Author Topic: so nervous!  (Read 4347 times)

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neon stars

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so nervous!
« on: Feb 21, 2008, 07:08 am »
I'm sorry if this is a) offtopic and b) in the wrong place! I just need a bit of reassurance.

Quick back story- People on the technical/management course at my Uni are seconded to the International Arts Festival here. I'm down as a "Non-Technical General Assistant"..this becomes relevent in a minute. Because the production manager of the venue I'll be based at won't be there 'til next week (he's working another show) I'm not really needed until later next week so I've been asked to come in on the weekend for what I think is pack-in (it's completely my fault that I don't know whats happening because his cell line was dodgy) and I'm freaking out. Pure 'techie' stuff is not my strong point and whilst at Uni I'm fine, this is a professional environment and I'm really freaking out. It's a small city and I hear stories of fellow students tainting their reputation already. I have strengths in other areas so going in there still as a newbie is freaking me out!

So, should I ring again (even though I am mortified still from the last convo) and see what I'm doing or wait 'til I'm there and let them know where I am in my learning if I am expected to be 'Tech Extraordinaire'. Or should I just say nothing!

Thanks guys..sorry to be so silly. I've got a bit of extra time on my hands lately which means I have too much time to think!  :-[

« Last Edit: Feb 21, 2008, 07:10 am by neon stars »

zayit shachor

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Re: so nervous!
« Reply #1 on: Feb 21, 2008, 07:36 am »
Don't be sorry - being nervous when you don't know what's going on is totally understandable!

I highly doubt that anyone will expect you to be Tech Extraordinaire, since your title is "Non-Technical General Assistant."  Since you won't be needed until later next week, they probably just need an extra set of hands to help move boxes or something like that.  Just remember, if anyone ever asks you to do something that you don't know how to do, just tell them that you haven't been trained in area.

Calling your production manager again might not be a bad idea - let him know that his cell was spotty the last time you talked, and tell him you'd like to know more about what will be expected of you this weekend. 

Also, try talking to other people at your Uni who have done the festival before.

Most importantly, DON'T WORRY!  You'll be fine, I promise!  Try not to stress out about the upcoming weekend - you will probably have a lot of fun!

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

neon stars

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Re: so nervous!
« Reply #2 on: Feb 23, 2008, 05:54 am »
Don't be sorry - being nervous when you don't know what's going on is totally understandable!

I highly doubt that anyone will expect you to be Tech Extraordinaire, since your title is "Non-Technical General Assistant."  Since you won't be needed until later next week, they probably just need an extra set of hands to help move boxes or something like that.  Just remember, if anyone ever asks you to do something that you don't know how to do, just tell them that you haven't been trained in area.

Calling your production manager again might not be a bad idea - let him know that his cell was spotty the last time you talked, and tell him you'd like to know more about what will be expected of you this weekend. 

Also, try talking to other people at your Uni who have done the festival before.

Most importantly, DON'T WORRY!  You'll be fine, I promise!  Try not to stress out about the upcoming weekend - you will probably have a lot of fun!

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

thanks a lot! i really needed some reassurance. im only this nervous if i dont know whats going on so im definately going to take note of making sure i know whats happening with things like this in the future! i spoke to one of the tutors at school who was great and gave me some good advice also. ill have to be brave and say "im not trained in that" even if it makes me feel silly..i hate not being able to help people!
well, id best get to bed so im not tired on top of stressed tomorrow!
thanks again..will update tomorrow evening if im not too shattered! :)

TtheAmazing

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Re: so nervous!
« Reply #3 on: Mar 05, 2008, 10:45 am »
quick story to cheer you up:
i was hyped up by  friends that i was a badass techie to this professional lighting tech who was coming in to my high school to set up the show we were doing. he was awesome, but he thought I was just as awesome, so he starts giving me my orders for the afternoon, i nodded and processed what he wanted, only I DIDN'T KNOW half of what he was saying. I was at the time great with sound work, but hadn't touched lighting really. I had no idea that a "two-fer" was about splitting a lighting cable, or any of that stuff. When he was done, I organized my thoughts, and said "ok, show me a two-for, how to patch a dimmer to a channel, and where this type of plug needs to go".
he was perfectly pleasant and quickly but not in a rushed way showed me what i needed to know to finish the job. I  was calm and focused, and i learned what i needed, and helped him wonderfully for the rest of the week.

MORAL OF STORY: Don't ever be scared to ask. The person IN THE KNOW was at one point NOT IN THE KNOW just like you.
Circus Performer by Night, Stage Manager by ... um also Night

Mac Calder

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Re: so nervous!
« Reply #4 on: Mar 05, 2008, 07:42 pm »
I respect people more when they say "Sorry, I don't know how to do that, can you show me?" than when they say "Sure" then do something incorrectly.

The company I work for runs a training program called TOPS. Basically, it is a short course for people who want to break into the AV industry, and at the end of the program, you are promoted to a "Level 1 AV Technician" within the companies internal ranking system. Sadly, a few Toppers come out of the program with the opinion that they know what they are doing, and are ready to handle shows, which is not the case (my personal opinion is that the TOPS program spits out graduates with a diploma in pushing cases and putting up drape lines who have at least 6 months of on the job before I would even consider them for babysitting a lecturn).

The Toppers that go far (and eventually move from Level 1 to Level 2, then Level 3 and finally to Technical Director (estimated time to TD rank is 10 years)) are the ones that admit to not knowing something and ask to be shown.

The Toppers that say they are ready to jump in the deep end and get given complex jobs and then do them badly, invariably become a member of the operations team, or leave the company..... Not sure if that is a good moral (be bad at what you do, and you will get moved to lower management)

So what I am trying to say is: If you are honest and up front about your abilities, yet show yourself to be willing to learn, you will NEVER taint your reputation. If you lie about your skills and don't live up to what you say you can do... well maybe there is a job in management for you... So it's not all bad... :P

neon stars

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Re: so nervous!
« Reply #5 on: Mar 06, 2008, 09:53 pm »
thanks to everyone who posted! really helpful info and stories.

turns out, it was all ok. i think i had built it up in my head that it was going to be uber crazy and i would be thrown in at the deep end. i did get thrown in, but not as bad as i thought i would have been. there were plenty of people around and they all had their specific jobs so i didn't have a load of stuff to do..a show is supposed to run even if we werent there and the shows i worked on definately were like that so i didn't feel too pressured. the production manager i worked with was great and i learnt a lot. i got some great feedback from artists/their management and people working on the festival who said i did a good job and that i didn't come across as a student. awesome. i had to battle to an extent the impression that previous classmates had left when they worked for pay at this venue ie that they thought they were hot stuff (similar to what Mac Calder said) but i thought that might happen...but it was hard when people asked me where i was from and i then had to explain i was a student from this training institute and hoping people wouldn't then think or assume i was big headed.

so anyway,all's well that ends well. im now off to pop a couple of nurofen for my sore muscles.

thanks again!
« Last Edit: Mar 07, 2008, 12:45 am by zayit shachor »

 

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