3 things you’ll learn from your first job

You might have worked a couple of jobs in high school and college, but nothing comes close to the jungle you are about to join. After reading that invite letter, you are probably excited about landing your first corporate position. You can finally make some real doh, move out of your mom’s place, pay your student’s loan, and even buy a house. Before you learn the ropes, and before you start making sense of where you are heading, these lessons will come in handy.

1.      Learn to solve problems

Granted, you probably don’t know how to perform all the duties and responsibilities at your new job. And while it’s a relief your boss seems friendly, you will quickly realize that nobody wants to be nagged with every little detail of what’s not working out. You must learn to figure it out fast, and you must get the right solution. Don’t present a problem, present a solution, so your boss doesn’t have to do all the thinking.

You may be anxious about making decisions, but according to Going Ivy, you have already cultivated this skill numerous times before. Think of the time you were choosing a college, for instance. Even with your teacher’s and parent’s help, you had to choose between going to an ivy league university and going to a community college. You had to look at each application separately and know what’s expected by each school. You probably even asked for professional help to get into that ivy league college. The same skill applies to your first job. Note the problem, get a solution, and only ask for help if the decision is above your pay grade.

2.      Cultivate people skills 

The hard skills you learned in college are excellent, but research shows that people skills carry 90% of how successful you are at work. You don’t exist in a bubble, and although you prefer to sit at your desk and work by yourself, you will still need to collaborate with Linda from accounting even though you don’t like her. Learn to communicate effectively, be personable, remain flexible, show empathy and cultivate soft skills every opportunity you get.

3.       Learn to ask for help

It doesn’t matter where you studied, who your father is, or where you went for your internship. At some point, you will get a problem you can’t solve alone, and if you are too stubborn to ask for help, you will pull the whole team down with you. Even when you need to prove yourself, lay aside your pride and ask for help when you hit a hard spot. You will learn quicker and not stall projects. If you are too terrified to ask someone in your company, consider working with a mentor.

Your first job is like a training ground. Be patient, learn the ropes, and don’t take yourself too seriously. If you stress about the challenges you are facing, you will probably not last very long. Instead, stay calm, keep moving, and never stop learning.