“We face the future fortified with the lessons we have learned from the past. It is today that we must create the world of the future.” – Eleanor Roosevelt.
2011 was a big year for me. And, it happened fast, without much time to think about the changes as they happened. I wrote a thesis. Graduated. Started an internship. Earned a full-time position. All of a sudden, I wasn’t a “student” any more.
However, in my six months as an Account Coordinator at CAWOOD, I’ve had more “learning moments” and new experiences than in one term of school. After my last post, I had intended to write more extensively about what I was learning, but I didn’t get around to it in a timely manner and now it’s hard to summarize.
My fortune from P.F. Chang's on my last working day of 2011. Cheers to 2012 and another year of growth!
So, below are my condensed reflections (yes, this is the condensed version) about what I’m learning. If I had to summarize, in one sentence, my advice to any student making a similar transition, it would be the following:
Arrive at work every day eager to put into practice what you learned in school and be open to continued learning as you gain real-world experience.*
Here are some of my musings about the transition to the professional world:
1. Hello, 9-to-5! Get ready for routine. I’m still working on this.
2. Find a way to be excited and curious about what you’re working on. If you don’t feel a personal investment in the work you’re doing, it won’t be fun and probably won’t produce great results.
3. Every day is a new opportunity. Not every day will earn five-stars. Sometimes challenges are presented or something doesn’t go as planned. Remember that tomorrow holds the opportunity for improvement because of what happened today.
4. Be a sponge. Soak up teachings from every thing you do, including conversations with co-workers and newspaper articles you read. Ask questions and investigate to learn more than what meets the eye.
5. A job done well in the workplace feels much different than earning an A in school. There’s an added pressure working for a client but this makes success more rewarding. Work is theory (and logic) in action – fun!
6. Be young, be you. At 22.9 years old, I can’t pretend to be the same age as most of the people I’m working with. At times, I feel like I am, but I also feel the gap of experience between us. But that’s OK. I have my eagerness and energy to offer and they have their experience to share. It’s an interesting balance to maintain; maturity is required, but youthfulness is necessary for authenticity’s sake.
7. Try not to focus on what you can’t control. Put your energy toward what’s in your power to do. In the same regard, focus on your strengths and find ways to put them to work because they will showcase your abilities best. This learning comes from StrengthsFinder, a program that I learned about in a marketing class at UO, but it’s a theory that CAWOOD also implements.
8. Find other young professionals because you may feel alone in your new lifestyle and out-of-place at first. It helped me to attend networking events, check out professional organizations in the area and get involved with a service club.
9. Take walks/do push-ups/stretches/crunches/yoga periodically throughout the work day to get blood flowing to your brain after sitting for extended periods of time.
10. Get a cute coffee/tea cup.
Off to bed I go for another adventure in the office awaits tomorrow! :] Comments, emails or tweets welcome if you have something to add from your own experiences or if you have any questions!
*If you graduate from the UO’s journalism school and find a job in the field, you WILL use things you learned in the classroom. The J-School rules. #GoDucks
+Lindsey_Kate 