6 Ways to Adjust to Working Life after College
Starting work after college can be daunting — from trying to find a job to your first day — but the good news is that it’s manageable. It’s been about two years since I graduated college and I’ve dealt with several things that have made me grow professionally and personally. Here’s just some of the ways that helped me adjust to working after college.
Speak plainly and professionally
The average work environment is not like Succession or Game of Thrones. You’re not some politician vying for power with masterfully written internal monologues. You’re an employee, but an important one!
I’ve seen so many people fall into the trap of playing the game and speaking in code rather than saying it like it is and communicating professionally. Your coworkers and supervisors are all on the same team so talk to them like a teammate. Talk to them when you think they’re slipping up and sing their praises when they’re doing great, but don’t play games.
Make your positions known
It can sometimes be intimidating to give your opinion in the workplace, especially as a younger person. You’ll often be seen as having less credibility because of your age. But if you keep your opinions to yourself, your organization can make the wrong move. And if they do make the wrong move, but you raised your concerns, you have the almighty “I Told You So” to boost your credibility afterward (Btw don’t actually say “I told you so,” just accept the circumstances and help mitigate the damage).
Know your worth
Many people are shocked to see what salaries are offered to them when they first get out of college. I sure as hell was! I came out of college with a master’s degree and wasn’t even making $40,000 a year at my first job. This doesn’t mean I wasn’t worth more than that, but it was the beginning of the pandemic and my options were slim so I took the paycheck I needed to last me till I got the job I wanted.
The best time to get the compensation you want is before you even accept a job. Let’s say you got a job offer for $40,000, but you really want to get around $50,000. What should you do? Ask for it.
They’ve offered you the job, they think you’re the best person for the position and for the organization, there’s no need to worry about them moving on from you just because you asked for a reasonable compensation. And if they do, then that may not be the best place for you. You may not get the number you want, but you’ll get closer and with performance and time, you should be able to ask for it again later. This brings me to my next point…
ASK.
Whatever it is, just ASK. So many workplace confusion and conflicts comes from people not asking. Whether you’re asking about something or for something, it can literally never hurt to ask.
Some people may see you asking as a way of questioning them and their authority, especially if there’s a vertical power dynamic between you two, but if you’re genuine, others will see that. In case they don’t, the best way to ask about something is over email or online communication so there’s a record of your ask and their response.
Be Open-minded
I know this is a cliche, but whenever you start at a new place, you should be try to be more open to the workplace culture and routine. It’s easy to say “This is how I do things,” but being open-minded to new ways of working can allow you to discover methods you never tried before.
For example, I teach public speaking at a local college and this summer I taught it online. This was the first time the class was offered online, but it wasn't my first time teaching it this way. The class was setup by a professor in the department and the amount of reading was a lot, but what I did see was a massive increase in performance from the students that I hadn’t seen in previous online classes I’ve taught.
It opened my eyes to how asynchronous teaching could be beneficial for online learners and how providing more than needed can lead to better results.
Don’t sacrifice your 20s for work
It can be so easy to dive headfirst into the professional world after college. You just spent about four years learning and preparing for this and you’re excited, but don’t dedicate every waking hour to work. I struggle with this at times, but work should not be more than 40 hours a week. If something comes up, then sure it might take more time, but you need to be strict with yourself about balancing work and life.
It can be hard to start your personal life after college, especially when you move somewhere completely new and know only a few people, but you’ll find your way. I’ve lived in my city for about two years and I’m just now feeling like I have a semblance of a personal life outside of work!
Work will be there, whether you are or not, so don’t put work above yourself. Live your life and take that PTO, they give it to you for a reason. Go take that vacation or lounge around at home all day, your time is yours and you should keep it that way.
(For motivation to take PTO, play this song)
There are more than six ways to get used to work after college, but these are some things I wish I was told beforehand. Hopefully these are helpful in starting a long and successful career!