6 Things I'm Grateful for After 6 Months in Compliance

6 Things I’m Grateful for After 6 Months in Compliance

By Mary Laine

Think way back to August. Remember me??

If you weren’t following us then, my name is Mary Laine and I joined Rethink Compliance this past summer, only a month after I graduated from the University of Vermont. In August, we did a series called “Mary Meets Compliance”, where I took you all along my journey as I learned what it means to be a part of the Rethink team and the compliance industry.?

I’m about 6 months into this world now and WOW– I could have never predicted this whirlwind fall. I certainly had more to learn than what I managed to gather in my first weeks at Rethink Compliance, and it is still only the beginning.?

Enough of the chitchat, here are my top 6 things I’m grateful for 6 months in:?

1. Passion?

Maybe I was naive, but I didn’t know people cared THIS much about their profession. I’ve found that within my team, and the industry as a whole, the passion compliance professionals have just seems unmatched. Us compliance people – we really care.?

2. Never ending possibilities and creativity

With passion comes more creativity. Compliance is a relatively young industry. Each new project, client, or new hire brings even more to the table than we previously thought was possible. At Rethink, whether it is new technology and graphics, or scenarios in courses, each one gets better and better.?

3. KINDNESS

This one might be the most unexpected. Again, my inexperience is coming into play, but I expected to join the workforce and be met with cutthroat working machines (maybe I saw Wolf of Wall Street a few too many times).? To my surprise, I was definitely met with almost 30 workhorses on my team, but with kind cores. The moral compass that lives within the compliance industry was shocking to me. To be fair, the nature of our products and services are generally for the greater good, but it’s amazing how every individual I’ve met either virtually or in person at the SCCE’s CEI in Phoenix shares the same kind spirit.?

4. Our virtual company break room?

Hear me out – I know some of us are so tired of remote work, but some of us love it. Take it from me, I was a sophomore in college when the world shut down and spent the following years living in a pandemic world while in the “best years of my youth”. While I am well aware there’s more to my twenties than living in a dorm and sharing a communal bathroom, we all have certainly felt the repercussions of the isolating time period.?

That being said, our virtual break room is constantly lighting up with chats about Tom Cruise look-alikes, happy company news, or pets in holiday sweaters. Don’t underestimate the power of a chatroom!?

5. Experiencing a rebrand?

When I joined Rethink, I had no idea what was in store for the fall. As I quickly learned, we were about to undergo a massive rebrand, and publicly launch it the week before the SCCE’s CEI. While nothing could have prepared me during school to become a marketing employee during Rethink’s leveling-up as a company, how lucky was I to be given the opportunity to dive into my marketing career headfirst? And if I do say so myself, I think it went over pretty well… Thank you to everyone who shared kind words at the SCCE or online about our new look.?

6. This team

Lastly, I don’t mean to be dramatic… but this team is unbelievable. Each and every member truly wakes up everyday with the same goal in mind. We want success for Rethink, everyone works incredibly hard, and yet no one has lost their humanity in the process. I wasn’t here for the birth of Rethink of course, but starting a company has to take a lot out of you. Somehow, through 7 and a half years, not one member has broken.??

With all that being said, thank you Rethinker’s. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to land after college.?

What are you grateful for this year? Feel free to comment below or re-share with your thoughts. I can’t wait to read your responses.?