10 Important Lessons You Learn from Your First Real Job

First Real Job
From not getting up early for a morning class to running on the subway station to board that 7 AM train to office, your life takes a complete 360 degree turn after you land your first job. Dream job or not, but first jobs are indeed a milestone in everybody’s life and it comes with its share of emotions. Emotions like a sense of accomplishment, excitement of finally being an adult, disappointment of knowing that you cannot go back to being a child, and realizing that you will be answerable to somebody or the other from the first day of your job till the very last in your career.

Once you start going to the office every day, gradually you will start to get over these emotions and realize that this new job has come as a new teacher in your life. So, here are ten lessons you will learn from your first job:

  1. Getting a job is just the beginning:
    The journey it took for landing your first job may feel like an achievement in itself. You feel that all the hard earned money of your parents spent on your education is finally paying off. Not to forget the sleepless nights you spent acing the subjects totally feel worth it now. But getting your first appointment letter is only the beginning. It is a completely new world that you are introduced to which is not all rosy. You may be faced with the extreme outrage from your boss or bitchy colleagues, but your first job will not only teach you how to deal with it all but also how to be happy.
  1. There’s no other way except to be punctual and take deadline seriously:
    As students we are used to living life on our own terms; be it studying till late in night, missing morning lectures or submitting projects after the submission date. There are no grave consequences that you have to face. But it all changes after you land your first job. You realize the importance of reaching office on time and know that if you don’t finish an assigned task within the deadline given, you are really dead.
  1. You will have to work with people you don’t like:
    As students, we have the liberty to choose our friends but we don’t get to enjoy the same liberty at office. You cannot choose the colleagues with whom you are going to work with. Chances are you will have to work with people you absolutely hate. But your first job will teach you how not to let such people affect you, accept each other’s differences and still work towards a common goal.
  1. Hard work always pays off:
    As a fresher, there are a lot of things you will not know about your work and there are going to be people with a lot experience than you. But if you are open to learning and ready to apply yourself, you will be rewarded with a feeling of accomplishment after successfully delivering your first project.
  1. Good people skills are as important as working hard:
    You may have all the skills required to be the best in your chosen field of work, but the moment you start working on your first project, you will realize that’s not enough. People skills are most important when you are working with people, in fact that forms for 90 per cent of your job. No matter how introvert you may be by nature, you need to learn to communicate effectively at work and your first job will teach you that.
  1. It makes you question where your life is moving:
    Whether your first job is your dream job or not, there will come a time when you will question yourself where exactly is your life taking you. It usually happens when your work starts to get dull or your routine gets monotonous. Or it may also happen that you realize that you have a passion for something totally not relevant to your field of work. But your first job will help you take the decisions of your life as well as become serious about things like creating a successful and fulfilling career for yourself.
  1. Whom you associate yourself with is important:
    In college everybody enjoy the company of those who claimed to know every little detail about other people’s life. Your first job teaches you not to associate with such people in your professional life. You realize how badly it reflects on your image and your colleagues start thinking that you are the source of all the gossips that do the rounds in office.
  1. Patience becomes your best friend:
    When you start working at your first job, there are many people who don’t take you seriously. You are constantly required to prove yourself and if you are really unlucky then chances are you have to deal with an always yelling and impossible to please boss. Over the time, you realize that patience is the only thing you need to sail through tough times.
  1. The joy your first paycheck brings cannot be replaced:
    No matter how much you may end up earning in your life, the joy you get after receiving your first paycheck is something you will never experience in your life again. You realize for the first time how difficult it is to earn money and feel proud of yourself.
  1. Money doesn’t always bring happiness. Happiness is relative:
    Your first job changes your definition of success and happiness. Before you start working, you have this picture of a perfectly happy life where you make lots of money, live in a swanky apartment and drive around in a great car. But that all changes with your first job. You realize how important it is to enjoy your work. Instead of seeking out monetary gains, you start deriving joy in simple things like appreciation by your boss or being handed over more responsibility at work.

The lessons you learn from your first job are important and help you prepare for life that is ahead of you. Learn to appreciate them instead of fearing them.

 

About Author –
Megha Raizada is a professional writer who loves to keep a track of everything interesting happening around the globe. When not writing or browsing the Internet, you will find her creating furniture out of used tires.

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