Annual Review
The crap:
5% pay rise, if that.
The good:
GRAPHIC DESIGN. They want me to be near-enough full time graphic design this time next year.
In relation to this, more serious training will be happening over the next months.
Also, less admin. Either accountant-boss or (they're planning) a new admin person will take over the vast majority of it.
MORE GRAPHIC DESIGN.
In the next 3-6 months, stemming from the above, another salary review will happen.
Did I mention the more graphic design? HELL YEAH BABY.
Does the good outweigh the bad? I think so. The basic theme is that designer-boss's Big Thing when the two of them took over at the beginning of the year, is that he wants to build a design team. He's seen the sort of stuff my workmate and I do and really wants to let us actually use those skills, but because we're bogged down in so much sodding admin and customer service, we just don't have the time to. Hence the prospect of getting in an actual trained admin person, which they'll start properly looking at after the upcoming TAFE* busy period. AND THEN. The salary review again, and the design~ and the awesome.
So basically, I should just have to weather the TAFE storm and then some real shit starts happening. God I can't wait. During the busy period at the beginning of semester (February and June) it is a NIGHTMARE. I can spend literally my whole day, from 8:30 to 4:30, doing nothing but load TAFE jobs. I'm not exaggerating when I say people ringing up saying 'where's my job? I want my job. Is my job done yet?' can take up 2, maybe 3 hours of my day. Half the time it was delivered a week ago and they haven't looked hard enough.
Anyway, back on topic! I've learned that the last couple of months, as I've been getting more design work, they've actually been testing me. Not so much my creativity, but more the chucking stuff on my desk and seeing how I handle it. I guess the test is obvious now I think back, but they reckon I'm awesome :D
'So if Anna was doing the sort of stuff she's doing now full time, what do you reckon she should be on?'
'[Pretty much what she's asking for], easy.'
'See? No hesitation.'
SO BASICALLY. With the back-paying, the next few months effectively put me at aaaalmost where I was asking, and then after TAFE's done for those next few months and we get an admin person (or I offload half my admin to accountant-boss) I DO get pretty much what I was asking.
SO I THINK A WIN. Based on bosses delivering as promised, but I think that's a fairly safe bet to make. It may take a little longer than that, but I know designer-boss has always wanted to have design form a bigger part of what our company does, especially with three designers already employed. And I know accountant-boss has always wanted someone actually, y'know, trained in admin to do the admin. GENIUS. So yes. Weather TAFE, design shit, get paid for designing shit. I LIKE IT.
This time next year, I'll be a near-as full-time graphic designer looking for a house to buy. JUST WATCH ME.
* Just for those not in Australia, TAFE is government-run tertiary education that basically teaches jobs. Mechanics, food and cookery, building, hospitality training, carpentry, hair and beauty, electricians, all those sorts of... hands-on, trade-type jobs, I guess, are taught at TAFE.
The good:
Does the good outweigh the bad? I think so. The basic theme is that designer-boss's Big Thing when the two of them took over at the beginning of the year, is that he wants to build a design team. He's seen the sort of stuff my workmate and I do and really wants to let us actually use those skills, but because we're bogged down in so much sodding admin and customer service, we just don't have the time to. Hence the prospect of getting in an actual trained admin person, which they'll start properly looking at after the upcoming TAFE* busy period. AND THEN. The salary review again, and the design~ and the awesome.
So basically, I should just have to weather the TAFE storm and then some real shit starts happening. God I can't wait. During the busy period at the beginning of semester (February and June) it is a NIGHTMARE. I can spend literally my whole day, from 8:30 to 4:30, doing nothing but load TAFE jobs. I'm not exaggerating when I say people ringing up saying 'where's my job? I want my job. Is my job done yet?' can take up 2, maybe 3 hours of my day. Half the time it was delivered a week ago and they haven't looked hard enough.
Anyway, back on topic! I've learned that the last couple of months, as I've been getting more design work, they've actually been testing me. Not so much my creativity, but more the chucking stuff on my desk and seeing how I handle it. I guess the test is obvious now I think back, but they reckon I'm awesome :D
'So if Anna was doing the sort of stuff she's doing now full time, what do you reckon she should be on?'
'[Pretty much what she's asking for], easy.'
'See? No hesitation.'
SO BASICALLY. With the back-paying, the next few months effectively put me at aaaalmost where I was asking, and then after TAFE's done for those next few months and we get an admin person (or I offload half my admin to accountant-boss) I DO get pretty much what I was asking.
SO I THINK A WIN. Based on bosses delivering as promised, but I think that's a fairly safe bet to make. It may take a little longer than that, but I know designer-boss has always wanted to have design form a bigger part of what our company does, especially with three designers already employed. And I know accountant-boss has always wanted someone actually, y'know, trained in admin to do the admin. GENIUS. So yes. Weather TAFE, design shit, get paid for designing shit. I LIKE IT.
This time next year, I'll be a near-as full-time graphic designer looking for a house to buy. JUST WATCH ME.
* Just for those not in Australia, TAFE is government-run tertiary education that basically teaches jobs. Mechanics, food and cookery, building, hospitality training, carpentry, hair and beauty, electricians, all those sorts of... hands-on, trade-type jobs, I guess, are taught at TAFE.