I'm sorry. What did you just say?????

I met with my vice-president yesterday (he flew in from our Denver headquarters) to lay out my goals for the upcoming year. The VP would essentially be my manager's boss (my manager's name is Liz). I had several goals laid out that involved moving towards a manager/project manager role in the near future.

Me: How's it going?

VP: Great! Good to see you. How's Mrs. Lime and the baby?

Me: Doing well. Never a dull moment.

VP: Oh, I definitely remember those days. Well, I've read over your goals for this year and we're happy to pay for the project management training/test that you'd like to take. We basically have a policy where you pay for the test and then we reimburse you fully once you pass the test. We do it that way to make sure that people take it seriously and don't just waste the company's money. Make sense?

Me: Sure. Makes perfect sense to me. I'm certainly still very interested in taking the test and getting the certification.

VP: Great. I didn't think that would be an issue for you. You should do fine.

Me: Hopefully so.

VP: On to other issues. I know you're pushing forward and are a very enthusiastic employee. You're well-liked by your collegues and by the government group that we work with.

Me: Always happy to hear that.

VP: Absolutely. With that said, Liz would like to take on a strict testing role and remove herself from the management of the group. She indicated to me that you would easily be the best candidate to manage this team once she steps down.

Me: ***stunned silence***

VP: Is that a role you'd be interested in taking? Would you like our group here in K.C.

Me: ***still stunned*** Absolutely. I'd love the opportunity.

VP: Excellent. I really think you've done well moving into this group. You'll be reporting directly to me and giving me periodic updates on the group's work. You'll be responsible for all hiring in this group and will be the middle man if any work conflicts arise in the group with our clients. You'll also receive appropriate compensation for your change in job status once the full transition is complete in a couple of months.

Me: ***stunned***

VP: Any questions? You seem a bit surprised.

Me: (smile) Yeah, you could say that.

VP: I know I'm dropping this on you suddenly, but I think you'll do just fine. This should also set you up to move to other team management positions in the company if you ever decide that your current work is boring to you. We can always mix it up and get you some experience in other groups. The best way to learn how to do this stuff is to jump right in. You've got all the skills that are needed. I'm going to let you get your hands dirty and learn things the old-fashioned way.

Me: I'm certainly ready to do that. Thanks for the opportunity.

VP: Not a problem. You've earned it.

So, I've just been dumped into an all-new role. I can now officially add "Information Technology Management" to my resume. It's a big step from a resume perspective in that I haven't had management experience when interviewing for past job opportunities. Now, when they ask me about experience, I'll have actual management experience, which is a huge help in landing bigger management jobs down the road should I choose to pursue that. The nice thing about this position is that I'll be in a team management role, but I won't have to worry about an increase in working hours. I'll still just work my 40 hour week because I'm a contractor and the government refuses to pay overtime wages. It's really difficult to beat that.

Should be interesting to say the least.