How to Make Lemonade When Life Doesn’t Give You Lemons
First jobs can often be intimidating. You go in cold, not knowing what to think about or anticipate from this job. You don’t know the people, the environment, the expectations. Do you go dressed in business casual, or is it more of a jeans-and-sweater type environment? Are you supposed to have your own laptop, or do they give you what you need for the day? And what happens if I end up hating this job and want to quit? Lots of questions, lots of pressures, but you’re not alone in these feelings. Everyone has to start somewhere, whether it’s a first job, a first house, or a first pet, and there are always uncertainties and doubts. This blog, however, is a place where you can come to ask and find the answers to many of these questions you may have.
The first real internship I ever had just happened to fall into my lap my second semester of Freshman year, at a company that created websites for athletics teams. It almost seemed too perfect; the office was located right within walking distance, the company had a great reputation, giving me a huge advantage when it came to putting it on my resume, and while the position I initially applied for didn’t work out, I got recruited onto another team that I thought did similar work to the position I originally applied for. But boy was I wrong. From the day I walked in I realized that I had no clue what I had gotten myself into, but I knew I had to stick with it as I made a commitment to them to be there and work to the best of my abilities. And I wasn’t going to go back on my word.
As I began coming into work each day, finding myself more and more miserable having to sit there and complete all these tasks I had no interest in, I decided I wasn’t going to let myself keep going on like that. I began to take on my own initiatives and came up with different PR-related plans and tactics to engage the clients more and keep them informed and updated on what’s going on in and around the office. This system of “transparency,” as Luttrell puts it, is crucial to maintaining good client relations, and builds a sense of trust between the organization and its publics, and this is something that was lacking before. As PR is a constantly changing field, it’s important to keep your clients in the loop, and that was an aspect I hoped to bring to the company.
While this experience wasn’t all I had hoped for or imagined it to be, it ended up being one of the best learning experiences that I had. Learning how to make the most out of what you have, and adapting to any work environment, is an extremely important and valuable skill that will push you through any job you have, whether it be the best or the worst job for you. There are always going to be unenjoyable tasks or things you have to do, and knowing how to make the best of every situation is a very helpful tool to have in your back pocket.