Work is easy; dealing with people is hard.
The learning curve for any entry-level job is steep, but in my experience, the day-to-day responsibilities are (relatively) easy; everything else is hard.
Taking notes in meetings or making decks isn’t that difficult, but learning how to coexist with a self-centered micromanager, now that’s a challenge. I could probably fill a book with the unexpected things I’ve learned in my lengthy 1.5 years of experience, but here are some of the big ones.
Experience is infinitely more valuable than “intelligence”
For the first 21 years of my life, school, learning, and grades were at the very top of my priorities list. Learning and getting good grades meant…
In my last year of college, I realized I was nearsighted in one eye. One visit to the optometrist, a free try-on box from Warby Parker, and $200 later, I was outfitted in new glasses.
While working in the office, I wore my glasses 24/7; to avoid the uncomfortable tug of one eye compensating for the other. I noticed the more tired I was, the more noticeable the discomfort in my eyes. Because of my persistent exhaustion, taking my glasses off even momentarily was uncomfortable.
Every since working from home, I’ve barely touched my glasses.
I realized that missing a…
I used to carry around a metaphorical ton of resentment towards my job. It was the center of my universe and bled into all areas of my life.
I was Cinderella, and my manager was my wicked stepmother. No matter how much I cooked and cleaned, I was never treated as a member of the family like my stepsisters. I spent days gazing out of the window, waiting for my fairy godmother to liberate me from the prison that was my unremarkable desk.
The Great Pause, AKA 2020, caused me to a complete 180 as it provided me the one…
“Hobbies are great distractions from the worries and troubles that plague daily living.”
I love watching The Great British Baking Show and most recently, The Great Pottery Throw Down. The loveable characters, intriguing challenges, and funny one-liners aside I love that the castmates are all normal people with normal lives. Unlike The Bachelorette or The Challenge where most of the cast are ~influencers~ or do reality television full time they have very “normal” occupations.
Nigel is a 52-year-old Builder from Bakewell
Sally-Jo is a 33-year-old Interior design from Petersfield
Alice is a 28-year-old geography teacher from Essex
Rosie is a…
With 2020 finally coming to a close many of us are looking towards 2021 and hoping that we might return to some version of “the old normal.” With multiple vaccines achieving over 90% efficacy rate there is reasonable hope that the most vulnerable will be protected and the hospital/death rates will (hopefully) go down significantly.
“The Great Pause” has been devastating in so many ways, but it has given me time to think about my life from a birds-eye view. …
“There are two things people want more than sex and money… recognition and praise.” – Mary Kay Ash
Many companies are beginning the performance review process that will take place at the end of 2020/beginning of 2021. This joyous time is usually accompanied by executive roundtables, educational webinars, and email reminders about the importance of negative feedback. Panelists spout cookie-cutter statements like:
“Embrace the opportunity to hear about your faults.”
“Negative feedback is even harder to deliver than it is to receive.”
“Don’t take negative feedback personally or see it as an insult.”
As an (emotional and introverted) entry-level employee…
I’ve easily read over a hundred articles and watched many videos about side hustles.
“How I Turned My Side Hustle into a Full-time Income”
“How I Went from $0 to $x a Month with My Side Hustle”
“Why I’ll Never Work a Corporate Job Again”
I’ve seen content about blogging, dropshipping, Amazon FBA, digital marketing, course creation, audiobooks, etc. I consumed this content with no real desire to quit my full-time job, but simply curious if any of this success was possible for a regular person like me.
After a long time passively researching/watching, I finally did it. I read…
I, like many other new grads, found myself in a rush to prove myself in my new job. I suffered from a bad case of imposter syndrome and wanted to demonstrate my value to both my team and company immediately. Now one year wiser, here are four things I would have told myself when I first started.
Don’t try to stand out immediately.
“The quieter you become the more you are able to hear” — Rumi
No matter what you studied in school, how smart you are, how much potential you have etc. there is something you can learn from your manager/team members. …
As a college student, every moment is spent working towards graduation and eventually, entering the workplace. On graduation day, many are filled with hope, joy, purpose, and determination because they realize every hour spent in the library was worth it, and that they can do anything they set their minds to with hard work.
In the weeks following graduation, you start gearing up for your first “real job,” culminating in the big day. …
