M1NARET5

Travel, not travail

M1NARET5 — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:39:00 GMT

So, I've been busy lately. Now that I'm in Austin, there is a big need for me to travel more for 3 reasons:

Austin is the most central location in TX, and it's home to the state capitol as well as the main office of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Therefore, all the other offices in TX ask us Austin folk (all two of us Consultants) to run to the TCEQ to do file searches. There are enough stacks of papers and microfilm/microfiche to make your head explode. But it gets you out of the office, so it's not all bad.
Everyone in Dallas and Houston is really busy, to the point where they don't have time to go the places they want/need to go. Plus, as a Consultant, my time is cheaper than any supervisors'. So when there's a conference or a project that requires travel, it's easier to send me than someone else. And as I mentioned, Austin is more centrally located, so most places in TX are easily driveable from here.
I have received more responsibility lately because I have more experience now, and I'm in a smaller office that requires a greater workload from each member. Plus, I like to travel as long as it's not constant.

Anyways, let's see...Two weeks ago I got put on two fairly large projects, both with the prospect of a site visit. So I began planning car rentals, hotels, seeing if I knew any friends, etc. Turns out I only really needed to make one of those visits (too bad I had to miss out on that roaring good time in Texarkana), which freed me up to help with recruiting here in Austin at UT. So I came back on a Wednesday morning from the Houston area smelling like formaldehyde (Yes, I showered, but I had to wear the same shirt - and it didn't really smell at all, I was simply trying to convey the immediacy of events, gosh!) and began talking to students. Then I hear that I have to run to TCEQ to make A LOT of copies of permit applications for a Dallas client. I also learn that because someone is busy in Dallas, he can't attend a Seminar the following week, so it would be prudent for someone, ANYone to go in his stead. Like me!

Then comes the weekend. On the weekend, I went to ACL (Austin City Limits Music Festival) and yes, it was amazing. But a funny thing happens when you're an Air Quality Compliance Consultant - you begin to notice the quality of the air...Needless to say, after only one day of having hundreds of thousands of feet stepping all over Zilker Park, the place became a dust bowl. It literally made me sick. People were walking around with dust masks and bandanas covering their mouths and noses, because if you didn't, you'd have black snot and a mean cough. There was a PM (particulate matter) problem for sure. Anyways, we all survived and had a great time. I bought too many CDs.

On Sunday night, after ACL, I drove down to San Antonio (where the conference was) to stay with a friend. I know SA pretty well, seeing as how I grew up 35 miles away, so I knew my way around. I was attending a Texas Aggregate and Concrete Association (TACA) Environmental Seminar. It was pretty interesting, and I learned a lot more about the Aggregates industry (I've only really worked with lime manufacturers, which is still aggregates, but fairly different than these folks). Moreover, I learned how to interact with other representatives and potential clients. Did I win anyone? No. I did exchange some cards though, and I got Trinity's name out there. That's just as important. Now I'm back in Austin and settling down some.

The point of this entry is to show you that yes, Trinity does afford you the opportunity to travel if that's something you're interested in. I know I was/am. It can at times be stressful if you have too much going on. But thus far, I have found it to be at all times rewarding. It keeps you busy, and reminds you how varied and interesting our clients are. Anywho, here's me in Baytown, TX with one of the formaldehyde reactors just over my left shoulder, and a cooling tower adjacent to that (the big tall thing). To my right is a BDO tank that feeds the reactors, and above my head is essentially a series of heat exchange systems. Also allow me to assuage your fears: No, that's not pollutant being spewed in the air, it's steam.

~ttfn

Re - low - cay - shun

M1NARET5 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:45:00 GMT

Adoring reader, I've left you un-updated, lonesome, and likely worrisome of my dubious whereabouts. But I said I'd write you back, and I'm a man of my word, so here goes (better late than never):

Where to begin? It's been almost a year since my last Dear John. To be honest, it wasn't that I got bored of writing about all my goings-on, nor that I forgot about it. I was truly...busy (funny thing how that happens at work). Trinity has certainly groomed me quite well in the past year. With experience comes comprehension, with comprehension comes skill, with skill comes more work! I have learned so much, and I have seen such a variety of projects that I could garrulously expound on all the individual projects, site visits, performance reviews, personal and professional relationships, and travel I have undertaken in the last year. I think anyone reading this would agree that this would be both difficult to accomplish themselves, and mind-numbingly painful to read. So I will spare you that. I'll wrap it into this: I learned a lot, gained much more confidence and autonomy, advanced within Trinity, added a specialty, had to leave some good friends, and made some new ones.

To get back to the title, for myriad personal reasons, I decided that Charlotte was not the best place for me to be. I decided in July that I needed to be elsewhere, and I was pretty nervous about a) making the decision and b) letting everyone know. As I was well aware (and as my parents constantly reminded me), these kind of major decisions are not to be made lightly, and in America, are often grounds for tension in the workplace. There are many companies that do not especially care for the well-being of their employees, much less whether they are content with their careers or geographical location. Trinity is not one of these companies. From day one, I had been constantly reminded how supportive Trinity is, and how flexible it can be to work with its employees. I thought to myself, "Yeah, yeah, that's great, I'm sure it's true, but I'll never need to worry about it. I've got my plan, right?" Well, as I learned, plans change, especially at my age (23).

My initial anxiety was met with understanding, discussion and options. This was great! My office manager (Tony) and I were able to candidly talk about all the different things going on in my life, both personally and professionally, and he let me know that he would give me time to think about it, but also move along the paperwork. He let me know that of course he wanted me to stay, and that he greatly valued my contribution, but also understood my position. The word "bittersweet" does not adequately describe my move from Charlotte to Austin. I learned so much, and so valued the people I worked with in Charlotte. Even with just one year experience, these people were my friends, mentors, and colleagues. To leave them was hard, really hard. Yet I knew that Austin was where I needed to be. The welcoming spirit of Trinity HQ in Dallas was a good way to remind me that Trinity is great everywhere, and that I would find a good home with my new office, new (home) state. I have new regulations to learn, new clients to assist, new sites to visit, and new people to meet. At the same time, I still have all the experience and contacts I had in Charlotte, and I know everytime I call over there, I will get some nice greeting and likely some tomfoolery (sorry, I had to). For all the things going on in my crazy life right now, Trinity has been there to help me with the transition. You will be hard-pressed to find any company so willing to aid you, so understanding and cooperative with its employee's life plans. I cannot help but be continually impressed and endeared to such great people.

So I'll set my pom-poms down now, and just let you cogitate on this for a while. Trinity was just as committed to me as I was to it. Can you ask for more?

P.S. I promise to write again soon (less than 10 months from now). Make it a great day, ~ttfn.

What a difference a year makes

M1NARET5 — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:18:00 GMT

It has indeed been awhile since my last post, but hey, everyone's busy. It's strange to see the seasons turn and not correlate it with the step increase of classes or a general feeling for a semester. There are no midterms or tests or projects to juxtapose with the equal advancement of nature's colors, migrations and weather. There is however, a sense of constant forward thinking, of continual (often unrelenting) growth. I have touched many projects recently, and my repertoire is certainly growing. Sure, I still need guidance and plenty of correction, but I think I'm getting better at this. I know where to look for things at least. There have been promotions, departures, and new arrivals lately, but the pace remains the same. As with anything, there is fluidity with routine, and that's what keeps things lively.

There is a sense of renewal in the recruiting term. I went to UVA (I'd never been to Virginia, and it was gorgeous) and found that simply restating the job description and activities to others was helpful in reminding me why I took this job. Also, the fact that Trinity sent me (by myself) as a representative, having only been with the company for 3 months, says a lot about the trust and expectations of their new hires. There is a sense of community too. We had a staff outing in mid-September (see picture below) and went whitewater rafting at the Whitewater Center here in Charlotte. Not only is it where Olympians train, but it's also really cool from an engineering perspective. Anyhoo, that was fun and it was good to hang out with some of the office folk outside of work.

Life is barreling on too. I'm really enjoying Ultimate (tall and lanky people are made for this sport) and I just got back from camping with the youth group at my church. It was nice to get to know some of the kids and spend time outdoors with the other advisors too. This weekend I'm meeting my girlfriend in Asheville for a Mason Jennings concert and hiking. As usual, I hope you have a good day!

Mondays are glorious, and other facts you learn

M1NARET5 — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 20:42:00 GMT

Today is indeed glorious, because Mondays always seem to go smoothly. The morning is filled with how-are-yous, weekend story regurgitations, and the ever enthralling Rollup Call between the Charlotte and Raleigh office, and people who are located elsewhere. It actually is a nice change of pace, and good to hear what other people are doing during the upcoming week.

Workwise, I have been very busy this past week, and it has been very gratifying. I did two panicked projects the clients needed start to finish in two days. It was good to work under pressure, be completely focused, and to know that I was helping to solve a major problem for a company. By getting our work done fast, but still with the highest quality, we saved our clients a big headache and a lot of cash. One of the companies was unable to operate until we got the paperwork out - they were losing money ever hour they weren't running, so it was satisfying to help them conquer that problem. I also got my first deliverable completed and sent last Wednesday (I'll keep a copy for my mom to read through). Albeit a small endeavour, (a modeling protocol, which is very light both in terms of heft and information pooled) I was really happy to see one of my projects to fruition, and to know that it was being evaluated by both the client and state regulators. As "56ers", we are tasked with "adding value" to everything we do. I like the way the head of HR put it: We're billing machines. I'll take that with a smile on my face.

Lifewise, it's been exactly two months since my start date here at Trinity, (about 2.5 months in Charlotte) and things are going great. I visited a friend in Phoenix recently, and it was really great to travel on my own time (and money, Priceline is nice). Sam (one of my coworkers who also just started) had his birthday yesterday, so we had a nice grill outside, cake, friends, etc. I also went hiking on Thursday, and it was awesome. Great weather, good views, and in general nice to get out of Charlotte. I finally found some Ultimate Frisbee pickup games in the area, and met some people doing that too. Church is going well, and I'm getting to know some people through that, and I'm getting involved with the Youth Group and other activities, so things are looking up. I'm excited to be getting over this cold/whatever it is that I've had for the last week, and I'm looking forward to traveling again soon. Looks like I'll be going back to Vandy to visit my girlfriend over Labor Day weekend, then Trinity is sending me to a State Environmental Course in Charleston, then we have our office summer outing (rafting), then I'm recruiting at UVA, and more and more...

As always, I hope you're having a good day, and if not, well, go cry about it and eat ice cream. ~ttfn

I finally made it to the starting line...

M1NARET5 — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 20:31:00 GMT

I say this because it's my shoddy metaphor for where I think I am right now. I've been thinking a lot about where I was 9 months ago compared to where I am now (besides the physical change of moving from Nashville to Charlotte). Last November/December I had finally finished sending out scores of resumes and going to career fairs, etc. I was finishing up interviews with Trinity and several other companies and praying for some kind of response to get this whole 'having a job' thing out of my mind and enjoy my Senior year. I would say it was somewhat serendipitous that I landed a) with Trinty and b) in Charlotte. I'm with Trinity because someone made a last minute appearance to a career fair at Vandy, and I'm in Charlotte because two of my roommates from Vandy also moved here. I really wanted to work for Trinity because I wanted to use a variety of my skills. I did not want to just do engineering calculations or run simulations all day, nor did I want to write gobs of summary text. I wanted to have a more interdisciplinary job, where both my engineering and writing knowledge/interest would be needed. I work now in a place that demands the details of emissions calculations with the big picture of environmental air quality. I work now in a place where monetary, ethical and client considerations are of equal and full importance.

Coming out of school, it is so hard to imagine the kind of work you will be doing and what it will mean for you. I would have to say that so far, working is a lot like I expected it to be: it's difficult, and your days are a lot shorter. Yet there is also something somewhat unexpected. I'm already proud of what I've been able to accomplish, and I know I have a lot more coming up. People are depending on me to do my best, and there is fulfillment in that, moreso than any 'A' I may have gotten in college (plus, that whole 'having money' thing). I just got back from traveling to another office yesterday and I'm realizing that I am at the starting line and the gun is going off. I have a lot of work to do, but that's a good thing. I can't hide behind anyone and just say "I'm new here", this is for real! Many of my friends I graduated with are still in training programs, or have just recently finished training and are easing into work. Though sometimes I might wish for that kind of introduction, it is indeed gratifying to know that I am already ahead of them in terms of experience and responsibility. Soon I will be getting even more clients, more contacts, more knowledge and more success. There are very few companies out there that can offer what Trinity has. This is definitely a challenge, but it's absolutely worth it. ~ttfn

What every recruit wants to know.

M1NARET5 — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:52:00 GMT

Yes, yes, today is my one month anniversary here at Trinity, and frankly, it's hard to believe. I have had plenty of good days (usually involving lots of meetings and food) and a few bad ones (usually involving that eyes-glazed-over look and praying for 5 pm. to come sooner). I've worked on several projects already, including Day 1, and I feel like I've learned a lot. This does not mean that I'm in any way competent, but I don't think anyone expects me to be. I've been quite busy bothering Tom, my direct supervisor, and Tony, my Office Manager with questions nearly every day, but that's how you learn here. There's a lot of reading involved, and you have to be able to slow down and take your time, instead of diving into a project face first. Of course, after you finished reading, you'll still be confused, if not more so, and you'll still land face first, but NEXT time you get a project, it will have helped a great deal.

I will now cut to the chase and attempt to do what no other recruiter can tell you; that is, sum up pretty much any job at Trinity with one line:

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?sid=797a59bf6e8f8ed41bae72564b4a2db8&c=ecfr&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title40/40tab_02.tpl

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, this is the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40 - Protection of Environment. This is what Trinity and our livelihood depends on. This is what every Consultant revolves around, references, memorizes and follows. This is why we have jobs and make money. Of particular note, parts 52, 60, and 63 pretty much compose everything we do. Oh, and there are LOTS of acronyms you can throw around like it's no ones business. For those of us who could previously only enlist PTS Reports in an acronym battle, now we have NESHAPS, NSPS, PSD, SERs, MACT, HON, MON, OLD, GACT, RACT, BACT, BART, and so many more.

My office currently comprises 7 people, one of whom works from home part time, and one of whom is currently in China on leave. We're a small group, but we get things done and we have fun too. Fridays are casual (nice jeans and a collared shirt) and we always go out to eat for lunch somewhere. The best thing so far is the fact that everyone will help you as much as possible. The worst thing is, even when you think you understand something, when you go to do it, it's still pretty hard/confusing. It's a challenge though. I'm looking forward to traveling soon and I'm already feeling more confident in my work, and I think I have a pretty good general understanding of how things work. Oh, I also got my second paycheck yesterday, so that was a very sweet feeling indeed. Anywho, I hope all of you are doing well, and that you have a good day! My weekend will be filled with more shopping at Costco, disc golfing, and getting settled with my new church. ~ttfn

Howdy!

M1NARET5 — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 16:21:00 GMT

My name is Matt Byrne, and I am originally from Texas. I was born on the coast in Corpus Christi and I grew up in the beautiful Hill Country in Boerne. Boerne's 30 minutes from San Antonio, but still has a wonderful small town feel. I went to college in Nashville, TN at Vanderbilt University, and loved every minute of it. I graduated in May 2007 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in German. Nashville is a great place to live and I will certainly be visiting it often. Now of course, I live in Charlotte, NC and I'm a Consultant here at Trinity.

My passion has to be music, but I'm also quite fond of serving God. Other staunch endorsements of mine include, but are not limited to: Colgate Total toothpaste, the San Antonio Spurs, correct grammar, Dumb & Dumber, and never ever popping collars. Trinity is going well so far, and I'll be sure to post more about what I'm actually doing later. Anyways, I hope all of you are having a great day, and if you're not, I'm sure there's still time to go eat ice cream, or sit by the pool, or go on YouTube and laugh at a guy getting hit in the crotch by a baseball, or get a hug, or whatever you like. ~ttfn