Valuable Lessons I learned from my first job

During my internship and after graduating from Moi University in Kenya, I worked at an IT company called Diamond Systems in Nairobi. I was eager to learn new things and excited to put into practice all the knowledge I acquired throughout my five-year Electrical Engineering degree. During my time as an IT technician, I learned some valuable lessons that helped me build my professional career and helped me grow into the man I am today.  

Be persistent and be prepared to do the things other people refuse to do. Internships â€” let alone jobs â€” are very hard to come by in Kenya. Diamond Systems had a set quota of 2 interns per year. I applied for an internship but did not make the cut. Two of my college classmates were selected instead. But I really wanted to work there because at the time, they were one of the best IT companies in East Africa and the hands-on IT experience would have been invaluable. Before the internship period started, I called the CEO several times and asked him to reconsider. He asserted every time that the internship budget was set in stone and there was nothing he could do about it. So, I devised a plan. The first day of internship, I showed up at the company, fully dressed and ready to work. I asked for the CEO and offered that I would work for free for the full internship period and would do whatever job he needed done. The plan worked; amused and amazed at my persistence, he hired me on the spot to build computers. So here I was, working alongside my two college classmates as interns; they were getting paid, I wasn't. But I worked twice as hard, arrived early, stayed late, worked weekends and delivered so much more value to the company that by the end of the internship period I had become one of their most valuable and dependable workers. As a result, the company hired and retained me as an employee even before completing college. 

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Sometimes it’s hard to acknowledge that you made a mistake. It hurts our ego and it can be frustrating having to revise the work you’ve done; however, if you see it as an opportunity to learn something new or to hone your skills, then you will continue to grow. When I first started building computers as an intern, a couple of times I blew up power supplies by unknowingly plugging them into the wrong power source. Frustrating and embarrassing as it was, only after fully acknowledging, taking ownership of the mistakes and committing to put the lessons into practice, did I get on the path to realizing my full potential.  

Find a mentor. Find someone who is the best in your field and model after them. During my first few weeks as an intern, I made friends with one of the best engineers in the service department. He is one of the smartest people that I know and currently holds a senior IT leadership role at a multinational company in Africa. He took me under his wings, helped me develop my hands-on technical skills, taught me how to build professional relationships and take control of my career. 

Be willing to pay the price for success. Life will pay any price you ask of it by demanding more from yourself than others expect of you and by providing tremendous value to others and giving at a level that makes you worthy of receiving.  

Positivity attracts positivity. Try to keep a light-hearted spirit and always show a good attitude. People like working with those who bring “good vibes” (like teenagers nowadays say). You may be asking – what if I have a bad day, do I always need to put on a smile? Well, it’s not about smiling all the time and making jokes, it has more to do with being proactive, being collaborative with your team, sharing your knowledge and delivering on your commitments. This is all positivity too!  

Finally, life is a marathon and not a hundred-meter dash. It’s okay not to be in your dream job at first. Consider your first job as a learning experience. You are building the foundation for your career. So, make it a strong foundation! It’s an opportunity to build your resume, gain hands-on technical experience, develop relational and emotional IQ, learn how to network and navigate a corporate environment. Don’t be discouraged if your classmates get enviable job positions from the get-go. Everyone has their own individual path, just walk on your own. You will get there. Furthermore, one of the secrets to happiness and fulfillment is appreciating your own unique and special journey. 

These are some of the lessons that I learned during my first job, what were yours? Comment down below!