The Logistician

I never thought I would get into logistics. I couldn't have told you the first thing about it when I first got contacted by a recruiter about a logistics position. I definitely didn't consider myself a typical candidate for this field. My passions leaned towards the arts and sciences. If I could briefly describe what I do, I'd say that I do whatever is necessary to make sure a customer's freight makes it to them before their plant shuts down, so long as it's legal.

I started as a logistics coordinator in the ground expedite department. When I started, I had no idea what I was doing and I had to learn everything on a day-to-day basis. In my day to day operations, I'd seen trucks get into accidents, sometimes with fatalities. There had been storms and gas shortages, drivers abandon loads, even some video footage of a truck trapped in a parking lot, doing micro-maneuvers to get out.

I transitioned into a team lead role on a shift that trains new agents, so even after I learned a lot, I got to relearn it through someone else's eyes. Each new agent would challenge me to find ways to explain what we do and how we do it in a way that made sense to them.

Even so, I still struggle to express what my job entails. As the word "logic" is in "Logistician", it implies that the job requires logic and it does. However, it requires so much more than that. The job requires that you're able to think on your feet, adapt, oftentimes creatively, and be able to make snap decisions with full confidence.

Today, I am an Operations Manager for a group of select customers, leading a team in ground and air operations, some international, some domestic. Each day is a challenge and each day is a blessing. I work with a team of skilled individuals and there's a great sense of camaraderie among colleagues in this field.

Every day is different, and every day is a learning experience.