Making the Right Choice in Transition

Graduation has passed and you are ready to take on the next challenge, to face important life decisions regarding short and long term goals. Take time to reflect on your college decisions, and determine whether the outcomes were what you anticipated. The workplace may be a new environment, but by using skills developed through experience and incorporating them with sound advice, you will make the right choices and succeed.

College-although some may argue-is really where you began to make your own life decisions and had to deal with the consequences. Once there, you soon found that some of the decisions you made could change your plans for the weekend, while others could change your life. Fortunately in college you had many sources of support to which you could turn. But while advice may have come from outside sources, ultimately you had to make the final decisions. Thinking back, did you make the right choices? How many times did you change your major, roommates, formal dates, apartments, and classes? How did your choices end up affecting your life? While certainly not all your choices were perfect, your graduation is evidence that you made good decisions.

Now you find yourself entering the "real world" and, much like when you chose a university to attend, you again need to make choices about your life. There are many things for a recent grad to consider when deciding what to do after college. For some, a decision has already been made. For others, the decision is not as easy, and the future may seem less clear.

New decisions can be interesting challenges. Some are familiar: where you want to live, with whom you want to live, and what lifestyle you prefer. Others are brand new: what career path you choose, what salary is best, and how you pursue that promotion. In college, you declared your major and the university gave you a list of things to accomplish. You completed the list and got your degree. In the workplace, there is no guarantee that says you will reach your goal if you follow certain steps. Now y ou must have an objective and develop the necessary steps on your own to reach it. In the meantime, there is some sound advice you can take with you into the working world.

You prepare, conduct a search, persevere, and find that first job. Understand that successfully completing the first few months at a new job is crucial. During this initial period, your employer will make some basic decisions about your value to the organization. Paying attention to several key areas will allow you to demonstrate your worth.

First, master your goals and your orientation to the workplace. As an employee, consider your employer's objectives and be productive within the framework of your position. Concern yourself with what you can contribute before considering opportunities for personal development. Learn the organization's mission, structure, where you fit in, and workplace etiquette. Additionally, you must familiarize yourself with your employer's spoken and unspoken rules on topics ranging from dress code to telephone us e to reporting illness. Other areas to consider are the image you portray and your actual job performance.

Once you understand the basic blueprint for adjusting to your new environment, work on your routine. Be advised: the majority of people who fail at their jobs do so not because of incompetence, but because of poor interpersonal skills and unrealistic expectations. It is a shock to many new professionals that the job they accepted is not what they thought it would be. New employees must pay their dues and adapt to the routine task with the same enthusiasm they have for the more involved project. You must also relate well with others. Contributing to a team effort can be a key to your success. Remember, on the job, there seldom is only one solution. Try a variety of methods before you decide which is best. After a while you will develop your own routine.

Once you have acquired a "real world" frame of reference, you can begin to feel more comfortable with your new position. When not sure of something, seek good advice from those you trust. And remember, you already have proven you can think logically and achieve goals. If you can adopt a workplace mentality, adjust to a new environment, and accept the realities of your position with grace and a professional attitude, you have survived your transition. Now that you are ready to take on the future, you can continue to make the right choices.

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