Fly Me to the Moon

I’m several weeks into my new job at NASA. I’m elated and frightened.

I’m experiencing a new employee’s stress. Besides learning the location of the kitchen, and when the trash is collected, I’m incredibly scared of screwing up. Of missing some vital assignment or suggesting the wrong thing or telling the wrong joke. So much shared culture has built up here, and I’m afraid of suggesting the taboo topic, the subject that will forever tarnish my reputation.

Of course, there’s absolutely no evidence of this. My co-workers have been universally kind, understanding, and explanatory. In fact, if this were a place where an ignorant suggestion would forever tarnish my reputation, I wouldn’t want to work here.

But I do want to work here. Badly. I want to spend the next 20 or 30 years of my career here.

Plus, I’m now beginning to receive real work assignments, serious responsibility. I don’t want to screw this up.

No, it’s  more than that: I want to succeed brilliantly. I don’t want to do okay; I want to do great things here. I want to bring NASA big successes.

Without offending anyone or screwing up.