I’ve written a post before about not knowing what you are learning, and I was reminded of the idea yesterday while I was thinking about how I know a lot of small details about the construction industry from my first job doing bookkeeping at a flooring company.
At the time I wasn’t thinking about how leaning those things was valuable–it was just part of my job–but since quitting that job, the knowledge of construction has helped me in conversations and just understanding how big buildings are built.
I think that all jobs and experiences are like this. We don’t realize the value in everything that we are learning and so we undervalue the experience.
This is especially true early in your career.
At the time I was working in my first professional job I wasn’t aware of how many of the small things that I was learning that would come in handy later. I was focused on the first level of the job description tasks. I overlooked the real learning value that came from simply working in a professional environment and learning the stuff that most professionals take for granted, but most young people are clueless about.
Things like:
- How the interview process works for professional jobs.
- How to manage working for 8+ hours a day with a 1hr+ commute.
- How to dress professionally, and where to find affordable professional clothes.
- How to communicate professionally with people that are much older than me.
- How to make phone calls that aren’t to friends.
- How to prioritize when you have many tasks.
- How to deal with the stress and anxiety that comes from professional expectations.
- How to communicate with a boss
- The standards and expectations when it comes to vacations and illness at work.
- How to save money and lower your taxes when you are making more than summer job money.
I could keep going with the small stuff and there are lots of things I’m sure I learned during those two years that I use, but don’t even think about now.
When I think back to that experience, I don’t use many of the job description skills, but instead, I use a lot of foundational skills that I developed over my two years in that position.
To get paid, you need to have specific skills that others value (job description skills), but early in your career, the foundational skills and knowledge you gain from working are typically more valuable.
Most people don’t recognize this though, and when they start their careers they focus on job description skills they want to learn and develop, overlooking tons of opportunities that would help them learn valuable foundational knowledge and skills for professional life.
Early in your career, you should focus more and simply getting started than what specifically you are getting started on.
Leave a Reply