Read, Analyze, and Write... QUICKLY

The most amazing thing about being a professional researcher outside an academic context? [Okay, other than the paycheck] The fact that there is a direct link between the work I'm doing and some sort of business action that takes place. I went into a MS graduate program largely because I was frustrated by the idea of continuing down the pure-academia route. It is critical to study and analyze the world, but all the research that I did as an undergrad... where was the value to anyone other than me as I developed analysis and writing skills? Of course not everything done needs to have an identifiable value attached to it, but from a career point of view? Well I have finally found a route that puts all the skills I've worked on building the last six years through "higher education", and that is working as a researcher at an accounting and consulting firm in Seattle. It is the most amazing opportunity I never would have known I was missing out on if I hadn't been hired. 


The best parts so far have been the incredible office environment (unlimited Starbucks brewed coffee... I mean, really?) and people that have welcomed me to the firm. The work is challenging and extremely different. I mean really, anyone who knows me never would have guessed I would end up working in an even remotely finance-related environment. Without going into specifics, it isn't your typical research-type job. We're meant to be a resource for the firm, yes, but we're doing it with an output/results focus that includes billable hours and profit. 


My most enjoyable projects thus far have been the industry-related writing pieces I've done, which means I've gotten to research up on the motorcycle industry, paint & sealant manufacturing, semiconductor manufacturing, and property management so far. The diversity of topics and the variety of frameworks means that I've found my ideal career context. I'm working in an environment that keeps my brain engaged, the type of work changes frequently, and I am in a constant learning mode. 


Basically I've found a way to be a paid perpetual student. Man I love it.


PS: Writing on my lunch break, I have to admit, I love the view when I turn around in my desk chair. It's a good thing I don't face the window, because I'm not sure I would be able to concentrate.

Projects & Relative Problems

This seems very true some days:

(Picture from http://ninapaley.com/mimiandeunice/)

Whether at work or in one's personal life, it seems to be that by default we want to prioritize our own problems, and view them as more important and difficult than those faced by others. Our needs are at the center of how we see everything else. We can look back later and put a crisis or breakdown in perspective, but in the moment it's hard to have insight like that. But when it comes to the workplace, it can be costly to an organization for an individual to take this stance. In trying to mitigate projects and the inevitable conflicts that arise, this mentality is a particularly difficult challenge for someone like a business analyst or project manager.

Say, for example, I'm trying to get two different department heads to communicate with each other, and communicate to me, about priorities, problems they need fixed, and what their requirements are for a certain project. But if they can't come up with supporting data/information about why their needs are more important, all that happens is a back and forth of "My needs are more important than theirs because... because" and reasonings that have no data to back them up. If I can't get this information, I can't validate any decisions I make in terms of the project direction, nor can I make much (if any) progress.

Anyone in an organization that is tasked with coming up with requirements or needs must be able to not only articulate those needs, but have validating data to back up the reasoning behind those needs. We can't become personally attached to "having-our-way" when there's no data to back up why our way is "better", or why your problem is the most critical. We have to be able to tell someone or many someones why we choose to do something, and what value that decision adds to the project.

Getting that data can be tricky, full of politics and personal feelings, and sometimes it simply isn't going to happen. Information is not a straightforward topic, and it is really the people that make it a challenge and "interesting" in both good ways and bad. But it is worth the effort when you can stand in front of a group and present a solid project with an information foundation you can rely upon.

Why Are We Still So Paper-Based?

It continually amazes me how much paper my last job produced - I was working as a database coordinator for an academic department at the UW. Sounds like a pretty electronic-centric position, right?

Wrong.

I had a brown paper bag I used to collect mixed paper for recycling. I think I emptied it every other week. That doesn't seem too bad if you don't think too much about that. A supposedly paperless position, filling up a Safeway brown paper bag every two weeks!! Reports and presentations and notes, printouts and event planning materials.

Currently I'm interning with the university's information technology office, and it just baffles me. We print out so much electronically-based documents and artifacts. Everything from emails and reports and meeting handouts. While laptops are dominant, notes are still often taken with paper and pen. Though personally I'm thankful that what I'm doing now produces very little printed work, even though I find myself in the center of a paper-laden environment.

I think that this is partly a holdover of established working practices - it is only very relatively recently that we could make almost any document electronic. This is probably the core of the reason - people who have been working for the last 15 to 30 years are not likely to want to change how they've been doing things. In a world where technological innovations have ripped through our societies, radically changing and shifting established assumptions and practices, it is difficult to keep up with the latest anything, let alone quickly adapt.

This is not to say that there haven't been successful moves to reduce paper use - as part of a university -wide initiative, the office is required by state law to use 100% recycled paper, reduce paper use by 30% beginning July 2010, and to recycle all office paper. It seems as if there is steady support for it, but it certainly takes more than throwing away paper in a different box. Moving towards paperless or paper-scarce environments requires a shift in attitude, behavior, and an acceptance that it won't always be convenient or the same as it was before.