A Blonde in IT

You might think that my days are filled with cookie-baking, lady-lunching, CrossFit workouts, doggie-walking and nursery preparations but that is not exactly true. While I do love all of those things, I actually have to fit them in around my day job. (Yes, I have one of those.)

I have been in the IT field since college and love the industry and LOVE what I do! I currently work for a fun, innovative and quite large .com based out of Atlanta. After working there for five years, Honey whisked me 4.5 hours away from Atlanta following our wedding. Fortunately the company I work for agreed to let me work from home exclusively! 

I do travel to the Atlanta office quarterly to meet with customers and conduct training. I was just there a couple of weeks ago and thought I’d share the best and worst parts about my job:

WORST

• Atlanta lives up to its reputation for crazy, bad traffic. Though it is only 13 miles from my home, driving to the office can take anywhere from 25 – 45 minutes. Whenever making plans in or around Atlanta, one must consider traffic – yes, it’s that bad!

• Office chit-chat is something that has always driven me crazy. When I ask someone at work, “How was your weekend?” I really just expect them to say “Fine” or “Too Short” and then we both get on with our day. After all we’re co-workers not BFFs. When someone gives the play-by-play review of their weekend my eyes start to glaze over as I think about what I could be doing instead of listening to the story-that-will-never-end. Because of this I have mastered the “uh-huh” while I begin hammering away on emails.

• The 16th floor. (Also makes an appearance in the best category below. The disadvantage of working on the 16th floor of an 18-story building is that elevator rides take forever when you stop at every. floor. on the way down.  I much prefer working on the 2nd floor!

Best

• When I am in the Atlanta office, my view of the Atlanta skyline from my pretty office window on the 16th floor is pretty spectacular!

• Working from home is a HUGE advantage! I love that I can hunker down without distractions and get work done. Being able to do the occasional load of laundry when I need to is also a benefit!

• These days my commute is just up the stairs to my office!

• Having my dogs at my feet all day long is definitely my favorite part of working from home. If I get stressed or frustrated, a quick snuggle or playtime with the puppies puts me right back into a good mood. They are seriously good for the soul!

• My company has great benefits. I will soon be taking advantage of their maternity leave which is 12 weeks (yes, three months!) of leave fully paid! Yea, I know, pretty spectacular!

So there you have it – the best and worst parts of my work-from-home job for an Atlanta-based .com. I am blessed to love what I do and work for such a great company! A blonde in IT might still be rare but I'm glad to hold that title.

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