All of a sudden Rachel Killington is faced with a heavy new responsibility at the local radio station. In at the deep end My revolutionary objective to take the radio industry by storm has collided with an unforeseen obstruction. My principal proposal - to revitalise my initial career plan with renewed vigour and determination - has been impeded by certain unexpected circumstances. In other words - just when you think things are progressing, everyday life gets in the way.
I haven’t really had the time to focus much on future career plans because I’ve been so busy with the present. At work I’m going to be pretty much flat out for the next three weeks. The Black Thunder team co-ordinator (John) is going away on a sailing holiday and I’m the one who has to step into his shoes for that period. Yes, I have done the job before, but only once and never for that length of time, and the longer he’s away, the more opportunity there is for things to go amiss! Don’t get me wrong - John works hard and deserves the time off, but whilst he’s enjoying life on the ocean waves I’m terrified that once I’m thrown in at the deep end I’ll end up floundering with my head just above the water, or worse still, I’ll drown! Risk or opportunity?I guess the logical thing to do would be to see it as a challenge - a chance to prove my ability and worth. I should be overjoyed that I’m trusted enough to have had the baton handed to me (albeit for a short sprint), but I can’t afford to be blasé as I know that if anything DOES go wrong it’s up to me to sort it out, or face the consequences. John isn’t overly anxious about leaving me in charge but he is an eternal optimist who has done the job for years, and done it well, and I’m convinced that a lot of his confidence in my ability is down to pre-holiday excitement! There just seems to be so much to organise. The Black Thunder team provide the ‘face’ to the radio station and we are out in the local area everyday in our station branded ‘Black Thunder’ vehicles. We do on-air links back to the studio everywhere we go, and as a team, our motto is ‘make someone’s day’. In term time we take children to school in our 4x4 vehicles which is a great job - the kids adore being chauffeured with their friends on their ‘cool ride’, and when we arrive (usually at a horribly early hour) their little faces are a picture. We visit local businesses mid morning armed with goody bags full of donuts to cheer up the workday, and spend most afternoons ‘stickerblitzing’, where we hand out our car stickers, and other freebies such as vouchers for local attractions. Weekends are always busy as we attend local carnivals, fetes, shows and other events, and we have a number of regular live on-air competitions and giveaways out in the local community too. Lots to doWe try to attend as many local events as we possibly can, and there is always something going on somewhere, so there is usually an awful lot to be organised! I find it particularly daunting that I’ll be responsible for the successful running of the Black Thunders - a team which at last count had 16 members - even though I am not one to evade responsibility and I know that I’m capable of doing the job. Needless to say, my original intention to enhance my career with experience in other areas of radio has been put on the back-burner for a while now, as I won’t really have any spare time. For the foreseeable future I’ll be tied up with Black Thunder work, and that will always take precedence over any other career development I have in mind, because it is my main priority - it is what I’m employed to do after all, and it’s a job I love. It’s going to be a challenge but if I can do it- and do it well- who knows what other opportunities could come my way. So now all I have to do is take a deep breath and jump into the uncharted waters… and hope that I don’t sink. See Rachel's previous job logs:Has covering for colleagues helped you to advance, or is it just extra work? Email Rachel your comments and experiences. | 
