Geek Chic // 1 Year Work Anniversary + Top 3 Takeaways for the Working Millennial

Happy Monday, loves! Coming up on the 1 year work anniversary and wanted to share my top three takeaways for recent graduates and working millennials.

The transition from college life to working life is not easy whatsoever. It's not that one was better or easier than the other, it's just that they're very, very different types of lifestyles. Although, I do miss the college days of "sleeping in" and 3 month long summer vacations, I do not miss the feeling of being broke and still basically living off your parents. So, what are my biggest lessons learned in the past year?

1. There is a steep learning curve, and no, it's not just you...everyone else has gone through it too.

I was so impatient when I first started my 9 to 5, so eager to learn and deliver results, to prove myself to my colleagues and my boss that I definitely put undue pressure on myself. But, there is no official training manual or checklist when it comes to doing a "good job," just hard work and long hours.

I don't think I felt fully comfortable in my current position until about 9 months in. It was so frustrating to not be able to see the complete picture--there are weekly to-dos, team meetings and deadlines that all make up part of the job description. But, no one actually tells you how everything fits together. It's not until you've experienced pretty much every single aspect of what your title entails that little epiphanies start to occur and things fall into place. Now this doesn't mean that 9 months is the standard learning curve for every job, but with such a seasonal area that is the fashion retail industry, I didn't get to fully experience market, strategies, and pretty much any and every other type of crisis in between and learn how to handle it <with confidence> until 9 months on the job.

2. There are days where you won't want to get out of bed.

Well, that just sounds plain old depressing. As millennials, we live under the impression that if you study and work hard in school, you'll be able to work your way to your dream job and do whatever it is you are passionate about. And once you've landed that dream job, everything is going to just fall into place and be a grand old walk in the park.

Let me stop you there. There are still going to be days where you are not going to want to get out of bed. That's the reality. There are good days and bad days. The good days will <hopefully> outweigh the bad, but just because you've finally got the job that you've wanted, doesn't mean that you're going to be "happy" all the time.

Take each day as it comes. Your passions may even change as you grow into your position. Be flexible. Explore new areas and always be open to new experiences and connections. Find out what it is you want in a job...and maybe even more importantly, what it is you don't want. Use those discoveries to help you find direction and clarity for what's next.

3. You're a lot tougher than you realize.

Is it cliché to say that most of what you've learned in school will pretty much be useless? People skills and handling time sensitive situations were never college courses. When something unexpected does come up, just remember to breath. We're sometimes so caught up in the moment, with a million things running through our minds, that we forget to just catch our breath, step back and take a moment. There will never be a problem too big for you to overcome. So, "pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together." I've lived on that quote by Elizabeth Taylor for pretty much the first six months of working life and it has served me well.

Well, that's about all the wisdom I have to impart after year one. Hoping that my top 3 lessons learned were helpful to those of you who're also just starting out on your own careers. Feel free to comment or message me with questions--would love to get feedback or hear from your own experiences!

With Much Love,