Turning up for one job, finding you’re doing another

‘I turned up on Day 1 to be a WordPress Developer, only to find out I was going to work with Ruby on Rails’.

What could have been a throw-away sentence when I spoke with Maximillian Naza about how he ended up at Google turned into a good 10 minute conversation.

Maximillian was studying Computer Science at college when he landed an internship; an essential part of the degree programme. He had a couple of months’ notice from being offered the internship and it starting. He was told up front that he was going to be a WordPress developer.

So he did what any of us would do with some spare time and a decent amount of notice: he honed his craft.

Learning the skills for the job

‘I wanted to finish the internship knowing I added value’

Maximillian spent days learning what he could about WordPress so that he could hit the ground running. As he said when we spoke; he wanted to add value from day one.

So imagine his surprise when he turned up for his first day as an intern, only to be told that he isn’t going to be a WordPress developer anymore. Instead, he’s going to work on this thing called Ruby on Rails.

Wanting more time

‘I felt like I needed another couple of months to prepare!’

This wasn’t in the playbook. What was he meant to do? Several months ago Maximillian didn’t have much experience with WordPress – but at least he’d heard of it. He felt like he needed a couple more months to get up-to-speed with his new role. Obviously, that wasn’t an option.

So he did what the only thing he felt he could do. He simply got in with it. 

He learned about Ruby on Rails. He worked hard. And before he knew it, the internship was over.

I asked him about the whole experience. How did he feel turning up for one job, and finding he was doing a completely different one?

Benefits I wouldn't have had

‘It was great for my confidence’

Maximillian smiled. He told me that in his exit interview his boss told him that he was great. He’d done an amazing job. And not only that – but that if Maximillian wanted a job after his degree, they’d definitely look at taking him on.

It was a huge confidence boost. He didn’t have the time to prepare in the way that he’d wanted to. But there were no other options than to get on with the job.

‘If I can overcome this, I can overcome anything’

That mentality has stayed with Maximillian throughout his career. He’s now working at Google, and has also founded a digital marketing agency part-time. On top of that, he regularly performs stand-up comedy.

As Maximillian says: he's so grateful for the experience. If he can do this, he can do anything.

My reflections

I’ve been reflecting on this conversation with Maximillian, as there are a number of parallels with my own experience. Some of the things I’ve been most resistant to in work have been the things I’ve ended up enjoying the most.

I think that we learn best when we are outside of our comfort zones, but who wants to actually do that? It’s a comfort zone for a reason, right? That’s why it’s great when we’re forced out of it. When there’s no alternative.

That’s where we can grow the most. And, hopefully, we remember that experience. So that the next time there’s a chance to get out of our comfort zones through our own volition, we take the opportunity ourselves.

You can listen to the full interview with Maximillian Naza now (also available wherever you get your podcasts: just search for 'The Career Dad Show').