A Letter to New Graduates Starting Their First Job…

As a recent graduate from Marist College I was terrified on my first day of working as a recruiter, I almost passed out on my way there. I had graduated less than a month before and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. What do I do when I get to my desk? WHERE IS MY DESK? Who do I sit with at lunch? Why does everyone keep saying how young I am?

Graduating college and leaving behind everything I had known for the past four years was one of the most overwhelming things I have done. I didn’t want to leave the friends I made or the familiarity of the routine I mastered over the last four years. I quickly learned that the world doesn’t care if you are ready or not, the best thing that you can do is try and accept that change is going to happen. As a member of a social media driven generation, you can imagine how many post-graduation statuses read, “My life is over, here comes the real world.”

I personally wish that I could go back and tell myself my last semester of college thatlife is just the beginningand to embrace the change because thebest is yet to come.

On my first day of work, I felt so lost. I kept asking myself, am I really qualified to do this? The answer is,probably not.However, you can either let that fear define you on your first day or let it motivate you. So here I am, a post grad offering you all some advice, because I know how intimidating that first day in the real world can really be. Shake that feeling of being a deer in the headlights and be a sponge. Take in as much as you can around you. Embrace that every single person around you is a source of learning. Do your best to trust that every challenge is a chance to gain more experience and that those people sitting next to you are there to help you succeed. We are all continuously freshmen all over again. From middle school, to high school, to college, to the work place. This is what that is like, a terrifying but incredibly rewarding clean slate where tons of people are in the same boat as you but you have a chance to start over and show your worth.

So, as a recent graduate with about four months of real-world work experience under my belt, I might not be the the most qualified person to be giving advice, but I do wish someone told me that I am in the drivers seat of my own success and that if you give it everything I have, I will have no regrets

Here are some tips for all the new graduates out there that are looking for some guidance during the transition:

1. Everyone feels lost sometimes.
2. There are people at work that want to see you succeed and are there to help you along the way.
3. Just because you graduated college, doesn’t mean you won’t have fun anymore.
4. Don’t over think things, self-doubt is your worst enemy.
5. You are completely in control of your success.
6. Ask questions and then ask more questions.
7. Be open minded to new challenges and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
8. Leave the office stress- in the office.
9. Trust the process, success doesn’t happen overnight.
10. Try not to almost pass out on your first day of work like I did.

The last thing I will leave you with is that just because you are young and inexperienced,  doesn’t mean that your ideas aren’t important in the work place. Show up every day, work hard and show everyone what you are made of.