The big desk

Well, since MommaLlama didn't brag on me yet, I will go ahead and toot my own horn. I got a promotion at work a couple weeks ago. You are now reading the words of a "Senior Underwriter".

Oh yes, it is every bit as impressive as it sounds. Well, not really. It's exactly the same job that I had before. Same assignments, same workload, same goals. But there are some major benefits to this whole Senior thing. The first has to do with what they call my "letter of authority." That means that I can do more without needing a manager to sign off. I can quote larger accounts, and I can give them more aggressive prices, all by myself. They trust me with literally millions of dollars of exposure to loss. Ain't that a scary thought? Of course I'll always be audited and supervised and checked-up on, and I can still get smacked down if I make a mistake. But for most of the ordinary day-to-day transactions, I can do what needs doing without having to make an appointment and explain myself to someone. I haven't had trouble getting those sign-offs for a long time because my managers trusted my judgment and signed nearly everything I proposed. But it takes time to go through that, and frankly it's a little bit annoying and even humbling. And I am not the most humble person you've ever met. So I am now free to oversee my own little corner of the market and do what I want with it. Very cool.

And, referring to the title of the post, one of the very best benefits of all is my new desk. Seniors get bigger desks. Previously, I had what could be described as a quarter of a cubicle. Not much desk space, two miniature file cabinets, a bookshelf in the hall that I had to share, and three other people in my "pod". So now that I am a Senior, I have a "half cube" which includes a big extra counter top behind my chair, like 2.5' x 6', with two extra little chairs for visitors to sit on, and a bookshelf of my own. Not only is it spacious and comfortable, but I only have one neighbor in my "pod", another newly minted Senior, and she is the quietest person you've ever met. And there's nothing across the hall from us but a file room. It is the most wonderfully quiet space in the building.

The best part of all, I admit, is the ego boost. I can't tell you how badly I wanted to achieve this arbitrary milestone by this age. I feel like an actual adult with an actual career.

So, sorry if I'm bragging, I don't want it to go to my head. I just wanted to celebrate and share the joy of the big quiet half-cube with private bookshelf.