now what did you learn?
There was an informal plan in place at graduation time last year for what May 2008 - May 2009 was going to look like, according to the starry-eyed, ambitious dreams of John and Coco. It was simple--get as much experience in the fields of communications and photography/design (respectively) as possible in that time, coupled with saving a good amount of money, so that we'd be free to move wherever we like when the year was up and have a well enough chance at getting another job. At that time, we'd thought a year to get our lives settled in order to start one together was plenty of time.
Of course, that was before the economic crisis came to the forefront for the common man in October of last year, and things got really messy from there. Over the last day or so, I've been trying to take a positive look at it. Taking stock. Though not all of my experiences over the last year have been exactly "in my field", I've learned a lot of interesting things. A lot of it seems like common sense when you think about it.
Limits & Foresight: Running myself ragged between a full- and part-time job got me to realize how easy it is to burn yourself out. While the 56-hour weeks were good for the bank account, I had little time or energy to enjoy the money I was making. At the same time, those two or three months were totally worth the pain, looking back on it. The money I was able to stockpile then has enabled me to continue making my loan payments while I was un- or underemployed earlier in the year so I can save the deferment option for another trouble spot in my life. It also fixed my car when a belt snapped on my way back from dropping off resumes.
Appropriate Quickness: They always tell you at the orientation of a new job that you'll "find your own rhythm" which I've found is only partially true. Through the five or six jobs I've held since last May, I've discovered that every workplace has its own rhythm that you fit into. At Burger King, your life is measured in seconds--as in how many of them does it take to get the customer their food--which, after six years, instills a "run for your life!" instinct when it comes to working. As a result, I would blow through any work that another job gave me far too quickly. This would leave them surprised and impressed but me completely bored because they had nothing else to give me. (Then learned to look busy.) I've slowly learned to gauge how fast I should be working by reading the response I receive when I finish a project--and usually the first one is still done way too fast. By fitting into the workplace's rhythm, new projects come in just as I finish others so I stay busy while they get their work a little faster than they were expecting.
Say Their Names: I've always been pretty good at remembering people's names, and it's a skill that's helped me out a lot. (I say the name to myself every time I see them to reinforce it in my mind.) People tend to pay more attention to you when you come in on day two calling them by their first name instead of "Good Morning". I think deep down in some primitive part of ourselves, we like to hear our names.
Let Yourself Shine: Common sense enough, but I've lost that a couple times in my attempts to "act professional". When the silliness started slipping through without my knowledge, I got much better responses from people.
Treat People Well! Self-explanatory in life, especially in the job world. You never want to leave on bad terms with an employer.
Keep Contact: More than once now, it's saved me to shoot periodic emails to former employers and co-workers that I especially got along with--and not even when I was job hunting! All the messages contained were normal hey-how's-it-goings and a brief note about my life. I genuinely enjoyed hearing back from them, and it reminded them of my existence. (Sort of goes along with treating people well.) I had literally had an email chat with Lisa from the temp agency a week before I was laid off, and I was graciously allowed to skip a lot of the rigmarole of being rehired with them. Keeping my nose around at Maine Awards got me rehired--maybe because I was convenient, but I'll take it. If I ever have to go back to work at TD Bank, there are three ladies who will sing my praises.
Get Out: Over the last year, I been in and out of ruts, and getting out of them usually included taking on a new project or some type of activity outside my house--rollerblading on Thursdays, a guitar class, Sunday night sessions during Lent, etc. The work, home, work, home cycle gets monotonous very quickly.
Less Abstract Random Skills: using office phones (answering line three, putting people on hold, transferring, intercom), how the subsidized housing system works, receptionist duties, Illustrator goddess aspirations, anticipating needs of the boss, info about the degradation of vision as one ages and how to design for it, how to have a rich relationship with no time to spare, filing, photocopying, constructive daydreaming, how to stand in place for four hours, how to use lunch breaks effectively and enjoy them, how to find the secluded spot in a busy building, info about branding/boilerplates/marketing, resume building (and shrinking), basic XHTML, time management, and probably more.
This was probably not very interesting for anyone but me, but I had to assure myself that this time of my life hasn't been completely wasted. Maybe this helps someone out there too!