Well. Operation "Skill-Building Short-Term Phase" in My Rudderless Career Plan Drops into Place

My 36-hour-marketing-class-in-a-book appears to have worked better than expected. I arrived at my 10 a.m. meeting with the uber-boss sounding like a professional, spouting out terms like "strategic message" and "initiatives." We had one of those giddy brainstorming sessions where my ideas fed into her concepts and vice versa, and we came up with a structural plan that was actually pretty clever and coherent, if I do say so myself. The kids are gonna love it. (I should note, I had the Dummies book in tow, so she's under no illusions I know what I'm talking about.)

The real proof, however, seems to be evidenced in the speed with which my immediate boss chased me down afterward to follow up on my job description/promotion proposal submitted to him in February. (Yes, February. I've been agitating at intervals since, with nary a response. It's the usual management black hole. I am alleged to have been put in for a raise, the proof of which might show up by September.)

So I gave a laundry list of what I want to be in charge of; ergo, I appear to now be in charge of pubs and marketing and membership development, and the uber boss later introduced me to a development big wig with whom I'm apparently going to be working. That's a bit unnerving, in that I hope that these people don't think I'm an experienced professional rather than someone with a Dummies book. Experience for resume: good. Failing spectacularly due to being in over my head: bad.

Anyway, I'm angling for an assistant director-type position, and I'm thinking that it might be a real possibility. It's unfortunate that this place was (is) so mismanaged and populated by loonies. The uber boss has a good open style that jibes really well with my approach, and she seems to have good instincts about a lot of things. She also adores my propensity to bullet point stuff.

So, the plan: get more money, get better title, build skills. Keep ear to the ground for other jobs. (Network for me, people!) Soon, I'll be able to sell myself as a communications/publications/development professional.