My Position

When I started “working” at Amulet I was around 13-ish. My dad would bring me into work with him some days over the summer to save money on hiring a babysitter while I was out of school. My sister eventually came into work too. Dad would have us do simple tasks like putting module boards into their packages or assembling some of the easier board components –like the leg stands. It was boring. My sister and I would chat chit together and make jokes to keep ourselves amused. We would “work” for a couple of hours each day helping out.

Then we got older. It was around the age of 17-18 that I was allowed to start programming the flash compiler into the boards. It was equally boring. You plug the board into the computer using a USB cord and in some cases also attach a power supply cord plugged into the wall. Then you go on your computer and hit a button on an open screen that says Compile HTML. Then you do the touch screen calibration with a stylus to make sure the touch screen works. Then you make sure the color looks right and there isn’t any dust or cracks on the screen. If all is well and approved you then put a label on the board and place it in an antistatic bag followed by a bubble-wrap bag. The board is then placed in a cardboard box with separators. You put each board into its separate slot until the box is full –usually with 10 boards.

The box of boards you are initially given to program usually contains a total of 32 boards. You will receive on average 2-4 boxes a day and manage to get through about 2-3 boxes a day. I would usually listen to music while doing this.

When I was in college I would come in regularly over the summer (and occasionally while in school if there were large shipments to be made). It was boring. Some days there would be nothing to do and others there would be an endless stream of boards. Then I started taking graphic design. I was requested to try out editing marketing materials –usually resizing images for the website or updating info on data sheets using InDesign. Then around the age of 20-21 they really started entrusting me with more hands on graphic design projects – like updating brochures, making web banners, creating GUI buttons, making GUI screen demos, making special sales promotion images… Most of these projects were done in Illustrator CS3 –old school. Not the oldest school, but still old school.

Then late last year, whilst I was 23, they gave me the opportunity to do shipping –which was initially a nightmare until I got organized and now it’s pretty easy. So I was working almost full time programming boards and shipping them out on Thursdays. Then they came out with a new product. I was then asked to design a flyer for the product. It was beautifuls. Then Kim –the woman working as Marketing Coordinator found a new job and left the company. They decided to give me a run at the position. They told me to test it out for 2 months to see if it was a good fit for me and for them. 2 weeks in I had the task of 1. Creating 3 new sleeves for our 3 new products, 3 brochures to go along with that, and another flyer. Then I was asked to create a 4 page interactive user face for one of our new boards. Then an ad page for a magazine we’ll be featured in. I was also put in charge of our Constant Contact site which we use to add in new contacts of people who download our software. I was also put in charge of updating the website periodically. So now I do shipping and marketing design. We have weekly meetings with the engineer representative –Paul B., the sales team –Jim and Paul I., the sales researcher Andy, and my marketing partner in crime Alex. We’re a small company of about 12 people here in California. We have distributors throughout the world and our CEO is in the Netherlands along with other members of our company.

Anyways, it is amazing to see how our company functions as a whole and more interestingly how it dysfunctions as a whole.

My dad is the head engineer. Whenever there’s a question about a board he’s usually the first person the other 4 engineers will go to. Dad spends most of the time on the computer designing board layouts, ordering supplies to make the boards, keeping my sister on task assembling the boards and programming them, checking to see what boards are currently being ordered from us, maintaining the schedule by seeing products go out on time, and also answering calls by customers who have questions. Webber and Paul B. do most of the software compiling and answer customer calls. Brian does most of the design-to-software work using Photoshop and Illustrator.

My dad doesn’t like our salesman Jim. Jim will get calls from customers asking to make custom adjustments to their boards. They pay extra for these adjustments, but the work takes longer and less amount of product goes out. Jim will also approve of orders before he knows 1. How long it will take to assemble and program the boards 2. How many boards are in stock 3. How many other boards are currently on order… basically Jim says “yes” to everything the customers request and then “sorry” to my dad when he finds out he’s bitten off more than he can chew.

Jim doesn’t understand the board making process and the technical side of engineering so he’ll often tell customers we can do things with the boards that he doesn’t actually know can be done initially. Then my dad goes out of his way to make it work. This is the primary reason of discord between sales and engineering. But it’s interesting being in the room hearing the sales side of things too. Jim will go out to meet 1 new potential client and wind up networking his way to meeting 3 or 4. Then he’ll ask me to ship product samples out of the blue o our dime to these new potential clients –which is annoying for me in the shipping department, but also good for our company in the end.