Thoughts

3 Years into My Career

May 18, 2019 /

Plant Fact: Finding balance. Here in Manitoba is the time of seeding and this includes fertilizer application. There are 4 macronutrients that are usually added to soil at various times for a plant’s needs: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium and Sulfur (N-P-K-S). Farmers spend lots of time calculating the necessary amount that will make the plants thrive, without overloading them. For example, too much nitrogen can make plants top-heavy, which makes them lodge (stem breaks and heads fall over) which means loss of the seed and loss of yield. Finding balance is the key!

We are busy into planting season here in Winnipeg. In April I celebrated 3 years at my grown-up job! Not matter where the future takes me, I am glad that I have been lucky enough to have full-time work almost right after university which will help my career by looking “stable” and obviously helped me financially so much!

Canada: rubber boots// UK: wellies (wellington boots)

Here are my list of things that I learnt after 3 years of “grown up work”:

  1. Don’t be Afraid of Mornings: I was the most opposite thing to a morning person you could meet, but learning not to be afraid of mornings will really make everything so much easier. I still like sleeping in on weekends and holidays, but during the week I am usually up before 7am and take some time to arrange myself before rushing out the door in a cloud of chaos. I have also found that I like doing kitchen things in the morning like emptying the dishwasher, as I feel productive right away yet it doesn’t take any thinking. Prepare your water bottles, prepare your lunch and snack, and your day will go SO much better. Be on time for work and don’t flinch if your boss wants you in early.
  2. Routine Matters. I have talked about this book already which I think it life changing. The latest thing I have gotten from the book is stretching while I watch Netflix at the end of the day. It has made a big difference especially on those days where I just sit at the desk all day. I wouldn’t necessarily come home and do stretching as my first course of action, but because I have paired the actions it happens most days automatically. Routines are all over the place in university, but more apparent in working life and can make a difference to your overall accomplishments and sense of wellness.
  3. Learn to Take Criticism. In the workplace there are more hierarchical relationships that are closer to you. If you fail a midterm in university the prof doesn’t even know who you are, there is no one in front of you saying you did a bad job. In the workplace, there are many people who will tell you that you did a bad job. Learn to take this criticism and grow from it, in the end they are trying to make you a better worker. Since I have started managing people myself too, it has become apparent that if someone gives you criticism it is probably because they want you to learn from it and improve. Not giving criticism can sometimes mean that they don’t expect you to improve anyways so they aren’t wasting their time training you. So take it as a compliment.
  4. People Matter. Whether you like your colleagues or not can affect your whole life. Keeping up friendships can drastically improve your social life. Being in good contact with old bosses can help with references and recommendations. The saying that “it is who you know” is still true because people remember people, not titles.
  5. Find an exercise that you like. Right now I am loving Les Milles BodyPump & BodyStep and Bikram Yoga. I am also going to do a run at the end of this summer. I know that I don’t like anything to do with boxing and combat-style workouts. Spin classes are ok sometimes and non-hot yoga is also ok sometimes. Find what you like and go with it!

As a friend once told me, I like a project. Going to France on exchange was a project, completing a Masters was a project. While working towards these goals you think “once I get there everything will be perfect.” I now know that this is not the case, that things are ongoing and small changes every week are the way things happen. Constant evolution is the key.

What have you found in your transition between university and working life?

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