A Day In The Life Of A Rookie: Learning Curve

As week three comes to a close, I begin to reflect on what the previous two hectic weeks have taught this wide-eyed rookie and what differentiates me from the SS employee I was during my first blog.

I’ve started assisting and coordinating on the installation side of Storage Solutions more and more which has been great. Although I’m still a rookie, it’s satisfying to know that I’m able to contribute to a company that’s doing business with incredible clients, located all over the nation. Texas, New Jersey, North Carolina and Illinois are just a few states we’re operating in! (Check out our Project Spotlight Blog to see what we’re working on!)

Now, I’d like to say I’ve improved immensely with the added responsibility over these last two weeks, but that wouldn’t necessarily be true. By no means have I regressed, but I’m slowly catching on… to the little things. The biggest “little thing” being the lingo.

Coordinating with installation crews and rental equipment companies may not sound tough, but when you don’t understand the lingo, it can be frustrating for both sides.

The heavy equipment our installation crews use is something that was new to me. Not anymore. Have you ever had those moments where you see something for the first time, and from that point forward you see it everywhere you go? That’s how I feel about forklifts and scissor lifts.

Forklifts as far as the eye can see. I see them on the back of trucks driving down the highway, when I’m sitting next to a construction zone in traffic, never in my life did I stop to notice a forklift or think about its functionality and why they’re so common. And then there’s fork/scissor lift lingo; Trimast, 5k, ES, RT, dual fuel, the list goes on.

Luckily with the equipment the lingo is self explanatory. For example, a 3394 scissor lift is called so because it raises 33 feet and has a 94 in. wide platform.

I was talking with Nate Storey, Operations Manager, earlier this week and he asked me how things were going. I said “Some days I come in, and everything is a breeze. Others, I feel lost”

“There’s a long learning curve in this industry” Nate told me. “Things will eventually start to click.”

I’m confident things will start to click, I’m learning everyday and already feel 10x smarter than when I wrote my last blog. I’m sure this trend will continue!