The lessons learned being new.
I work in higher education, but I imagine that some of the challenges and opportunities of being "new" to a job are similar across professions. Starting a new opportunity is challenging. It's challenging whether you are staying in the same apartment or moving 1100 miles from Ohio to Colorado.
A mentor of mine during my job search told me that as a graduate student I "began letting the world know who I was through my work and commitments." As a new professional I should strive to "strengthen the foundation and understanding of what someone gets if they were to hire me." I think this was great advice and is something I am cognizant of as I work through who I am and who I am as a professional, a friend, a learner, and the list goes on. The other advice I was given was to start a journal from day one....and that one has been alright. I do well at it some weeks and others I choose Hulu over writing. The lessons I share come from looking at what 6 months as a professional taught me.
A Lesson in Life: The time you have for yourself/community building/Adventures is precious. In fact, as a young professional I've learned that time is one of the most important commodities any person has. The saying "everybody dies, but not everybody lives" reminds us of the very core value time has. You can make more money to make up for that weekend in Vegas or the random trip to Chicago. What you cannot get back is the hours you choose to stay late for those emails that can wait or the time you choose doing something extra for work over developing a community to help you. You have one life to live, so don't be one of the people who died, but didn't live.
A Lesson in Work: Work is different at every company, institution, or place you choose. I have worked at three very different institutions and each one taught me different lessons. I've learned questions to ask, things to look out for, and what a non-negotiable look like. I've learned to navigate expectations around what programs used to look like and what I want them to look like. For the first couple of weeks I was introduced as the "New insert old employees name here." I struggled with that because I wasn't that person, I likely wouldn't supervise/advise the same way they did, and had different goals/visions for the programs. The final thing I learned is that you have to leave what was behind. Bring ideas, bring experience, but you cannot bring the "at (insert institution here) we did it this way" all the time. I struggled and still do with comparing places I used to work to where I work now, but the lesson that offers is that you will have new experiences and understanding to bring to my next job whether that is a year or four years from now.
A Lessons in the Unexpected: The most unexpected thing I learned was the power of me. The biggest advocate for your success will not be your boss, your mentors, or loved ones. Those individuals are incredibly important parts of building the path to where you want to go, but the person who will have to make it happen is you. Well this isn't exactly something my job taught me, but a reminder of the intersection, challenges, and importance of our work whether it is developing students, managing assets for clients, or working retail. If you want to explore a professional development opportunity, a volunteer role, or anything else....ASK. The worst thing an employer can say is no. In any new role it is apparent that you want to learn and grow into the position, but that isn't exclusive to support your growth.
The constant is that each day at work will hold some new mix of good, bad, and amazing. The good days carry me through the bad. The bad days teach me new lessons. The sum of all the days is what keeps me going as even in the worst moments the conversation you have with a student where maybe it leaves an impression. I see a career in higher education for me and when I look back 40-50 years from now...I cannot wait to see the lessons learned.
Benjamin M. Williams is currently the Coordinator for Student Involvement at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is originally from Atlanta, GA where he graduated from Georgia State University with a B.A. in Sociology and completed a graduate degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Outside of his position he enjoys volunteering for professional associations, fundraising for higher education causes, and spending time exploring concepts related to social justice, student development, and organizational structures. Personally he spends time working on personal health, work life integration, and exploring this wonderful world of ours