reflecting on my first six months at work
Last November 2023, I landed my first job after graduating from college. Initially, it felt so daunting because my position requires a lot of socialization and initiative which I am not used to. Back in college, I'm used to being the follower when it comes to group projects. I'm used to other people telling me what to do and not the other way around. But right now, I am the one in charge with everything. I make the decisions and I give out orders to my committee. These were all new to me so I felt very anxious the entire time, but fortunately, I was able to get past them.
Just recently, I organized a three-day career fest for the entire school. I arranged everything from the venue, speakers, announcements, and inviting companies for the job fair. I coordinated with the different departments at school to make this event possible, so my social battery was totally at its limit. The last two weeks have been exhausting but I'm glad that it was finally over. The career fest was a success. Everything went smoothly and I even received positive feedback from my supervisor and co-workers. I know I did a great job considering its my first time organizing this kind of event. I am definitely proud of myself. I didn't know I had it in me to pull this off.
Throughout my first six months as a working professional, I learned a lot of things. I learned that I always have to wake up in the morning even if I didn't want to. I can't just sleep in every time I feel like it. Even if I'm sad, sleepy, or exhausted, I have no choice but to get up in the morning every day because I need to earn money. This is not like college where I can simply skip class when I'm not in the mood to get out of bed.
I also learned that sometimes I have to do things that I don't want to do, because that's how we grow as a person—stepping out of our comfort zone. I'm afraid of speaking in front of many people and if I have a choice, I would rather not do it. But for the last six months, I had no choice but to do it because it's part of my job. It was scary at first, but I'm glad that I did it anyway because it helped me slowly conquer my fear and improve my public speaking skills. I learned that being scared is okay, because it means I'm about to do something really really brave.