My First Week at NSR

As you may recall from a previous post, I began working with Northern Sky Research (NSR) very recently. In fact, I just finished my first week with the company, and I'd like to take the time to tell you how it went.

My first week has certainly been interesting. My activity has ramped up considerably and I've been learning a lot. 

On my first day, I had a chance to meet some of my coworkers, via a conference call. We discussed some projects coming up, and loosely discussed the process and procedure for completing those projects. Everyone at the company has been very friendly and helpful, helping me make the most out of my time so far. I spent most of my first day just becoming familiar with NSR, and its internal databases and such.

I also worked to set myself up for ease of work and accessibility. This is something easily overlooked in any kind of work environment, but I wanted to make sure that I had a system which would work well for me. NSR analysts work very independently so I had both the luxury and the responsibility to ensure that I could easily access all of the required material, interface well with the company, and develop a system suited to my workflow. Obviously, this is something to be developed, as I'll be learning more and more about NSR over time, but I made a good start.

I set up my laptop, browser, and tablet, connecting them through various online platforms such as OneDrive. I've used these before, but each one is a little different and it felt nice to have everything I needed at my fingertips.

My tablet, a Surface 3 that I won from Microsoft, was configured as well. Before now, I wasn't exactly sure how I would use this tablet. I have been fortunate recently to have an abundance of devices and wasn't sure where this tablet fit into my life, into my work. However, future work with NSR will be mobile, going to conferences, leading panels and presentations, and discussing industry developments with others in the industry. The Surface is far more transportable than my laptop so I took the time to set it up properly.

Much of my week has been devoted to reading. While I have kept my eyes open regarding developments in the satellite telecommunication world, there is much to learn. Plus, NSR has an incredible wealth of information on this subject, since that is what they do, so I have taken the time to familiarize myself with the macrocosm that is satcom.

Toward the end of this week, I had another meeting, wherein we discussed the scope of my work to come, and assigned some tasks. I have a lot more reading to do, and a lot of research to get started. I am sure that the coming weeks are going to become busier and busier and soon I'll be at a point where it will be tough to conceptualize free time, let alone have any. This is common, this happens, and I will have to work very hard to make sure that work doesn't envelop my life.

So far, my schedule has worked out very well for me, and those close to me. I work what is considered a normal schedule, taking breaks for food, stretching, and keeping in touch with friends and family. My girlfriend lives 6 timezones away so managing my time, and accommodating her schedule, is very important to me. The great thing is that I set my schedule; as long as I get my work done, I can work whatever time of day I choose. Still, I am aiming for consistency and reliability, a disciplined approach, so we'll see how well that stands up to stress and an increased workflow.

My first week at NSR has taught me a lot about the satellite telecom business. I have re-learned who the key players are, and learned a lot about the developments underway, and I have started to see the trends of the business. I look forward to collecting data, analyzing it, and bringing my information together in reports.

Thanks for reading!