Professionalism

The first full-time job will be the hardest job just like anything we do the first time; it will take a lot of effort and energy out of us but the hard work will be worth it.  For the past 2.5 years I have had to work with five different supervisors and over 100 coworkers who all have different personality that I had to adapt to everyday. Everyday. In addition, I had to deal with 10+ supervisors indirectly due to how connected my work is to other coworkers and units and as an employee who works in the same building with other smaller businesses, I had to see some random employee from other businesses every single day even if I will never talk to them.  Don't get me wrong, I am good at what I do at work; I am disciplined and diligent in completing my assignments.  I am able to submit my work on time and do whatever my supervisor ordered me to.

The most frustrating part of the job is dealing with the people.  Before working at this job, I was taking classes at a community college where I come to a class and listen to the professors talking; I didn't have to talk to anyone and all I had to do was to come to class and listen to the instructor talked.  I had part-time jobs through out my college years and after graduation, but the volume of people I had to work with was minimal compared to the 200+ people who are in my building. I didn't have to deal with complaints and the bullying that comes with working in a corporate office and its presence in my current position was intimidating and discouraging at first.  Over time, I learned how to deal with any thing negative occurring toward me.

Here are a few things my current full-time job taught me:
1. How hard it is to work with people.
2. How to deal with different people. Each person is different and the sooner we learned how to deal with people the faster things will get better.
3. How to handle stress under pressure.  Work problems will arise and that will be the test to see if we can handle the stress.
4. How to solve problems.
5. How to pick your battles.  There are battles worth fight for and there are battles that are best to let go.
6. How to communicate effectively.  Human interaction revolves around communication. When we master communication skills, we can basically get anything we want out of life.  Seriously.
7. Best of all, it's okay to admit I don't know something.  No one knows everything, there is no such thing as perfection.

Looking back, I realize that my experience with people in my current job is a transferrable skill that will take me far in life.  Even if I get terminated or laid off, I have picked up techniques on how to navigate the work life.  Now, that is a win.