Your first job, and what you should look to do

I write this post as I feel very passionately about this question. What am I supposed to do when I first get a job?

I went through a similar phase a few years back, when I started working at my first job. 

There were several things that rambled on in my head, as I struggled to balance life, work, and all things around it.

It is only when I look at it now, does it all make sense, and I wish someone told me these things as I was entering the work world.

The way we are raised makes a huge difference in our attitudes, and our expectations from the world.

In school, our peers, our friends often leave us with the feeling that we need that “extra” thing to be “happy”. As a result our very definition of “happy” starts getting linked to things that are not in our control.

The secret of a happy professional life lies with you, and you alone. And it all stems from the way you define happiness.

When a young engineering graduate joins an IT firm, the world suddenly is thrust upon her/him. More often that not, there is that growing need to earn more, do more and be “successful”. While there is nothing wrong in that, as a notion. What is perhaps not right is tying it to things that are way beyond control.

I had a professor while I was studying at the Asian Institute of Management, who told me, when I was 28, that you should focus on the stuff you can control, and forget about the things you cannot control.

In that small line, was hidden a lifetime of learnings, and something that I am still understanding as I go through life.

The notion that you deserve more than what you are getting is absolutely bogus, and only breeds misery, and in turn leads to lack of productivity, and whatever chances you have of succeeding are diminished.

News flash: The world doesn’t owe you a thing. You have to work towards getting it.

To give you an example, more than often I have heard conversations among folks who work at IT organizations that go like this:

A, working at an IT services company says, “Oracle pays way more than our company does at the same level, and here I am doing the same work. I deserve more money than this, so I am going to focus on getting a new job”

Some questions that spring to mind are:

•  What is the basis for such a notion? A friend came and told you this? Maybe you should check if that is actually true or not. If true, if indeed an Oracle pays an entry level engineer more than your company is paying, you should find out what kind of work you are made to do while there. You need to understand, first and foremost, the yardstick of comparisons are different, Oracle is a “manufacturer” of software, whereas, companies such as an Infosys, a TCS, or a Wipro are software  “Services provider”, in other words, they solve tickets, and they do this cheaper than anyone in the world. And they typically work for companies that implement an Oracle solution, or an SAP solution among a ton of others.
• What is the future potential of income? While with IT companies, you have a chance to travel to a client location, and while there, you can earn more than your peer at an Oracle maybe.
•  What are the other hidden incentives that your company offers when compared to others? I am sure there are a plenty of them, its’ just that we take so many things for granted, that we fail to see them. For example: an Infosys offers laundry services to all its employees. They have huge washing machines and air-dryers, available for all its employees to use at a very minimal cost. Which is very very cool.

What I am trying to say is, companies want you to be happy as people, and want you to be the best that you can be. It is up to you to value that, and be the best you can be.

Why do I take such a philosophical tone? How about this, you do the best you can do, and I can guarantee, you will learn new skills, you will learn how to wade through the politics that plagues most companies, you will start to stand out among the crowd, and slowly and surely, better opportunities will find their way to you.

I will leave you with a few thoughts to chew on.

When you first start working, spend quality time learning what work you are doing, and why it is important in the larger scheme of things.

Figure out how to do your job best. Then focus on doing it differently. Figure out processes in and out, and then think about how you can be better at doing it.

Then pitch your ideas to people who will value and appreciate this insight into doing things.

While you are at it, you may want to ask yourself if this is something you want to do for the rest of your life or not. If not, then what is it that would interest you?

The time I would suggest you spend doing this would be north of at least a year.

And while you are at it, remember to focus on eating right, working out, sleeping well, pursuing your hobbies, reading books that you enjoy, and lastly, meet as many people as you can, and if you fall in love, by all means, do! Just don’t be a jerk to people, be courteous, and humble. These are qualities that will stand you in good stead.

In all likelihood, you will have a great life, and trust me, as you are reading this, you will be incredibly successful in life, and will have all that you have ever wanted. It is just a matter of time, and you need to put in the effort, and be very patient. Do things that feel right, and don’t be an a**hole.