Pathways: Reflections on First Jobs – Revisited

By Sharon Fleshman

Recently, two of my colleagues offered some food for thought regarding the search for passion and meaning in a career.  Hopefully, Pat Rose’s blog –  Passion? What Passion?, and Claire Klieger’s blog – Career Exploration Lessons from the Cheshire Cat will encourage you to give yourself permission to not have things all figured out as you get started in your career.  As I reflect on my first job after college, I am reminded about how it informed my career path.

When I received my degree in Computer Science from Penn, my first job was in information technology consulting. I never expected to come back to Penn to work, or to be a career advisor. As time went by, I noticed a growing restlessness about my sense of purpose as it related to my career. My church and community involvement was certainly a catalyst for my eventual transition to the non-profit sector as I had felt increasingly more fulfilled in my roles outside of work. In spite of this, I have no regrets about my first job because I discovered a lot about what I want and don’t want in a career. I liked certain elements of consulting. I enjoyed helping clients in ways that required intellectual curiosity and allowed exposure to a variety of areas. Consulting also challenged me to learn and adapt quickly and project more confidence about my abilities. My colleagues were smart, friendly and motivated, but it was hard to forge strong collegial relationships given the need for consultants to move from client to client. In retrospect, I realize that having a sense of community at work was and still is important to me. When I found out about a Career Counselor position at Career Services twelve years ago, I was drawn to the opportunity to continue my advisory work in an environment that is more compatible with my work values.

All of this is not to say that one can only find meaning and purpose in a particular field or sector. My point is that your first job will not define your entire career, but it can potentially be a springboard for cultivating self-discovery that will help you to progress in your development. As you enter the next phase of your life in the world of work, make sure to take the time to reflect on lessons learned on the journey

 

Career Exploration Lessons from the Cheshire Cat

I’m definitely not the first to compare Lewis Carroll’s  character of Alice lost down a rabbit hole to the career exploration process. However, sometimes as a career counselor I feel a little like the Cheshire Cat, if slightly less cheeky. With that said, I do feel this particular sassy feline has a lot of good advice to offer, particularly as it relates to looking for that first job after graduation. Here are some of my favorite quotes of his and how they apply to life after Penn:

alice-with-cheshire-catAlice: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

Cheshire Cat: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”

Alice: “I don’t much care where –”

Cheshire Cat: “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”

Before you start applying for jobs, it is important to have some direction because what you want greatly influences how and where you look for those opportunities. Once you identify a goal, we in Career Services are happy to help you develop a strategy to get there. However, if you aren’t sure what you want and you’re not ready to decide (a topic for a whole different blog), then you open yourself up to possibilities, which can be as exciting as having a more concrete goal.  Just like Alice picking from different possible paths, if you aren’t sure of what your long-term plans are, just about any first job will help you get there. This is because any role will help you develop new skills that you can use in future positions as well as give you a better sense of what you want (or don’t want) in future jobs. The trick is to take advantage of all experiences put in front of you because you never know which path they will help illuminate next. You might even think of it as an adventure…

And, as the Cheshire Cat also wisely said, “Every adventure requires a first step. Trite, but true, even here.”  In other words, don’t be afraid to test yourself and explore new things. Even in the nerve-wracking and stressful process of figuring out life after graduation, each small step along the way, whether that’s updating your resume or doing an informational interview with a Penn alum, can help you get there. Or, taking a risk on an unusual first job may also be that first step towards an adventure.

 “Only a few find the way, some don’t recognize it when they do – some… don’t ever want to.”

Thicheshire cattrees quote could be interpreted many ways but in this instance I take it to mean that very few people find careers about which they are truly passionate. And even fewer are passionate about something as a senior in college. Some spend the rest of their lives looking for it and some never find it. For those lucky few who seem born to do what they do (think Steve Jobs, Jim Henson, Jane Goodall), they have typically taken the path less traveled or more risky to get there. So it’s okay if you’re not passionate about something now. That’s not what your first job is all about. It’s just the first step along your adventure. But as you travel on your own winding path or tumble down a rabbit hole, be on the lookout for the Cheshire Cats in your own lives. We may be frustrating, or even cheeky, but hopefully we will help you ask questions of yourself, what’s important to you, and which way you want to go.

Pathways: Reflections on First Jobs

By Sharon Fleshman

I have always had a curiosity about people and how they see their place in the world. Perhaps that’s why I’ve landed at Career Services.  Twenty-two years ago, I was preparing to graduate from Penn and start my first “real” job, as some of you will do soon.   When I received my degree in Computer Science, I never expected to come back to Penn to work, or to be a career advisor.   I must say, though, that I have always had an interest in the world of work even as it relates to my family.  My mom is a retired social worker who touched the lives of her elderly clients.  My dad was a technician who envisioned how electronic components could come together to create useful tools.  My grandfather was a farmer who put his hands to the dirt and tractor to sow and reap. My aunt and grandmother were nurses who graced bedsides and operating rooms to care for patients.  A couple of my uncles were cab drivers who guided many travelers in the Bronx.  These jobs sound pretty concrete, right?  So what was my first job coming out of Penn?  A consultant.  Had my grandfather been alive at the time, his first question would have been — “What in the world is a consultant?”  All I know is that it seemed like a good gig at the time.

As time went by, I noticed a growing restlessness about my sense of purpose as it related to my career.   My church and community involvement was certainly a catalyst for my eventual transition to the non-profit sector as I had felt increasingly more fulfilled in my roles outside of work.  In spite of this, I have no regrets about my first job because I discovered a lot about what I want and don’t want in a career.  I liked certain elements of consulting.  I enjoyed helping clients in ways that required intellectual curiosity and allowed exposure to a variety of areas.   Consulting also challenged me to learn and adapt quickly and project more confidence about my abilities.    My colleagues were smart, friendly and motivated, but it was hard to forge strong collegial relationships given the need for consultants to move from client to client.   In retrospect, I realize that having a sense of community at work was and still is important to me.   When I found out about a Career Counselor position at Career Services twelve years ago, I was drawn to the opportunity to continue my advisory work in an environment that is more compatible with my work values.

All of this is not to say that one can only find meaning and purpose in a particular field or sector.  My point is that your first job will not define your entire career, but it can potentially be a springboard for cultivating self-discovery that will help you to progress in your development.  As you enter the next phase of your life in the world of work, make sure to take the time to reflect on lessons learned on the journey.