I wanted to  share some interesting thoughts about my job as I approach my one year anniversary here at ArgonDigital. At first glance, the title might allude to a worker who is frustrated, but I assure you that is not the case. In fact, it is the exact opposite.

If you work for a company, you will find that most companies try to establish a work culture. ArgonDigital is no stranger to that idea. One thing that ties into ArgonDigital’s culture is their methodology. It is something you are trained in when you first join the company. Additionally, the methodology is something that should, over time, become almost second nature. The models and idea of gathering requirements are tools ArgonDigital hopes become ingrained. Once those skills have become habit, the productivity of your work should steadily increase. That being said, why is this worth mentioning?

Through my time at ArgonDigital, I have noticed that my work has become more productive through adoption of the culture. The one thing I did not count on was that culture spilling into my personal life and how I make decisions. Through using all of models and skills at work, I’ve noticed that the way I am making decisions very much aligns with ArgonDigital’s culture. It wasn’t until planning different trips that I realized that this culture had become so ingrained.

I am using decision trees to determine a course of action when there are multiple outcomes. I use feature trees to help determine what kind of car I want to buy or apartment I want to lease. Even if I wasn’t using Visio to draw up models, I was internally creating models in my head to hash out decisions. Whether this was how I operated before working at ArgonDigital, I don’t know. But, I can tell you that I am much more aware of it now. Being aware of this, I have started to try and use more of the skills I’ve learned in other areas of my life. I started using requirements gathering techniques to assist friends when they were having problems. I am using process flows to help instruct people on personal projects that I’ve done before. Even as I prepare to take a trip to Europe this summer, I’m using decision tables and process flows to keep track of what additional steps, related to the trip or not, need to be accomplished for this process to flow smoothly.

As someone who is both extremely creative and analytical, it can be hard to find balance and order. But as a requirements analyst and an employee at ArgonDigital, I can honestly say the skills and the culture of this company have allowed me to gain a better understanding of the world around me. ArgonDigital has allowed me to grow and feel as though I am better equipped to do my job every day.

That being said, my challenge to anyone who reads this is to look at what you do and the skills you use, and see if there is a way that those skills can improve your life as a whole. You will find more value in yourself and you will find more personal value in what you do at work.

Thanks for reading, and please feel free to share any personal experiences about how your work/company culture has helped you grow in the comments!