jbithell,
First of all, the previous responses here have given you very good advice and help.
I have a similar story. In my 40's, I changed careers and began a stint in IT after going back to computer school. After I had been working at this place for a bit, a very strange and inexperienced man was hired as VP of this large organization. He micro-managed everyone and a
rbitrarily decided to choose someone to write a warehouse operations manual. He knew of me as someone who asked a lot of questions, challenged the status quo, and was considered mature. Well, I was volunteered.
I had no background in writing instructions, but I did it and then was later offered the position of Quality Services Manager. I accepted, which I still question to this day. In about a year, the organization wanted ISO certification, so I had to learn it all fast.
The first thing I did was to read the standards and anything else that helped me understand them. Then I worked on putting it into a newsletter for employees. I knew that if I could regurgitate it back in a palatable way that they could understand, I would learn it better myself. I used a popular movie theme with characters to explain the various ISO standards. It became a popular, monthly tool to teach others. I published it for 12 months until we were certified. Even if I had never posted that newsletter, it was a great exercise.
I spent 12 years as their Quality manager. I am now in a small manufacturing firm leading them to AS9100 certification in August. Not that I recommend this, but I've never had any formal training in either ISO or AS9100 standard. But, that didn't stop me. Get what you need to be successful. Good luck in your new venture!
