Earlier this year, I took my daughter to skating classes in the evenings. As I sat on the grass, keeping a watchful eye on my daughter, I thought about how skating is a lot like our first job. Observing those children day after day, I came upon this advice that I would have liked to give my younger self when I was just starting my career:
1)
When you start, expect it to be
really hard
When I saw the new kids at the skating
class, I noticed that they really struggled just to stand on their two feet.
They needed a lot of help for any kind of movement. But they graduated from
standing, to barely walking, to somewhat skating, to seamlessly gliding. The
learning curve is quite steep, and that’s what we need to be mentally prepared
for when we start our first job. It is a lot of mental work! When I started my
career as a developer, I felt extremely underprepared for the job, despite
years of professional college and internships. The work was intense, and I
needed help every step of the way. The whole experience seemed to stretch me beyond
my limits. But looking at the skaters and my own journey, I know that no matter
how difficult it is initially, one day, it would feel natural and almost effortless.
You will fall a lot, but you will learn
In the early days, the new children would
spend a lot of time sprawled on the floor. When you start skating, falling is
inevitable. But getting back up and trying again is key. I remember that during
my first project, our first build and deployment failed because my module had unresolved
errors. I was embarrassed beyond words and disappointed in myself. It was
painful to see that because of me, the whole team had to spend 2 additional
hours during deployment. It reminded me that just like skating, when you fall,
sometimes you take others down with you. But I also learnt that no matter how
hard you fall, you have to pick yourself up and start skating again.
In every skating class, after the drills,
there would be a race. Just like any race, some kids were in the front, some in
the middle and some at the end. This is how performance evaluation may feel
like at work. But what one should remember is that it’s not your position that
matters as much. It is your desire to be doing what you love doing and working
towards getting better every day, that matters. I was lucky to learn this early
on. After believing through high school and undergrad that all I ever want to
do is code, barely 6 months into the actual job as a developer, I realized that
I was average at best. More importantly, I realized that I didn’t have the
desire to put in the effort to go from average to the best. Instead, I
discovered my interest in the business side of technology and moved on to do an
MBA and switched to business consulting. As I progressed in my career, I learnt
that the goal is not the finish line but to be better than your earlier self
and to find meaning and joy in what you do. When you do that, everything else
takes care of itself.
During the breaks in the skating class, the
children would form smaller groups with those similar to them. The shy kids,
the extroverts, the ultra-competitive ones and so on. Unintentionally, we do
just the same at work. When I started out, my group comprised only of other
campus hires like me. It wasn’t until I went to an international B-school, I
learnt the value of working with a diverse group of people. Looking back, I
realize that while it is natural to gravitate towards people who are like us,
we should actively seek out and work with those who are very different from us.
In fact, if given a choice, we must choose a more diverse workplace. There is
enough research to show that diverse companies are more successful, and so are
inclusive leaders. So, if you are starting out, you should make an effort to
know and work with those different from you. Because the sooner you start, the
better off you are.
Finally, the most important takeaway for me from skating is
- to be a sport, as you start and go through your journey. Collaborate,
celebrate success of others, enjoy your work and focus on getting better every
day. Starting your first job is stressful and exciting in equal parts. It is
also the opportunity of a lifetime. If you are just starting out, I hope that
you learn some necessary although painful lessons, just as you are supposed to.
But I also hope that you go in with a clear intent to learn and get the most
out of your first experience. Always
remember what skaters say – “I may lose my balance, but I will never lose my
determination”.
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