Bittersweet

Just a little over two weeks until I go on vacation; still, there’s a dark cloud hanging over my head. See, my supervisor — my guru, who was on maternity leave when I first joined the company, but has been my go-to fount of knowledge ever since — has given her notice. Her last day is three days after I return from vacation.

I know that my responsibilities are going to change, and that I’m going to have to figure things out on my own now. I’ve been getting much better at that, but there have still been times when I’ve been stumped and have had to ask for her help. I know I’m not the only one on the team who has found her knowledge and assistance invaluable.

It’s not so much that I resent being given additional responsibilities (mainly involving the reporting technology we use) — it’s more that I’m concerned that I won’t be able to fill her shoes in that respect. She knows all the software tricks, or most of them. She knows the business rules behind the projects, and she’s developed relationships with the users. I don’t have that — not yet. I’m going to have to learn when to say I Can, and when to say It’s Not Possible, and how to pick my battles.

I do wish her well in her new job, even though things will be changing for all of us who are left behind. It’s been great to have a supervisor whom I can also count as a friend.