All in a Day's Work

Jason's mom asked me a few questions a couple weeks ago that I finally got a chance to answer about my work. I thought others might be interested in the answers as well so I'm posting them here.

What will your day consist of?

So each day is pretty different, it depends on what part of the design process I'm in. At the beginning of a new project, it consists of reading up and learning the subject matter that I'll be designing. The subject matter generally deals with training, but could be for banks, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, automobile companies, the government, etc.

After you learn the content, then I put together a high level preliminary design usually with mock-ups of possible what the training might be like. Then we have a Kick-off meeting with the client either in person, or over the phone/internet. The Kick-off meeting can last anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days depending on the size of the projects. During that meeting we solidify what the objectives are, ask clarifying questions about the content, present the preliminary design ideas to get feedback, etc.

Following the meeting I write up a 25+ page design document that details the plans for the training in writing. That is sent to the company for approval, and once it is approved, then I actually start scripting the training on the company application that turns what I do into a website. The application has several basic templates for web pages that can be modified, but I work with programmers and graphic artists for help with the technical aspects and professional help creating the graphics.

Once it's scripted, it goes back to the client for review. Usually there are changes to be made and once I make the changes, the training goes to Quality Control for a thorough edit and testing. After it passes QC and the final edits are done it is delivered to the client.

All of these steps are put into a fairly tight time-line. The project that I'm starting right now is for a pharmaceutical company. It will start Monday and the first course has to be done the last day of September, and then I'll design two more courses for them by the first part of November. In this particular case we have a really tight time-line, so hopefully everything goes smoothly.

What kinds of projects will you be working on?

I'm assigned to work on different projects, and it just depends on what they have at the time. I'll always be assigned to at least one project, but could potentially be assigned to a two or three depending on their size and scope.

Do you work on a computer at a cubicle or...?

I have a cubicle, but it is fairly large. I would guess it's 6 ft. x 5 ft. or so. I have my own computer with several drawers and a couple of shelves. It even has a white board on one side. Almost every one that works there is in a cubicle. There are only three office rooms that I've seen, plus about three conference rooms.

What are your hours?

The hours are somewhat flexible. I just need to work at least 8 hours a day and most people show up between 8:00 and 9:00am. I can have an hour lunch break, but I try to make it short so that I can go home sooner. Since I'm salaried, I don't have to clock in, but I do have a time tracker that I report how many hours I've worked on different projects.

Do you get good benefits?

I think the benefits are good. They are better than I originally thought, but they aren't as amazing as some other companies I've heard about --namely, Microsoft. The company helps mitigate the cost of insurance, parking, etc. I'll accrue up to two weeks of vacation a year, and they are pretty lenient on sick days as long as you don't take advantage of them. The company also provides lunch for its employees every Thursday, which is nice.

I do like my job. The people there are very friendly and welcoming and the people in managerial roles are connected to the employees and seem to be well respected.