When I started working for a small-volume homebuilder/ remodeler some eight years ago, I didn't have any specific expectations of the job. I only knew that I wanted to work in design, and I enjoyed working with people. In retrospect, my lack of expectations was a good thing, because the job I was assigned hadn't yet been invented. My mission, loosely defined, was to handle the clients and keep them happy. My boss was pretty vague about what he expected, but was also amazingly flexible. I was allowed to do as I saw fit, but it felt like I had been thrown into a lake without a life preserver. I was determined to make the job work, however,
