originally when I got this job a year ago, the plan was for me to continue in the ascent position for another year before transitioning entirely to rendezvous. There is a running joke among my coworkers and me that no one in this division ever really gives up work — they just take it with them when they move to different positions. It’s funny because it’s true, and yet I do really want to keep my ascent job. It makes sense because I’m needed there. But the current flight assignments were making things a bit rough — I was scheduled to work both ascent and rendezvous on the same mission, which, while not impossible, would be quite stressful.
So I talked to the group lead in charge of my ascent job, and he agreed to shuffle the flight assignments so that I can maintain my ascent job without conflicting with my rendezvous job. The shuffle means that I’ll probably only work one launch next year instead of two, but that I’ll be able to continue working launches through the end of the shuttle program instead of quitting after April.
I know that was a lot of work talk, and maybe it’s not very interesting to most of you, but it made today a lot better than yesterday, and has left me feeling really positive again. Today also served as a good reminder that if there is something bothering me, I don’t always have to figure it out myself. There are people out there willing to help me get what I want.
