How to Successfully Transition from School Life to the Workplace
You’re about to finally make it. In a few months or so, you’ll walk across the stage of your university and get that $40,000 piece of paper with your name on it. After all those long study sessions, all-nighters, paper writing and test cramming, you have come to the end of your undergrad career. Many students are just finishing up school, perhaps starting to look for a job or even have something lined up. With all the excitement, you are happy to welcome change. What most students don’t realize is that the transition between a university life and a professional career is harder than they expect, and I’ve seen many people, myself included, struggle with the change.
I’ve been working full time for the past year while taking on a full-course load in my final year of university. This is the home stretch for me. With just a few more months to go, I can see the finish line and turn my attention to my full time role in the HR field. Attending full-time school and work was one of the most difficult things I’ve done in my life so far, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. But getting through a year of hard work taught me many things and helped me develop strong work habits that I will take with me to any position or company. In the beginning of my employment – like many students- I struggled with the transition. As you may already know, university life does not prepare you for the challenges of the workplace.
Doan Winkel, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at Illinois State University, knows all about the difficulties students face.
“Transitioning from time at a university/college to a career path is a tumultuous journey. Most academic institutions, unfortunately, do not adequately prepare students for the realities that await them upon graduation. The most important things needed to succeed in a career path are a strong network, grit and hustle. Those are only learned and developed in reality, which is often separate from a university existence. Students who proactively challenge themselves while in university will have an easier transition. Students who passively wait for someone to lead them will face a very difficult transition and progression along their career path. Success during this important transition comes down to recognizing an opportunity, leveraging one’s resources, and hustling.”
The issue at hand is that students won’t be exposed to the workplace until they get out of university. Although there are programs like co-op placements that help students gain work experience, not many individuals take advantage of them. As valuable as I think co-op placements are, I could also argue that the employers that hire for these positions are of the mindset that the incumbents are still students. Because of this mentality, often more times than not, they treat them like students and not equitable to the way they would a full-time permanent employee. Therefore, these students may still have difficulties transitioning to a full-time position, albeit not as much as an individual with no prior work experience.
To combat the difficulties of this change, here are a few tips I received or would have liked to hear when I first started my career:
1) Lose that sense of entitlement.
Having a degree does not entitle you to the job. In today’s job market, everyone is replaceable. Many graduates will most likely start at an entry-level position which requires hard work and long hours. Never think that anything is beneath you. The harsh reality is you’re not going to get to start off doing your dream job. There will be aspects of your role that you don’t like or don’t enjoy doing. This is true for any position. Learn how to work through it. The best advice that I have received about how to work through things I didn’t enjoy is to do them first and do them well. Get it off your checklist to allow more time for the things you do enjoy.
2) Timing is important.
In school you had classes that were vitally important to show up for, classes you could be late for and classes you could skip. You could also procrastinate and still get an A+ on a paper that you wrote 3 hours before deadline. Leave those habits and unhealthy mindset behind when you finish school. Trade in those all-nighters for a 9-5 work schedule as you will be expected to get things done on time. You’re also no longer just accountable for yourself. You will be constantly working in teams in the same or different departments. Your work can and likely will affect the tasks of others; so coordinating deadlines is key for successful collaboration.
3) Relationships are everything!
Unlike university where you only have to work with your classmates for one semester, your colleagues won’t be going anywhere. Take time to foster relationships with them, as you’ll see them more than most of your friends and family. Building relationships will also help you understand what every person in the organization does as their role extends far beyond what is written in their job description. Developing a strong bond not only creates a supportive network, but you enjoy your job more when you like the people you work with.
4) Set expectations yourself and with whomever you report to.
Unfortunately, you won’t be getting a syllabus for what your next four months at work are going to look like, and your manager most likely won’t give you a day-to-day schedule. What you will get are tasks and deadlines, and you will be responsible for meeting them. This was something that I personally struggled with. How are you to manage so many moving parts with the start of a new career? Spend time at the beginning of any job, task, project to set expectations and understand what is required of you. Have re-occurring standing meetings with your manager or teammates to update each other, and never be afraid to ask for help. This helps manage expectations and enables you to plan your time accordingly.
5) Work hard, then work harder.
I’ve heard this phrase so many times that it has lost its meaning but it was the best piece of advice I was given and the best one I’m going to give now. Nothing comes easy and nothing will be handed to you in the workplace. You will have to earn it. Find out what motivates you whether it’s compensation (a bonus/raise) or a senior position within the company, aim for it and go. For myself, it’s the learning opportunity that drives me. Doing new things, succeeding in them and expanding my skillset and resume is what really pushes me to work hard. Anyone that puts a 100% into something will see results. No matter how smart or talented an individual is, they will never reach their full potential unless they’re willing to work hard.
“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” – Tim Notke
