From Campus to Corporate

One year later: beginning a career after college

Reading Time: 5-6 minutes

There are so many questions and expectations around a new job – what will I do? What will the other people do? Do I know enough? What should I wear? What will my office look like?

When considering my first corporate job ever, these questions get magnified. THE Microsoft… will everyone know everything about computers? Will I know enough? Do I need to get a subscription to gaming magazines?

These questions and more raced through my head from 
  the time I got the offer, until several weeks after I started. The questions came with excitement – and dread. I felt like a fraud. “Don’t these people know that I have NO experience? Case studies in college hardly count for real-life experience!” I worried that I would be found out and that I would disappoint my whole team – the team I hadn’t even met yet!

As it turns out, my group did actually realize that they were hiring someone fresh from college, and didn’t expect me to be able to run the world on my first day.

After a two-day orientation about benefits and legal, I started in my very own office. My new team members came by to see if I needed anything (for which I was so thankful but also stressed out about – I didn’t even know what I was supposed to be doing, much less what I needed!) and tell me to savor the first few weeks of quiet solitude.

I, of course, was freaking out that I had nothing to do. My assignment was to get my computer running. I was given a list of people to meet. I was so worried that I should be working on something or figuring something out, or building an Excel spreadsheet on something – I just didn’t know what “something” was.

Looking back, of course my team was right. Now my days are filled with meetings and overlapping projects. I fill up every one of the 600 minutes I have during each work day. It’s so wonderful to have “something” to do – but there are times when I lust after those first few days when I could sit, relax, take my time, and release the full extent of my perfectionism onto “something” – be it an email, a spreadsheet, or a PowerPoint presentation.

During my interviews, I was warned about the “new college hire melt down” that would happen about 6 months in. Apparently, it comes the following thoughts:

· I’m not smart enough to work here

· I can’t keep getting up so early

· I’m not getting anything done

· I need a summer vacation

These are all fairly accurate descriptions of the feelings I have had. I struggle continually with “summer break” going from three months to three weeks. I have discovered, however, that the real problem isn’t the lack of time off.

One of the major struggles I have had is the need to redefine how I succeed. This is really common with people coming out of college; for 17 years we have been graded. Letters and numbers and sometimes, teachers’ comments, show us that we have or have not been succeeding and accomplishing.

When I entered the corporate world, of course those grades went away. The first thought is one of joy: thank goodness no one will be judging me! But then of course that thought is immediately replaced by “everyone is judging me.” And with a formal, constant evaluation system gone, I was forced to begin defining success for myself.

As I learned from my “competition” strength from “Strengths Finder 2.0,” I need to celebrate my victories. I still struggle to do this in a way that makes me feel accomplished. It helps to work with a team so I can make a big deal about milestones with other people who are emotionally invested. But as I work at my desk day after day, I wonder how I can hold mini personal parties to celebrate my victories?

I am interested in two things:

(1)   Does the greater population have this same struggle?

(2)   What do they do about it?

If you have an answer, or have heard of something from a coworker, please share!

From Campus to Corporate: the beginning

Reading time: 2-3 minutes

I thought had life all figured out – I “gave it my all” during K-12 school to earn good grades and get into a great University with a top-notch program. I “worked hard and played hard” through my college years – graduating in three years but taking full advantage of the adventure college presents. I took a year off after college to experience the world – international internships and 7 months backpacking in the mountains and jungles of South America.

I came back ready to hit the ground running and put the same passion and hard work I applied in college into “making it big” in the corporate world.  I engaged my networks and was offered an interview for the dream job – supply chain analyst at Microsoft.

I studied hard to prepare for my half-day interview. To my honor and delight, I was selected to begin as a supply chain analyst for the Entertainment and Devices division. The next several weeks flew by and I could hardly believe I had landed such an amazing job. I was challenged every day and worked hard to prove myself.

Then it happened – the “when’s summer break?” syndrome – in college, I always got a break between spurts of hard work. Christmas break, spring break, and the beloved three month summer break – now all gone from my destiny.

As it turns out, I am not an unusual case. Many have come before me, and many still will experience this bizarre “quarter life crisis.”  As more attention is given to “20 something’s” entering the work place, society looks to our generation for clues. We are the so-called Generation Y, also called the “Trophy Generation.” We were raised to believe that everyone wins and if we try our hardest; an “E for effort” is the best grade. As evidence of this, my favorite quote (from General Patton):

"If a man does his best, what else is there?"

This has caused problems in the corporate world because as my generation enters, wide-eyed and full of expectations, we think that a job should be perfect in all aspects. If we try our hardest, we should win and succeed. As such, a difficult boss or bad working hours is cause for quitting.

I want to share my experience, whether you are coming out of college or work with those who are.

I want to shed light on this “Trophy Generation” as I pass my one year anniversary in the “corporate world;” I hope you enjoy this collection of thoughts!