If you are a young professional or early in your professional career, things could feel overwhelming at first. You may have spent 4 or 5+ years at a college or university learning many skills that have gotten you to this point in life which is great!
Congratulations to you because we all know that was not an easy feat. But you may be like me when I first entered the work force and realize that although you may be highly motivated, compared to your more experienced coworkers you essentially know nothing.
This is okay! They have had years and years of experience to go off, and in due time you will too. As a young engineer, I worked with engineers who each have had at least 10+ years’ experience and some even 30+ years. Boy did I feel DUMB in comparison!
When first getting started I’m sure you’ll have to undergo a vast amount of training. During this stage you’ll want to become a sponge. Absorb and soak up all the information that you can!
This is the time where most likely not a ton is expected from you. Enjoy it while it last and use the time wisely to learn as much as you can.
As A Young Professional You Need To Ask Questions
In my opinion, asking questions is one of the best tools you can use as a young professional and even as an experienced one. Asking questions allows you to engage in what is being asked of you and helps you better understand what is required.
This also shows that you have an interest in learning and getting better at the job. When you ask questions pay close attention the answer and ask follow up questions. Always show that you desire to understand and more learning opportunities will follow.
Write Things Down
It’s important to always write things down and take notes. No matter how well you think your memory is, trust me with all the information that you are receiving and learning, you will forget. Its likely it will feel like you’re drinking from a fire hose with the information overload!
So, it’s always good to remember to write things down so that you can always come back to it. The last thing you want to be is that person who is always asking the same question and never learns from past experiences.
Instead, log how you solved a problem or handled a situation so you can go back and save you the trouble of asking again. Plus, a lot of the time senior professionals want to see you attempt at finding a solution to a problem first before asking for help.
Keep in mind, although senior professionals should be willing to help out a young professional, they also have their own duties and responsibilities too. Their job isn’t to train you so make sure you be proactive in your efforts to figure things out before asking a million questions.
Some professions can be a very challenging but also a very rewarding, don’t get discouraged early on. What really helps, is if you are feeling subpar compared to your peers.
Be A Proactive Young Professional
Put in that extra work, write down a list of things that you don’t understand at work.
After work hours study those topics, watch YouTube videos, read articles. Doing even a little bit of studying a day after work will make the biggest difference and improvement.
You are a student for life in your field, technology is advancing so quickly so it’s best to always learn something. The statement “If you haven’t learned something new today, then you’ve wasted a day” is extremely applicable on your career path.
Work on small side projects at home to better home your skills. Challenge yourself, you CAN learn it, you just need to put in the time and effort. The only thing limiting you is your ambition and work ethic!
Soon that overwhelming feeling of self-doubt that you may or may not have been experiencing will transform into confidence and trust me it will show in your efforts in your career.
Keep in mind that a lot of the time 70% of learning in your career is from diving in and getting your hands and feet dirty. Often, you’ll feel like you’ve been thrown into the fire.
Take my word for it, you will make plenty of mistakes in your career, but that is okay just make sure you learn from each mistake. A lot of young professionals go through this, embrace this because this is where you learn the most.
Its challenging, you will experience growing pains, but you will get through it, trust the process. 20% of your learning comes from formal trainings and the remaining 10% comes from mentoring.
You will do great! Continuing to work hard, and maintain a positive and proactive mindset. As time marches on, celebrate how far you’ve come because you deserve it!