I have been noticing recently, that a lot of things in my life appear to coming full circle.
HackerAgency (where I am currently employed) is another example.
I started as Project Manager at Hacker on July 27th, 2015, my last day in the Seattle office will be? You guessed it. July 27th (I just realized this wonderful fact a few days ago, it wasn't planned purposely).
Over the course of my two years here, I have a ton of amazing memories.
Some highlights include:
-Our Account Manager convincing us to not "f*ck up" and take a picture to support our Free2Luv campaign - my picture is highlighted above where I #standfirm for Courage (top right). I actually did feel great once I physically got up, stepped away from my desk and supported their pretty incredible cause. You can read about it here:
-My consistent use of eloquent words and my co workers enjoyments of my "tact". Some examples from the last month are
-My manager wasn't feeling well and my reaction to seeing her was "Wow, you look horrible" (the normal reaction would NOT have been to tell someone they look awful when they are sick, but it really did come from a you should go rest and take care of yourself space)
-A coworker had on a new type/shade of lipstick - my reaction was "I really like your lipstick, it looks great on your face" (skin tone might have been a more appropriate word to use, rather than face lol)
-The fact that these statements were then "compliments by Maria" - I dole them out all the time :)
-This exact same co-worker/friend stating in a meeting that she is "new to this whole Project Management thing - so what exactly does the PM term/acronym SOL mean" (i.e. sh*t out of luck). It was the best, and she also pretty much hates that I tell this story ALL the time and have now officially added it into my blog :)
-Graduating from our Digital Marketing Certification Program. The teacher is our Director of Digital Innovation and he also teaches an evening course at the University of Washington, so I was grateful for the opportunity of the class.
I'm on the far right
-The opportunity to take (and pass!) the PMP exam. PMP stands for Project Management Professional. I took it with a co-worker. It was probably the hardest test that I have ever taken in my life. Shannon (the co-worker) and I practically lived together over the holiday break studying and prepping for the exam. We share an office, and for that month we pretty much shared our entire lives, but at the end of it we were both PMP graduates and really close friends. I'll be grateful for that forever.
-The fact that I got to pretty much touch all lines of business at Hacker. I started on the AT&T team with Cricket Wireless for my first year where I had my hands on all things digital. Then I was shifted over to Strategic Accounts where I worked on Bing, Progressive, SCI, Amazon and BMI. I love that I have had the opportunity to work for both AT&T and Strategic Accounts. Even though both divisions are under the same company, they operate really differently and it was nice to experience both sides of the coin.
Overall though, I think what I'll miss most about Hacker is the people.
While the projects I have worked on have been great, and there is always a sense of triumph/accomplishment when something gets off of the ground, the people were the best part. From voicing our frustrations, to encouraging each other to strive for more, to just being able to listen and support one another, the people have been what has made this place.
So thank you Hacker Agency, for a great two years! I really appreciate and am grateful for everything.
It will be so strange to walk into the Seattle office tomorrow and have it be my last day.
Onwards and upwards though right?
<3