You Got Your First Job...Now What?

After 4 months of debating whether or not to write this blog post, here I am. I finally decided to write something about my first office job. A few days ago, I was having a catch up session with my friend, Katongo. During our chat I asked her how school is going and she responded by saying, ‘It is so frustrating. I want to work like you”. 

Lets backup a little bit. I was in school not too long ago and I remember looking at people who work while thinking to myself; Ah! Now that’s the life! I was so envious of them because all I imagined was a perfect life as long as I get any job. I never imagined frustrations commuting every day, not having friends, a difficult boss, not finding fulfillment in your job description, being discontent with your pay or the lack thereof etc. In my mind all I pictured was; no assignments and tests, fancy work clothes, loads of friends to hang out with, loving what you do at work, having enough money to even send some extra cash to feed hungry children in Somalia.  

Well, I finally got an office job. The gap between expectation and reality when it comes to a first job is unbelievable. That was something I struggled with coming to terms with. I understand that some have had wonderful experiences, nothing but amazing stories about work, bless your heart. I found myself thinking maybe it is just me and everyone is having a grand time because you know, the Facebook posts, tweets and Instagram selfies with their captions say so. After chatting with a few of my friends who are working too, I realized I am not the only one and sharing my experience would not be such a bad idea. 

Firstly, day 1 might not go as you expect. I expected to get back home knackered after my first day of work because of how much work I imagined I would have to do. Well, I spent all of it sitting and trying not to doze off. But do not let that demoralize you because you might do nothing or petty work for the first couple of days. Be faithful with the small tasks, go the extra mile. I sought a lot of advice before I reported for work from people with experience, I was advised to be proactive i.e not sitting around, instead asking if there is anything I can do. I did that and this brings me to my next point.

Not everyone will be as nice as you expect. So, I went to my boss and asked if there was anything I could help with and he was just so mean. There will be those people who will never greet you, never smile at you, ignore you or look at you like you’ve just drunk their last drop of water during a drought. Your colleagues might give you a hard time and you might have a supervisor who does not make work any easy for you. Be sure to not be a pagan and have the ‘an eye for an eye” mentality. Do your part; be nice and kind to your coworkers and supervisors. Pray for grace, trust me you’ll need it. 

Your job might not go as you expect. I expected everything to be laid out for me. A little like an organized structure of my duties, guidance on how to execute my tasks and performance indicators. I lacked that orientation. I did not know what mattered and what did not. No prize for guessing, my ignorance cost me when it was time for my appraisal. Let me be the one to give you a heads up on a few things that might be important; meeting deadlines and achieving tasks, ability to work under pressure and minimum supervision, adaptability, positive attitude, energy, self-confidence, creativity/ innovation, how you relate to colleagues, ethics, dressing etc. 

Fourthly, do not live your life waiting for Friday. We are so obsessed with thanking God its Friday, especially when we dislike what we have to do between Monday and Thursday. When I struggled with enjoying work I lived for Fridays. Every morning I would wake up, I would stick my fingers out and count how many days I had left till the end of the week. I was basically wishing my life away. You have to be the kind of person who can make the best out of a Tuesday. ‘Zombie-ing’ through the week might seem fine today but you will wake up one morning and realize you wasted so many days that could have been meaningful. Make the most of your time, enjoy each and every day the good Lord blesses you with, no matter how crazy what you do may seem.

Last but not least, work life has lots of good days. Treasure them. Thank God for the days you spend bouncing off walls and if it is in your power to have more of them, make sure you do. Do not be too hard on yourself when you make mistakes, you are only human. If you are experiencing a bad day, never forget that a bad day only lasts 24 hours. 

After my experience during my first few months at work, I would like to urge you to enjoy your current season in life. There is a saying; “The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is and the future less resolved than it will be.” Looking back I realize that I constantly rob myself of happiness. I should have enjoyed university when I was in university and not spent most of my time day dreaming about how perfect life will be once I am graduated and working. Embrace your current season of life and maximize your time in it. Pray for grace to live with a spirit of contentment. If you are still doing your studies, embrace that phase and make the most of it. If you are done with school and seeking employment do not spend that time of your life envying those who are working because it seems like the answer to your misery. Look to Jesus for that. The lack of a job does not make you less blessed, it is not the end of the world. You have been blessed with free time, in between the job hunting there is so much that can be achieved and so much to invest in, be a good steward of your time. 

If like me, you feel like you have spent so much time messing up in your current phase of life, every day is a new page. It is never too late to enjoy your current season in life. Rest, wake up, commit the new day into the Lords hands and go and be the best you can be!