An Open Letter to Myself On My First Day
I finished my master’s degree in one year- here is what I would say to myself before I started.
In honor of my last blog post and our completion of the program this week, I decided to reflect on what I would say to myself on my first day. Here it is:
Dear Sarah,
I’m sure you are wondering how you got here. Grad school was never part of the plan- but here you are, ready to start your first day at Studio. You probably feel like you have no idea what you are doing, and like you have no right to be where you are. That’s called imposter syndrome, and it doesn’t go away.
This year is going to be the most challenging, most intense, and most impactful year of your life. I know you have been told that this program is difficult, and that you believe it. However, you should know that it will be ten times harder than you ever could have imagined.
Trust me when I say there will be blood, sweat and tears- I mean that literally. (Pro-tip, be very careful with your UX stencils- those things are sharp.)
Academically, this program will be a completely new experience for you. You are going to learn how to learn. You will learn that true intelligence is the ability to teach yourself.
You will also learn how to be scrappy. Long gone are the days when you had time to take pristine notes and get all of your projects done ahead of time. You will always be behind. You will constantly be channeling your inner Tim Gunn and making things work, despite all hope being lost.
You should kiss sleep goodbye. You won’t be getting any, and even when you do, you will dream about work. There will be days when you are so tied you forget your own name.
Another thing you won’t have this year? A social life. Quickly, you will learn how wonderful your friends, boyfriend and family are, because they will all be incredibly gracious and understanding when you don’t have time to hang out or talk to them. You will miss them even more than you think you will, and the moments you do get to spend will be extremely valuable.
As a designer, you will grow faster than you knew possible. You will look back at your work now and laugh, although you shouldn’t discredit yourself the way you do. You are starting this program as a strong designer.
You will work on projects you would have never dreamt of in business. You will finally get to satisfy your curious mind and get your hands dirty making things. The projects will vary widely- from designing an app for DIA TO 3D modeling lipstick cases.
You will be challenged creatively and be surrounded by people who think the way you do. You can rest easily knowing you have made the right decision switching career paths.
Beyond this, you are going to learn some of life’s most important lessons so far. You will learn that truly showing up with positivity and confidence in your work will change your life. You will learn that asking the right questions is more effective than giving the right answers. You will become a better team member, a better communicator and a better leader.
The first semester, you will face a challenge unlike anything you have faced before. It will break you. You will almost give up. But you won’t. You will come out shaken, but strong and ready to keep pushing forward.
In the spring, you will hit a slump that feels never ending. You will feel unmotivated and struggle to keep up- but you will.
You will be terrified for design sprints, and then you will show up and preform in a way you can truly say you are proud of.
Get ready to spend a lot of time with the people around you. You might be upset now that it is a smaller class, but you will be extremely grateful to be a part of your cohort. You will meet some of the best people in the world, people who will be your lifelong friends. The happy hour ritual you develop will be the highlight of your week. You will love and admire these people; and when you reach the end, you won’t want to leave them.
Finally, you are going to learn about yourself, and begin to actually appreciate the strengths you have. You have integrity, compassion. and your solve problems in a different way than anybody else.
Throughout this year, there will be ups and downs. It will feel like the longest, most grueling year of your life. At the same time, it will feel like the fastest, most beautiful year of your life.
I know you have no idea what you are in for, but you should know that you aren’t alone. Sometimes you will truly wonder if you will make it. You will make mistakes, question what you are doing, and you will want to give up. I’m writing to tell you that you do make it, and it feels damn good.
Cheers, and good luck with this year. Hang on tight, it will be a wild ride.
Yours,
Sarah
