Advice for Former Students Entering the Workforce
- Are you entering the workforce?
- Did you just start a new job?
- Is the transition from student to employee hard for you to deal with?
A message to anyone entering the workforce: this article is for you! If you take a moment to think about it, we all have been students since the day we were born. The beginning years of our lives consisted of us absorbing everything about the world around us. There was so much for us to take in and learn about this new world! Then, when we were about three or four years old, we entered a new stage of our student lives. We went from playing in our playpens at home to playing in the sandbox at recess. We met friends, learned our ABCs, and started figuring out who we really were.
As we get older, we grow (and hopefully wise) – life starts picking up its pace as we make the memories of our child and teen years. Eventually, we looked around and realized we weren’t playing games anymore. We were taking SATS, posing for senior pictures, graduating from high school/college, and taking on our new role as an “employee.”
The Transition from Student to Employee
This new stage of our lives can be pretty intimidating. Most people fear change. We get so used to our routines, social circles, and surroundings that we fear leaving them. Going from the daily life of a student to a full-time employee can be vastly different. This change can cause growing pains – if you feel out of your element and nervous during this transition, that is normal and expected!
There are many reasons you may feel freaked out after you graduate from school and join the workforce. Some reasons might be:
Distance from People and Places
You may get used to the people and places around you in school. You become an expert at navigating the hallways, going to the correct classes, and avoiding certain people. There may be friends that you love seeing every day. You guys coordinate times to hang out and pass each other in the hallways. You eat lunch with them while laughing about what happened during lectures or in the gym. These people become part of your story and are characters that grow up with you as each year passes.
On the other hand, you may not like school. You may not have many friends, people aren’t that nice to you, and you feel like you can’t wait to escape this part of your life. No matter how you feel about school, leaving these people and places will undoubtedly be a drastic change. It is hard for people who love school to break free from this routine. Your life will never be the same as it was when you were a student again.
You will now be around new people, places, and events. You will find new people, like co-workers or bosses, who will become your new life movie’s new cast. They will influence you and help you grow in different ways – you will learn even more about yourself as time passes.
The Idea of Growing up
As much as you hate to admit it, you are “getting older”, or growing up. Being a student comes with a type of security. You still feel protected knowing that you have more to learn or are not at the stage where you are expected to be an expert. Once you become an employee, the title of a student is revoked from you. You are no longer being trained – you now are using the skills given to you and are applying them to real-life scenarios.
Some people may be excited to start working. They’re tired of being novices and wish to get started on their journey with their career. Being a student doesn’t serve these people anymore, and they want to move on with their lives. For others, however, this is not the case. They fear leaving school and going out into the workforce. It is entirely new territory for them, and they fear messing up, not being good enough, or failing.
These are all valid concerns to have. One particular concern that people face when graduating is imposter syndrome.
Imposter Syndrome
When Entering the Workforce
As mentioned in our other article, researchers explain that Imposter Syndrome makes people feel like their success is a facade. In other words, they worry that their mask will fall off and reveal them to be a “fraud.” People with imposter syndrome feel like they are not good enough to be in the position they’ve obtained. These people doubt their abilities, knowledge, and credentials even though they are highly qualified!
Imposter Syndrome actually seems like an expected consequence to come from years and years of schooling. Since the beginning of our lives we are considered students. We look at our teachers/professors as experts – as students, we were learning from them constantly. After graduation. teachers and professors are no longer able to guide us. The new freedom we face from these mentors begins to feel intimidating. We fear that we are not ready to be on our own or take charge.
Confusion about Careers When Entering the Workforce
Imagine someone graduates from school and is now in the workforce. All those years of tests, assignments, and late-night study sessions led to this achievement.
But what happens when the job/career they thought they wanted changes? What happens when they start working a job and realize that this isn’t what they want to do for the rest of their life? Well, the answer is simple. These discoveries helped this person see that they are just like everybody else!
If you feel upset because you don’t have your life figured out, that is totally normal! Your late teenage years and twenties are time periods for you to keep learning and growing. Even though you are not a student anymore, that doesn’t mean that you are done learning about yourself and your interests! So many people change their minds about what they want to do with their lives countless times. It is more common than you think!
Tips for People Entering the Workforce
Create a Routine
The school system consists of schedules and structure: students have scheduled classes, lunches, meetings, etc. This structure can be a great way to boost productivity in students. When people have a schedule, they can keep track of any obligations, deadlines and meetings coming up in the weeks ahead. Also, proper scheduling allows people who work remotely or have flexible schedules to utilize their time at home in productive ways.
You can also schedule time for non-work-related things; for example, schedule time to work out. Working out can help you manage the stress that stems from your job! In facts, as mentioned in our past article, aerobic exercise has even been seen to help regulate emotions.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions When Entering the Workforce
As a student, you were encouraged to raise your hand and ask questions in class. If you are more reserved or shy, this could have been something you hated doing. Although class participation grades may have been annoying, they taught us all a valuable life lesson.
When entering the workforce, don’t be afraid to speak up and ask questions. There is genuinely no such thing as a dumb question! When entering the workforce, ask questions during each step.
Ask:
- Yourself questions
- Do this when applying to internships and jobs
- Ask yourself: What position do I want? What would make me feel fulfilled? Are their deal breakers for me when it comes to a job? What kind of work setting am I interested in?
- Interviewers questions
- Don’t be afraid to speak up and ask questions when interviewing for a job!
- Ask about the work environment, their COVID policies, etc.
- Remember that you are worthy and powerful! Your opinion of the interviewer and job is just as important as their opinion of you!
- Employers and co-workers questions
- When you are training for a job, don’t be afraid to ask for clarity on specific tasks or to share any questions you have
- Also, try and find a couple of friendly co-workes who you can go to when in need of any advice/tips
Mistakes Will Happen
You need to accept that mistakes will happen! Every expert was once a beginner too. Although your schooling may have done a great job at prepping you, it can not cover every single instance that might occur.
Prepare to mess up and train yourself to EXPECT it. Mistakes will happen, and, weirdly enough, that is a good thing! Mistakes help you grow and learn. When you mess up, it may be discouraging at first, but eventually, you will learn from it and try never to make that mistake again!
Be Intentional With The People You Spend Time With
As you get older, you realize that seeing friends will not be as easy as it once was. Instead of always passing each other in the hallways or hanging out after school, you will have to intentionally schedule times to go out. Since you have more of a limited schedule, make sure you book it with the right people.
One benefit from graduating school is the freedom you now have from people you don’t get along with. You don’t have to see certain people who harmed you/hurt your feeling ever again if that is what you want! You can choose who you want to spend time with and remain close to. Choose wisely, and don’t force yourself to keep in touch with someone because you feel obligated to.
Set and Stick to Boundaries
Work-life balance is an essential effort to commit to. Setting boundaries for yourself is important to uphold! You need to allow yourself to detach from work and garner time to relax. If you don’t, work burnout can occur.
Even though you are new to the work field, don’t let that stop you from honoring your needs. When people are new to things, they tend to people-please and say “yes” to something they would rather not do. It is OK to want to make a good impression, but please make sure you prioritize your mental health at the end of the day!
Take Classes and Keep Learning
The school doesn’t have to be the last place you get to learn something new! Continue educating yourself and learning new things. Take art, dance, or writing classes. Join a workout group or a book club!
These groups are a great way to meet people while stimulating your mind/expanding your perspective at the same time!
Remember That Nothing is Final
This is a reminder that nothing is set in stone in life – more likely than not; you will change your mind many times throughout your life. If you are not happy where you are, that is OK!
Allow yourself to feel your emotions of disappointment and sadness. Comfort yourself and tell yourself that these times will pass. One day, you will find a job that you really like or a work environment that isn’t so toxic! You never know what remarkable and exciting changes life can bring.
Consider Mental Health Support
If you are struggling with the adjustment of life after school, Mind Connections can help! Our team can help you get through these changing times and help you make sense of it all. You may be feeling depressed or anxious when entering the workforce – we can pair you with a therapist that will help you manage/alleviate these symptoms.
We also have coaches who can help you be more productive, follow your goals, and guide you to achieve your dreams! If you are feeling symptoms of burnout, don’t hesitate to reach out and get help! Call now for a FREE 15-minute phone call to learn more!
Content Creator, Victoria Gallo; Reviewed by Dr. June Cao