For those of you who don’t know, I just got back from a trip to Doha, Qatar. It is a small country in the Middle East, just off of Saudi Arabia. Northwestern University is opening up a new campus there this fall. They brought me over to interview for a tech support job.

I would be supporting their Mac computers for their Journalism and Comm students. It is a very similar skill set to what I did at WILL in the past. I miss working for a University and doing the video support work, so I was very intrigued by the position. At the same time I was a little leery (and excited) about traveling half way around the world to work in a country that I didn’t know much about. In addition to them getting to know a little bit more about me and how I fit in with their group, I was there to see how it would be to live in Qatar. Turns out that Doha is an up and coming city with hopes of being an economic center for the future. There were great architecturally beautiful towers going up everywhere, and they are spending a lot of money to bring in the best in education and medicine. All that, and the people were pretty nice also. I am a little concerned about the driving though. I don’t even drive in Chicago, so it seems a little hectic there, but I am sure I would get used to it. It was hot and humid, but nothing that air conditioning couldn’t solve.

There were a few issues with the job that I was concerned with before I made my decision. First was my diabetes. I just wanted to make sure that it wasn’t going to be a problem to continue getting the treatment that I needed to stay healthy. Turns out that there is a big problem with diabetes in the area and they are very good at treating it. The staff there was very familiar with the disease, and I am sure that it won’t be a problem getting everything that I need. Once I had that concern relieved, I needed to know what type of people I was going to be working with. Well, it turns out that the staff over there seem to be the best assembled group I have seen. Everyone seems to genuinely like the work and their fellow coworkers, and each is very qualified at their positions. There is a lot of work to be done to get a new program off the ground, and each of the staff seems to want to work together to get the program going. I could definitely see myself fitting in with such a good group. Lastly I was a little worried about the equipment that I would be supporting. I was a little worried that they were ordering equipment without the support techs in place. Again it was another fear that was quickly alleviated. I forgot that they could very easily get help from the Evanston campus. They have been doing this work for years over there and were very familiar with the equipment needs. I also met the equipment coordinator who turned out to be a marvel. She has had to work here way through a new culture to get items that aren’t as readily available as they are here in the states. She is doing an amazing job getting through the paperwork involved and learning her way with the local vendors. It is a huge project, and I feel badly that she is doing it on here own. I wish that I could be there to help here out.

So, I come back from a five day trip more excited about the opportunity than when I left. (also a little exhausted). Now, I have to admit, I really want to get the job. I don’t remember the last time that I wanted a job so much, but also I time when I was so unsure about my possibilities about getting it. Usually, I am pretty sure about getting a job, but this is a special situation. Because there is such a small team, isolated from everyone else, with a lot of work that needs to be done, team chemistry is so important to success. I really feel like I am qualified to do the work and can learn any new skills that I don’t already possess, but I just hope that I fit in with the team chemistry. I love the team that the boss has put together so far, so I really respect his judgment when it comes to hiring. I just have to hope that he (and the rest of the staff) were able to see enough to feel comfortable bringing me in. I would feel a lot more comfortable if I hadn’t spent the trip so sleep deprived that my brain was mush, and at the same time so hyped up on caffeine that I was afraid I was visibly jittery most of the time. I’ve always done well in my previous jobs, so I just hope that it showed through this time.

I should find out next week, and I will keep you posted.