5 Ways my First Jobs Impacted My Career

Recently I was talking with an old boss, turned mentor, turned friend. We were catching up on life in general and it occurred to me just how much she impacted the trajectory of my career. It got me thinking about how all of the leaders over the years have impacted my story. Some for the good, and some to prompt me to look for so much better. Every time I got stuck, felt frustrated, or was angry at leadership or what was being asked of me, it was redirection. God was pointing me from the door that closed down the hall, over to the one meant for me. The impact to my career for each situation is really hard to see in the moment. I’m challenging myself to remember it next time. Not in a cliché quote on a coffee mug kind of way. In an objective, you’ve literally seen this happen before countless times, kind of way.

I’m guessing you’ve seen it too if you truly reflect with clear eyes. Those you interact with and follow shape and impact your career every day. In case you can’t see it yet in your story, I’ll share some of my examples. I’m sure you’ll see yourself somewhere in the line and draw the impacts to your own career.

First, the ‘kid’ jobs impacted my career

OK so let’s go way back. Back to my earliest working experiences… you know the jobs you hold as a ‘kid’ that people think have no bearing on the rest of your career (those people are wrong by the way, but that’s a tale for another blog). When I first started working, I was a store clerk and grounds keeper at a campground. Then in a food truck in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin. I know they sound trendy and like a ton of work now, but then (and there), not so much.

Some days I’d work really hard putting in roads in the woods, clearing brush, or serving a ton of customers. Other days I read a book and wait to see if anyone came in. I hated the ebb and flow of this and wanted something where the ‘work’ days were more consistent. The men I worked for in those situations were new to owning businesses and, while they were very kind, didn’t have any expectations of me. I think looked at me a little more like a daughter than employee and thought I wanted to sit around and read for $5 an hour.

Then, the summer jobs

I moved on from there pretty quickly. I joined a slightly larger family-owned businesses where I could accomplish as much as three people if I wanted. There were so many employees there who I could tell would have killed to sit for 50% of their workdays. The owners of these businesses had experience which led to expectations. You could fall below, meet, or exceed those expectations. It was clear by every interaction with their employees who was in what category. There was no formal review process or timed promotion in role construct. If you worked really hard and were consistent at it, you might get pulled to the side on a random Tuesday to be told you were getting a quarter raise. It was awesome.

That job led to another that was sort of an accident. I stopped in after work to help clean up while waiting for my sister to get done. I was promoted to manager after actually working there part time one summer. It was a great place to work that shaped me enough to warrant it’s own post years ago. Go back and read What Makes It the Happiest Place on Earth for more on that one. But for the purposes of today, I learned everything from marketing to leadership, strategy to the best cleaning techniques. All of that from an ice cream shop, from bosses and a few co-workers, I would still (15 years later) walk-through fire for.

And the corporate jobs

Then, life changed, and I moved into a more corporate style of work while in college. I sat in a cubicle and worked on a computer while answering phones and greeting customers. My boss was incredibly kind, and I loved all of the women in the office. However, there was no expectation or goals and doing the work was painfully repetitive.

On to that boss I was telling you about earlier, I met her at a time in my life that I was trying something completely new to me. I wanted to work and I missed getting to lead people, that part was clear. I was willing to follow anyone who could provide that same feeling I had in those previous jobs. Thankfully I got the boss I did. She led by example, had very high standards, was well connected and knew how to appropriately blend personal and professional life. She pushed me to do more and cautioned me against trying to move too quickly. We talked frequently about career goals and while she didn’t necessarily love the directions I wanted to take she was supportive and helped to equip me for a time after I worked with her.

I was promoted from that position and the following two managers I reported two were in stark contrast to my first in that line of work. They were wishy washy in their feedback, expectations seem to matter some days and others were merely a suggestion, it was almost like the cubicle version of those first jobs with better pay.

What did I learn that impacted my career?

All of these jobs were over a span of about 10 years, 15-25. I learned a lot in that short time that stuck with me in all the years since and likely will forever.

• I want to be pushed and work hard. I didn’t appreciate the jobs where it was OK to slack. I didn’t want it at 15 and I don’t want it now. If I can coast, I will add work. If there is nothing I’m able to add, I will move on.
• I am not good with repetition. Be it in building a burger, stocking a shelf, or entering data, I cannot do the same thing day in and day out. As I have looked for other positions in career paths far outside those early years, I know to look for more variety and ideally jobs where I can build something entirely new.
• There are diamonds in those skills that you learn. You don’t have to learn from school, books, conferences, and seminars. You can learn countless skills, concepts, and attitudes simply by being on the job and being reflective. Applying those skills to be able to take the next step in your career is key. If you want more on how and start applying what you’ve learned to get you what you want, head to Get What You Want for a free guide.
• Work is about more than the job. The people you’re surround yourself with make all the difference. Whether it was the owner singing along to the oldies station, convincing one of the girls to dance in a giant ice cream to drawn in customers, or simply setting up a cubicle for a food day to celebrate, working with fun people will keep me coming back every day.
• Having a strong leader will beat out just about any negative at work. Working alongside someone you respect and want to follow will help push yourself and set goals no matter the repetition or external expectations. It can help you reflect on the skills and concepts you’re learning and apply them more. Finally, a strong leader is someone who blends personal and professional in the right amount that you feel connected and respectful.