Challenges for Fresh Graduates

Fighting Off The Memo Police—And Other Challenges That Throw Fresh Graduates Off Kilter

If you are a new college graduate who is just starting work, you will experience a lot of adjustments. Professional life is extremely different from college and it can be overwhelming.

While there is no substitute for experience, there are ways to shorten the learning curve. Anticipating the common issues would improve your chances for success. Here are some of the changes you are likely to face in your professional life:

Stress. A lot of fresh graduates may feel an unexplainable level of stress after the first few days at work. This does not automatically mean you are not qualified, or that you are not passionate enough about the position you applied for. It is only because, for years, you have been used to doing different things in a short span of time. Back in college, for an hour or two, you would do math, and then you do marketing, while at work, you have specific tasks to do and oftentimes, you do them over and over the whole day, every day. Your body and mind are adjusting, and the stress you feel is just temporary. After a few months, you will feel at home in the workplace and ready to take on another eight hours of work.

Groups. One of the best things about college is that you get to choose and work with a group that has the same interest as you. The members can be the same age as you are, have the same hobbies, and even have the same views and perspectives on life. Now, you can only hope to agree about at least one thing with your co-workers, and that is wanting to have a peaceful workplace. You are on the same team/department/group, but it’s not because you want to be with them, it’s because you were put there by your boss. So just try your best to get along and finish work.

Know the unwritten rules and the actual power structure in the company. Often, the organizational chart does not reflect true working relationships.

Money. Money matters more now as compared to when you were in school. You work hard for your own money now and because of this, you try to protect every peso you have in your wallet. Absences, tardiness and half-days are deducted from your salary so you try to avoid committing these. Getting and saving money are now two of the biggest issues you have to contend with.

Plan. Gone are your happy-go-lucky days. Your decisions don’t just get you low grades, they can go from you getting low pay to getting fired from your only source of income. Procrastinating is also something you have to forget, unless you want memos flying everywhere. Your friends cannot help you and some of your co-workers are out to get you. These are reasons why you always need to plan everything. You need a plan for how fast you need to finish your work, a plan for how to divide your spare time between friends, partner and family, and a plan for how much you have to save by the end of the month to ensure financial security. Everything needs to be planned out now.

There will be more trials to come. Things may go wrong along the way, but what matters most is how you fix them and move on with life. Professional life is far more complex than making a thesis paper, but it is something that planning and determination can overcome with flying colors.

*Originally published by the Manila Bulletin. C-4, Sunday, June 7, 2015. Written by Ruben Anlacan, Jr. (President, BusinessCoach, Inc.) All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or copied without express written permission of the copyright holders.