New job, who dis?
Beginnings are hard, but how you deal with them is a matter of the right environment.
Every change can be a bit of a shock to the system.
I applied for a World Chicago fellowship because I enjoy being rattled out of my routine. Back home in Banja Luka, I work as an account manager at an amazing up-and-coming IT company called WaySeven Technologies — I joined them over a year ago, and I love every aspect of my job. I love the office (best view in town), the team (not the best view in town #sorrynotsorryboys), the work I do… and I love that we are constantly growing and improving, doubling in size since the beginning of 2018.
When the CEO, Goran, asked me if I was up for a short stint in the states, I was all for it. I didn’t really think I was gonna get in — the competition is high, and I never really considered myself exceptional enough to get in.
Imagine my surprise when I did.
This was in August — I spent the next two months in a bit of a haze, and it didn’t strike me that I was moving to Chicago until I was actually on the plane.
Cue the panic and worry.
I wasn’t sure how my days were going to look like. New country, new friends, new home, new food, new company… it could have gone awry in a gazillion different ways.
But it didn’t.
After a few days in the city, I was confident enough to explore further than the 2 streets I actually knew. I got into work my first day with no idea what kind of welcome to expect, and no idea what “work” actually looks like.
Holistic Index is everything I could have imagined and more.
Since day one, I felt accepted and included. Not just in the office — I’ve been out to lunch, I’ve been introduced to the best donuts ever (Firecakes has my heart), I’ve met spouses and children… I’ve also been introduced to several new cultures (yay diversity) that I now realize I’ve been completely wrong about. Whoops.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m not saying that there was zero friction from the get-go. I got lost 3 times my first week here and managed to miss a meeting. I annoy all the Apple people because I can’t text them from my Android (Samsung 4eva) and I constantly use the office shelves as a storage are for the things that I wanna have close by just in case (my commute is too long for me to go home before going out).
However, what I love most about my work at Holistic Index (and my work at WaySeven Technologies) is the fact that neither company has any barriers to advancement. If you prove yourself ready and deserving for bigger challenges and tougher tasks, that’s what you get. If you show gaps in knowledge or struggle with a skill, you work on it with the help of a teammate. It’s not a weakness until you try to hide it and ignore it — it’s an opportunity to improve.
This is my last week at Holistic Index. I’m going to miss it — although I’m going to be happy to go home and drop some multi-cultural, unbiased, empowering knowledge on their IT a**es. I just hope the Holistic team will have as good a memory of me as I will have of them.
