Well, very soon winter break will be upon us, and with it comes the anniversary of A&S hiring me.

When I first started here a year ago, almost everything was new.  I'd made and edited videos before, but nothing like what I had to do when I started working.  It was like going from swimming in the kiddie pool to be dropped somewhere in the Pacific and having to swim just as well.  I had to ask around for help with nearly all my early projects.  It's amazing that the senior employees didn't get sick of me and chuck me out the window after a point.

My early videos were...less than stellar, to say the least.  Small errors that completely escaped me, but were obvious to anyone else who'd been working here longer than me.  Many edits were involved, if editing could salvage the wrecks I'd made.  It was panic-inducing to not be sure that my work was on par with what we expected to produce, as far as quality and timeliness goes.  Many nights, I went to sleep believing that I was completely in over my head.

But you know what?  Things got easier.  Eventually, I figured out what settings worked best for the Compressor and Final Cut Pro.  I knew what equipment would be needed for a shoot.  I even started producing a short series of videos called "Quick Reminders" to make things easier for future employees.

People have come and gone during my time here, and the HIVE is taking off now, giving us more requests and new technology to work with.  I'm not worried anymore; I know if I keep working on projects and learning new skills, I'll be able to continue making great videos and other projects for anyone and everyone who needs it.  The bosses aren't maniacal judges who'll press a button and make a trap door open beneath your feet if you make one or two mistakes now and again.  Most of the requests you get are not, in fact, impossible or designed specifically to wreck your sanity.  And your coworkers are students just like you, not some sort of video noble to your editing peasant and will look down on you for such.  Overall, it's rather nice here.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some editing to do.