The view from week 3

Hello, I’m Julie and I’m new here.

Actually, I’m not just new here at Floricane, but new in a broader sense to the 9-5, vacation-taking, happy-hour attending world of full time employment. When I sat down for my first interview with Floricane a few weeks ago, I was working part time at both the VMFA and the Virginia Center for Architecture and interning at 1708 Gallery. The VMFA is where I unknowingly met John for the first time, about a week prior to my interview, when I had to ask him if he would “please keep a foot away from the paintings." Maybe the universe was trying to prep me for the thousand and one moments I would have to ask him for clarification in Floricane related tasks a few weeks later. Maybe I’m stretching it. Either way, it made for the most disarming interview I’ve ever been a part of.

After I recovered from the revelation that I had chastised my potential boss, I composed myself enough to answer the interview question that I’ve kept thinking back on during my first few weeks here at Floricane. Debra asked me what the top three things I was looking for in a job were. In what I’m sure was a rambling waterfall of words, I said that I was looking for an amiable, welcoming work environment, a job that challenged me and offered me a chance to gain new skills, and a company whose work I could believe in and rally behind.

Although I've only been at Floricane for a little over two weeks, all three of those qualifications have been met and surpassed. On my very first day Caroline and Lesley convinced me to leave my packed lunch in the fridge and head out to lunch. No one made fun of my music choices on the office stereo. I’m already getting all of Theran’s sarcastic texts. I have felt included, heard, and know that any help I need figuring out this whole young professional world is only a desk away.

Being a young professional (emphasis on the former), there is a lot to figure out. In my first day alone I think I downloaded 7 different kinds of office software and organizational apps. There are many moving parts to this job, and like everyone told me in the interview; there is no such thing as a “typical day” at Floricane. The opportunities to learn here are seemingly endless. I’ve got event calendars to finalize, marketing skills to hone, and a whole lot of fancy consulting lingo to catch up on (do people still say lingo?). The likelihood that I’ll get bored is hovering around zero percent.

The most exciting thing for me about working with Floricane is the chance to be a part of a team that truly cares about helping people grow and succeed. Everyone here is not only invested in their own clients, but in seeing the Richmond community thrive. That’s a passion that I share, which is good because all we ever really talk about is Richmond. If you’re reading this, you probably share our pride and borderline obsession with this little city and it’s potential to be great.  I hope to meet you and trade ideas at our next workshop soon.