What I Wish I Knew When I Transitioned From College To My First Job
By Michal Temkin, UCLA Graduate Counseling Intern

Up until this point in your life, your path has seemed fairly clear.  You went from elementary school, to junior high, to high school without much effort.  Although deciding whether or not to go to college, and then which college to attend, was a more daunting task, you still maintained a "student" role. But graduating from college and deciding what to do next was a tougher decision, and switching from a “student” role to a “professional” one can be tricky and confusing.

I am not sure if this is how you felt, but this is surely what I went through when I graduated from UCLA in 2001. All of a sudden the ways in which I had formerly operated and thrived as a student were not applicable to my new position as an employee. I found that things moved at a different pace, communication and feedback was different, and I needed to readjust my expectations. Therefore, I am writing this article in order to share with you some of the things that I wish I had known during my transition from college to the “real world.”

For those of you who are still in the midst of the job search process and will soon join the ranks of those who have found positions, I hope that you are utilizing all of the UCLA Career Center resources available to you. For those who have found their first job out of college, let me say congratulations for effectively navigating the job search process! However, now that you have landed your first job out of college, a whole new navigation strategy is required. Starting a new job goes beyond learning about the industry, company, and the responsibilities of your job title; as a new employee, you will be expected to learn your job and seamlessly weave your way into the company culture.

A company's culture incorporates among other things: the company's mission, values, dress code, norms of behavior, attitude, expectations, organizational structure, and rituals.  In order for you to be happy and successful in your new job you must find a way to adapt to this new culture. For that reason, you will probably spend a good portion of your first few months on the job trying to observe, understand, and adapt to some of these unspoken nuances. For example, are you allowed to dress differently based on your position? Does your communication always need to go through your direct supervisor? Are birthdays, anniversaries, and milestones celebrated? To learn about a company’s culture prior to starting your job, consider doing information interviews.

Besides adjusting to the culture, you will also need to adjust your student mentality to a professional one. That means that gone are the days when you were given a syllabus with clear instructions and dates for all of your major responsibilities. At work, things come up spontaneously, sometimes with little instruction or time for preparation. Also, as students we were accustomed to receiving constant feedback, positive reinforcement, and immediate results for our assignments, through the grades we received. However, at work you may or may not get the acknowledgement for doing something that is considered part of your “job” and it may take months to see the fruits of your labor.

At school our schedules were relatively flexible and we were able to adjust them according to our preferences, part-time work requirements or extra-curricular activities. But once we begin full-time employment we often work typical business hours, and often we need to come in early or stay late in order to finish our work responsibilities.

Now my intention is not to paint a bleak and miserable picture of the world of work because there are a lot of wonderful and exciting things about being financially independent and paving a career for yourself; however I wanted to point out some of the re-framing that I had to do when I transitioned from being a student to being a professional.

Adapting to the culture is certainly one of the biggest hurdles to overcome, but another hurdle that I faced when transitioning from being a student to being a professional was the need to learn in a new way. In school we are often expected to memorize material and then restate the information in papers or in exams. However, at work we might be expected to learn new “technical,” concrete skills of the job that are learned through practice. As new professionals we need to learn to adjust to a different learning curve.

So how do you adjust to this new learning curve? Well, I believe that you need to make a strong first impression, but also recognize your limitations. If you work hard early on and your work is noticed, you will make a lasting impression as a dedicated and motivated individual. The impression that people get of you in the first few months on the job is usually what stays with them. Therefore, if you start off on a bad foot, you will have a steep barrier to overcome. First impressions count!

That being said, taking on too much, too soon without the necessary training or experience can also be detrimental to your career. You might burn out or experience an unnecessary amount of stress and expectation surrounding your performance. Instead, what you should think about doing is listening to what others have to say, ask appropriate questions, and learn from your mistakes.

One common mistake that many new professionals make is not effectively managing their finances. Prior to starting your first job, you should take your new salary information and plan out a monthly budget accounting for such things as taxes, rent, car payments, health insurance, bills, utilities, food, and miscellaneous. Then you should track this information for a couple of months to evaluate how you are spending your money and figure out a way to free up some funds for investment. It is never too early to invest and the longer that your money is accumulating interest, the better. Be sure to check with your company’s Human Resources representative to clarify all benefits and saving plans (i.e. 401(K), stock options, PPO vs. HMO, etc.). The Career Center also offers “The Basics of Financial Planning” workshop.

Finally, I would just like to say a word about lifelong career management. For the most part, gone are the days when an individual stayed with one company for the entirety of his/her career and relied on his/her supervisor to mentor the way to promotion. Today, most people change careers on average of 5-7 times during their life, so it is up to you to constantly manage your career to make sure that you are reaching your goals. You will evolve throughout your lifetime to meet the needs of a changing world and so will your career goals. That means that you should keep abreast of current information in your field, join professional organizations, preserve contact with former employers and colleagues, maintain and update a current resume, and continue to reevaluate your interests, values, skills, and personality.

Best of luck in all of your future endeavors! You are about to embark on a very interesting journey.

Additional Resources:

The Dilbert Principle-A Cubicle's Eye View of Bosses, Meetings, Management Fads, and Other Workplace Affiliations by Scott Adams

Building a Professional Life by Patsy J. Hallman & J. Lynn Johnson

Working Up A Storm-Anger, Anxiety, Joy, and Tears on the Job and How to Handle Them by Jeanne M. Plas, Ph.D. & Kathleen V. Hoover-Dempsey, Ph.D.

The Ultimate New Employee Survival Guide by Ed Holton

How to Survive Your 1st 90 Days at a New Company by Paul Kaponya

First-Job Survival Guide by Andrea J. Sutcliffe