Thanks, Mark! I'm definitely following Don's advice and reaching out before cementing a transfer since I know it's easier to take my time and decide rather than to decide and realize it wasn't the best choice!
And when I said I was only an S3, I was doing something I shouldn't -- comparing myself to others who, based on their VATSIM IDs, joined after I did. But, it's not a race, and we're all at different spots -- I just have to remind myself of that. I guess part of me just feel like if I'm going to be at the S3 rating, I should be able to live up to that S3 rating without missing a beat -- though I know ultimately, the refreshers be worth it in the long run for me -- and for the pilots I serve and the other controllers I interact with! I just want to provide the best and most comprehensive service I can to pilots in an area.
I just need to remember that that may be at TWR or even DEL/GND until I get my VATSIM legs back through refresher training and any needed exams, and hopefully pilots will understand that, even if they see the rating after my name!
Congrats, by the way, Mark, on your new position! Excited for the future of VATUSA and the training department!
Chad, I'm going to tell you a story, so have a seat on the porch with a up of lemonade, while I sit in the old creaking rocking chair.
Everyone else, you can listen in on this too.
Gonna take you back to 1995. I was 21 at the time, and already 5 years into driving (of course, from 16). Well, at this time, I was blessed with the opportunity to study overseas in Melbourne, Australia, and being a kid from a landlocked part of the USA, I immediately jumped on it (hey, it is at least 15 hours drive to the closest beach from Omaha, Nebraska, which is Galveston, TX!). But I thought about all of the things I could explore there. One of them being: driving on the opposite side of the road.
So after being there a week or two and just getting used to being there, I asked my host family if I could drive them home from the mall. They thought it was unusual, because you get your L's permit (similar to learner's permit) at 18, not 16, and is based on the type of transmission your car has: If yours is an automatic, you can only drive automatic transmission cars; if it is manual, you can drive manual,
AND automatic.
I'm getting to my point, so just bear with me a bit longer.
To make it even more interesting, you drive on the left side of the road. Yielding is the same, but just to the left. However, if you have a manual car, your gear shift is still in the central column between the two front seats, so you are shifting gears with your left hand. Pedals are still the same. Signal indicators are on the left side of the wheel; windshield wipers are on the right.
So while nervous, I'm starting out, and doing okay. Then my old driving habits kick in, as I forget that I'm not at home. I get to a 4-way stop, try to signal my turn by using the indicator on the right side of the wheel, and turn on the windshield wipers.
On a bright, clear, sunny day.
At one of the busiest intersections in the central business district of Melbourne.
And of course, everyone is watching me.
Everyone in the car is laughing, I'm blushing beet red (which is saying a lot for me, for those who have met me!), and sheepishly move along the way.
The rest of my time there, I took mass transit; not just because I didn't want to repeat the driving experience, but it is so much easier to get around that way than driving.
My point: Once you get started, and seeing that you've already had experience as an S3, 10 - 15 minutes in, your old habits will start to kick in, then you'll realize that you've got this, and your anxiety will be knocked out faster than a boxer taking a Mike Tyson uppercut.
BL.