Silver Lining Colleagues
Their names were Heather, Chris, Matt (who actually went by the nickname “Laser”) and Steven.
When I started my first “big kid” job, I was a lowly receptionist (which I elaborated to the title of Office Assistant). I spent my days answering the phones, helping arrange meetings and catering orders and organizing office supply requests.
For someone who had graduated college early after making the Dean’s List every semester, taking a job that required very little of my creative energy made me feel incredibly less-than. Growing up, I had watched my parents place tremendous value in the work they contributed to and the jobs they held. Here I was, 22 years old, a college graduate and checking the fax machine twice daily; I resigned to defeat.
But there was a silver lining — I listed their names above. My work friends became a source of comfort in an environment where I felt wholly depreciated. They taught me more about the business of advertising, helping my piece together all the components of our company by learning more about their jobs and projects. They never considered me to be less capable than they were; instead, trying their best to support my side projects, including writing and curation. There were lots of encouraging conversations about where we wanted to grow professionally and how we would help each other get there. They entertained numerous happy hours, early morning meetings and quick venting sessions in vacant conference rooms.
While I developed other relationships in that first job, my four core friends were something special. We were the youngest employees at the agency, often by five years or more. We were recently out of college, having only one or two previous jobs or internships that had any bearing on our current role. We had no clue what we were doing. Our paychecks felt something like winning the lottery and, right at 4:30 pm daily, we could be found gathering around the office keg.
That group companionship etched itself into me. It revealed the power of finding colleagues who can empathize with everything from your macro-anxiety about moving up professionally to the terse company-wide email that made the rounds. There’s no explanation required because they are living all the good and bad of your working environment alongside you.
Jobs will inevitably come and go. There will be layoffs (or worse, firings) and people leaving to pursue new opportunities. Group dynamics shift. Everyone has to let out a collective sigh and move onto a new phase of the company’s identity. But those few friends who manage to come along for the ride are precious — and I can’t help but offer them a public “thank you” for their comfort and patience as we started our careers together.
