Reflecting on My Learnings During the Last 2 Years of Work Experience

As the academic year comes to a close, a whole new generation of workforce is getting ready to enter the hyper-competitive job market. The constituents of this workforce are largely people who have worked really hard over the last few years and have been successful in securing a job right before graduating from college. However, little do most of these know what's in store for them until they spend a considerable amount of time, which is usually a couple of years, treading this treacherous path in a totally unfamiliar environment.

Based on my two years of experience -- one in a company that I did not quite enjoy working at and the other where I spend the best formative years of my professional career -- I am penning down my learnings from the two experiences that should get the reader inspired to some extent.

1. You don't always get what you deserve; it's up to you to fight for it

There is always a misconception among people that the first job is most critical to anyone's career and not landing an offer from one of the top companies pushes you towards failure. This line of thinking is blatantly flawed and inaccurate. How can one event decide everything a person can achieve in the next 35 years of a professional career? We all know about butterfly-effect and understand that given the dynamic nature of life, simple events can have a great impact later on in life. However,  life is not as dynamic and non-linear as it is believed to be so by several people. In fact, it is largely predictable as well as causal with only some element of uncertainty.

The problem lies with the years of stereotypes that get passed down from batches to batches across colleges, that if someone gets placed in Company ABC, he's a stud. People should understand that most of the companies that decide the fate of students every year come with their own set of biases, limited interview panels decided by a couple of hours' slot allotted to them, and flawed managers who make wrong decisions through their 'gut-feeling' which can be influenced by a multitude of factors known only to them. So, why give so much importance to the outcome of such a deeply flawed system?

Therefore, even if you don't get placed in your dream company, or don't hit the target CTC you had in mind, it's alright! People have gotten bored, frustrated, or burnt-out with what they felt were their dream jobs way sooner than they ever expected.

But the fact that those who get 'lucky' in such a system accelerate ahead of others cannot be denied. However, this acceleration is short-lasting as things balance out as everyone moves ahead professionally and those who really are good stay ahead of the rest!

def. causal - adjective: having a cause-effect relationship

2. Don't let the initial months of excitement let you redefine your goals

When I started working 2 years ago, my objective was to apply for an MS in the US and quit my current job as soon as possible. However, the initial few months were so good in terms of learning, exposure, and building false hopes that I dropped the original idea of an MS and instead switched towards going for an MBA after a couple more years of work experience in the renewable energy sector. This would have been an ideal profile for an MBA candidate.

Fast forward to 6 months into the job, my reporting manager quit his job and I started hating my job to the core. The current reporting manager was in sharp contrast to the previous one, especially at the intellectual level. This triggered a domino effect and the sudden necessity of being around smarter people, being able to utilize the skill set that I had obtained through tremendous hard work in college, and longing for a better peer group came into existence. With this, my initial desire for an MS was revived but it was too late. It was December and all the application deadlines had passed and I had to wait for an entire year before I could apply to my programs of interest!

Therefore, do not get delusional by the initial excitement that all the jobs offer. No matter what, you should always do what you gotta do!

3. Never slack off; you have to work really hard to build a reputation

If you were to follow only one advice among all the others listed here, this is the one without any doubt. Hard work is ironically the fastest and the most trusted way of building your reputation. Of course, people say that you have to work smart, prioritize your tasks, and delegate work to subordinates, but don't take such advice too seriously this early in your career. You have to work hard, period. There's no substitute for working hard and this is the fastest way to gain the trust of your colleagues along with the faith of the ones above you. In both my jobs, I was able to leverage this fact to my advantage and I strongly recommend this to all the freshers to religiously follow this advice to get a headstart over everyone else.

Note however that there would be a lot of people who would follow this more than everyone else but only during the initial few weeks. Everyone starts to slack off and that's human nature. These natural instincts of taking shortcuts and procrastinating work is something that one has to overcome if he/she were to achieve success in the hypercompetitive workplaces prevalent today. So, do not slack off. Work hard. Work smart.

4. Find time for yourself, or get lost in never-ending work commitments

The first thing people realize when they start working is the lack of time that they can find for themselves, especially during the weekdays. Getting to work in the morning and returning late evening becomes the norm to which most find difficulty adjusting to. The primary reason for this is the carefree and highly balanced work-life environment that most of us are used to while in college. This only gets worse if you have work during the weekends, projects assigned with never-ending deadlines, or, an obnoxious reporting manager.

Unfortunately, there's no way around this. It is going to be the norm and you will get used to it but with time. You have to find time for yourself not just during the weekends but during weekdays as well. Wake up early in the morning and go play a sport; hit the gym or go for a run; read books in the evening; plan get-togethers with friends and colleagues after work; date someone, love someone; do whatever makes you happy and keeps your creative juices flowing. It's very easy to get bogged down by work and become one of those people whose only objective in life is to impress their bosses even if it comes at the expense of quality time with their family, loved ones, or their own selves. In short, don't be a corporate moron and get a life outside of work!

Obviously, it's easier said than done but think about it - does putting working so hard for making the top managers richer come before your own well being and peace of mind? Just get done a little more than what is expected from you and enjoy your life!

Disclaimer: There would always be situations where the assignment would require you to push your limits, stay back after everyone else has left, and work extremely hard to get things done. Do not shy away from pulling such things off since they offer a great learning experience. However, ensure that this doesn't become 'expected' and should only be entertained under special circumstances.

5. Get used to corporate politics and dirty tactics prevalent at the workplace

Let's address the elephant in the room - corporate politics. It is rightly said that just because you don't participate in corporate politics doesn't mean that you won't be affected by it. There are so many people out there who have been in the job market for much longer and have mastered the art of cultivating and navigating corporate politics that they present themselves as the most valuable without contributing much.

Though some of the corporate managers look like but this is not to be generalized to everyone and is limited to specific types of people. The best way of dealing with such characters is by clearly defining your boundaries and the moment any sort of intrusion occurs, trying to resolve it with an honest and sincere talk. We are all professionals and are to be respected no matter what the difference in designations be. If this doesn't resolve the issue, do not hesitate to report it to the HR and get either your reporting manager or the role changed. However, one shouldn't deviate from professionalism while resolving such issues lest his/her credibility would be at stake while escalating it to the higher management.

So, I hope the above learnings would help at least someone in achieving their complete potential and tread the professional life with great skills. I'd be glad to know more about others' experiences as well. Let me know about them in the comments below.