Dud Sea Scrawls The Writing, clearly, is not on the wall!

The job I am currently in is my first experience with the ‘corporate’ culture. I work as an Instructional Designer in an e-learning solutions provider company. Since mine is a ISO certified company, it seems that it is compulsory to have weekly trainings and loads of policies. My earlier job was in a newspaper and ‘meeting’ there meant me and my editor at loggerheads , fighting with each other and shouting at the top of our voice and then continuing this rather pleasant conversation over tea, brunch, lunch or dinner.

Meetings and trainings here mean usually and hour and half long (minimum) and I have no clue why they are held just before lunchtime; they make me listen to crap till my stomach growls and I am sure the entire conference room can hear it. I also have this very bad mental condition, which forces me to think of going to the loo that minute I hear the words training and meeting.

Normally this is what happens during our trainings and meetings: An issue or a query is raised which is not relevant to 90% of the people sitting there. A few handful then proceed to debate and speculate and argue and make suppositions and then debate and speculate and argue about the suppositions and then arrive at a conclusion about which they again debate and speculate and argue!! This whole time, I am chewing my nails and daydreaming about my tiffins while the mice in my stomach are dancing and jumping harder than Madonna.

Why have all of us there in the first place if we have nothing more to add than our hushed tones in which we continue to gossip or our totally blank and confused faces? While me and my friends normally find these a good opportunity to share titbits about the people present, rage in whisper about our bosses and play ‘Join the Dots’ and ‘Complete the Alphabet’, I really pity the people who sit in the front rows and have to show their attention by nodding and putting an expression of ‘comprehension.’

This again being my first time, all of this is really boring to me…. but till now I havent had that bad a time! Also working in corporate has its own perks. Alongwith the plethora of meetings and policies, there definitely have been some good points like going home at fixed hours, having weekly offs on Saturdays and Sundays (Aahhh!!) and basically doing you own work and getting out of the office.

Ciao,
Kauphy