100 Days of Employment at Rolls-Royce

November 1, 2021, I walked into the Meridian Center in Downtown Indianapolis for my first day of employment with Rolls-Royce North America.

I had no clue what to expect. Here I was - packed up everything I owned and moved states away in the middle of pandemic uncertainty. This was the furthest I had ever lived away from my family in South Carolina. Only 4 days earlier, I closed on my quaint, recently refurbished home that sits about 2.5 miles south of the office. My belongings had just been delivered less than 48 hours before Day One, so the hunt for the perfect first day dress was all I could think about. That, and preparing for Halloween trick-or-treaters.

Promptly at 8:50am, I proceeded to the security desk and met Mandy. I had so many questions for her about the lay of the land. Mandy was very kind and easy to talk to. She prepared my visitor badge and welcomed me to the organization. Shortly after, my US supervisor, George, was in the lobby. He greeted me with a smile, a handshake, and a "Hello, Daisy! Welcome to Rolls-Royce!" before we set off to our conference room on the seventh floor.

Working at Rolls-Royce, and transitioning from the healthcare industry to manufacturing, has been an eye-opening experience. In my role, I am responsible for producing content to keep my colleagues informed about organizational developments. This grants me the opportunity to meet and work with a wide variety of people. In any given week, I can be in a conference room meeting with top officials for my division, or on the shop floor learning about propulsion from manufacturing engineers with more than 30 years of experience. Being able to genuinely connect with spectrum of individuals from all walks of life is a gift that I do not take for granted.

One thing that has impressed me the most about the organizational culture at Rolls-Royce is the emphasis placed on collaboration. I have yet to come across a coworker who was unwilling to offer guidance or knowledge. The ideology of helping one another 'be at their best' is strong throughout the organization. I look forward to continue learning and adding value to Rolls-Royce. We're off to a great start!

To anyone questioning when is the right time for a career change, I encourage you to pray about it. Ask yourself if you are still learning in your current job. Remind yourself of the work tasks and projects that brought you the most excitement and seek opportunities that would allow you to do more of that. Create a LinkedIn profile and get inspired by the positive posts about the industry you are interested in being/or staying a part of. Dust off that resume and update it. We were created to conduct work - so find out what makes work most enjoyable for you. Job changes should make you a little nervous because it matters to you. You know you can do it scared! The only "bad choice" is allowing yourself to stay stagnant because you are comfortable. There's a lot of adventure on the other side of comfort!