Adapting to Change: From School Days to Long Days

Remember the excitement (okay…maybe dread) that came with the first day of school? Fresh pencils, a new backpack, and that feeling of a clean slate. It’s funny—those school days felt long, but they’ve got nothing on a full day in the corporate world, right??

When I think back to those school days, there was a certain predictability to it all. You knew when classes started, when lunch was, and exactly when the bell would ring to signal the end of the day. The routine was comforting.

But the real world? That’s a whole different ballgame.?

I still remember my first few months in the corporate world—suddenly, those 8-hour days felt a lot longer. There was no bell to tell me to head to the bus at EOD and some days stretched well beyond 5 o’clock.

The expectations shifted too. In school, you could plan for a test or assignment. However, when you’re helping manage health benefits for others, things come at you fast. Just when you think you’ve got everything under control, something changes.

Thankfully, I realized something early on in my career: change is where real growth happens.

Change pushes you to be more flexible, more creative, and more resilient. The key to staying ahead is to embrace change, not fear it.

Take telemedicine, for example—once a niche service, it’s now a critical part of the healthcare system. Or data-driven decision-making, which has completely reshaped how we manage costs and care.

The lesson? Adaptability is essential.

Those who stay flexible, and willing to shift strategies, will continue to thrive. At the end of the day, it’s about seeing change as an opportunity for growth, not a hurdle to overcome.

Unlike school, where we followed a set curriculum, in the world of health benefits administration, there’s no fixed roadmap. We have to be ready to adapt when needed, rewrite our playbook, and even create new paths when inspiration for betterment strikes.

In other words—learning doesn’t stop after graduation and the ability to adapt is a lifelong skill—one that keeps us moving forward, no matter how unpredictable the journey.