First Job Lessons to Remember
My youngest kid just started his first job. Having a first job means experiencing some serious adulting, and it comes with many lessons learned. And a lot of these lessons are ones that you can keep with you for your entire career — from intern to CEO.
Remember that book “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”? The lessons learned in your first job are kind of like those kindergarten lessons. Be thoughtful and kind to everyone. Do a good job at every task. Be helpful. Be on time. Simple stuff, really, but foundational to having a good work experience in every job you’ll ever have.
Learning the Ropes
My 16-yr-old son is learning a whole new set of adult-life rules of employment. From me, from his new boss, from his co-workers. And from his fluffy charges: he works at a doggy daycare. That boy loves dogs more than people, so I am thankful that he has this particular job as his first job. He is passionate about caring for dogs. He texts me pics of his furry friends during his shifts with their names and some anecdotal cuteness they’ve just accomplished.
My son’s first job reminds me often of MY first job (not that I took care of dogs). But I did something I loved too. I took care of books, my passion. I shelved books in the Kansas City Kansas public library after school and most weekends. For an introvert who was already plowing her way through the entire science fiction section of the library anyway, it was a dream come true to work there. I checked out all the new releases first. I could put books on hold when I saw them come in. So I never missed out on reading the lastest and greatest. And did I mention that I loved putting things in alphabetical and Dewey Decimal System order?
Big Picture Lesson: Do Something You Love
Having a first job is one of the first times that you experience interacting and getting along with people who are not your family or school mates, on a regular basis. You are all working together toward a common goal. That’s something to remember. Whether that’s stacking boxes in a warehouse, flipping a burger, walking a dog or shelving a book, you are now a part of a team. You can take pride in doing a good job not just for yourself, but for the team. The feeling of a shared mission is one you’ll take to every job you will ever have, and use for inspiration.
Best Job Lesson: Know your worth
As a teenager, the best part of your first job is you are getting paid to do this! Earning an hourly wage — large or small — definitely makes you focus more, and work harder on the task at hand. You are considered helpful and sometimes even an expert at SOMETHING! So much so that they want to pay you for your knowledge or your handiwork! The realization of that first paycheck moment is your first glimpse into your ability to build skills to create value. With every job, pat yourself on the back for your next pay raise, or promotion — you’re doing great!
Use your first job to enjoy any job
As you grow in skills and get higher paying jobs, remember to savor your accomplishments, and the fact that someone wants to pay you to do something you already love doing! Remember the work friends that you’ve made and kept even when you’re no longer working together. Think about that new skill you learned, and then fell in love with and became an expert at doing. And how much that made you feel smart and valuable.
Sometimes work can feel like a grind, but when you look at your job through your 16-yr-old eyes, maybe what you’re doing is actually pretty cool. And look how far you’ve come!