Navigating the Transition: A Fresh Grad’s Reflections on the College to Corporate Move
Six months into my corporate journey , I find myself reflecting on this life-changing journey. Well, honestly? my year-end review compelled me to introspect— but regardless, here we are, sharing insights into my transition from college to the corporate world.
Outset: City Blues to Sense of Belonging
When it all began, I wasn’t a big fan of the new city. Moving to a new city brought its share of challenges and drama, but now that I have settled down, the city has started to grow on me. I think more than the city, I have started enjoying the independence and even the responsibilities that came with it. Exploring aspects of life other than work/ career became an important aspect of this transition. When you spend 8 hours (or more) at work, you start to value the remaining hours in a day more. The value for time and your attitude changes in a way that you start to relate more to your parents than your younger cousins — a shift that carries a tinge of nostalgia but is bound to happen in life.
Adapting and Transforming: Making a Home
For the longest time, I lacked the social energy and mental capacity to even step out of the house. It may sound silly but it took me months to even figure out what login/ logout time works for me. Setting up a flat by yourself is no easy feat either. Transforming the flat into a home became a quest — just for a small sense of belonging. I felt lost in the city. Struggling with adapting to new cultures, schedules, and priorities. It took a considerable amount of time, but finally I find myself at peace with this new life — well, sort of at peace with this.
Teaming and onboarding: Navigating Corporate Realities
Shifting focus to the corporate aspect, I want to emphasize that I am not trying to be political here. I genuinely love my team. The onboarding process was remarkably smooth, with my team guiding me through the technical and political ways of corporate life. Speaking of political, I learned the importance of being political at the workplace — drawing boundaries and watching your words to avoid unintended consequences.
Chai pe Charcha: Candid Conversations
Real glimpses of corporate culture came to me during tea breaks with colleagues. Candid and insightful conversations during these breaks provided practical takeaways, stimulating personal growth. The conventional view of corporate life is to finish the tasks at hand and go home. I found taking the additional step to find or make opportunities helped me explore more areas at work and figure out my interests. Taking time to understand how things really work and not just finding a solution to complete the tasks has helped me grow professionally. It helped me gain confidence about my work and come up with alternatives to problems at hand.
Year-End Revelation: Goals for Purposeful Growth
At the end (or during my year-end review), I understood the importance of setting goals and expectations, not just with your manager, but also with myself. Aimlessly ticking off tasks makes it difficult to quantify impact, growth, and achievements. Setting clear goals or just identifying areas of improvement helped me give my work a sense of purpose, guiding my professional journey in a more meaningful direction.
Epilogue: Seeking Support & Acknowledging Personal Growth
What helped me through difficult times was knowing that I am not alone. Every fresh grad was going through a similar journey, if not worse. In the pursuit of understanding myself, I ended up on the doorstep of therapy. The list of goals that earlier only included milestones for a successful career now includes additions like “building emotional resilience” and “escaping escapism”. I will continue hustling in my professional life as before, with the new acknowledgment that I need to work on myself too.
“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.”
Feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn or book a slot on Topmate and connect with me :)
