University to office – tips and tricks

With the year winding to a close, a new wave of Massey University students are soon to become alumni. With one door closing, another fucking door opens, it's that time of the year where a full-time job starts becoming the sad reality. 

I understand for university students, the transition from university life to a workplace environment looks daunting – and to be frank, it is. Trying to socialise with superiors, being individual without jeopardising your professionality and learning to keep your social life alive - each of these realities carry their own nervous weight.  

Through my first year of full-time work, I have aimlessly stumbled through this difficult stage of my life, doing all the wrong things, but still managing to stay afloat. Along the way I picked up a few tips that I thought I’d share so you can transition, hopefully more seamlessly into the working world than I did. 

Know your value 

For university students entering their first years in full-time work, there can be an expectation to go above and beyond to kick off on the right foot.  

You are an integral part of any company if they are paying you. Don’t go into a job thinking you are disposable – this will cause you to trade your mental wellbeing for a spot at a company you might leave in the next few years.  

What I’ve realised is that our sets of skills as the younger generation, is unique and valuable in a corporate setting. We have grown up living in the digital world, technology often feels second nature, but for others, the simple tasks of sorting spreadsheets, getting software to work, or figuring out Zoom can be a tough ask.  

As a millennial you have valuable skills businesses need and want. Use this to leverage your way into favour with your elder co-workers. Whatever your unique value is, put it on display from the get-go, let people lean on you for advice and you will start to feel your value grow. 

Understanding the generation gap, and all it holds 

All our student life, we have been wired to listen to our superiors take word above and maintain a strict relationship that doesn’t extend past the student/teacher boundaries.   

In the workforce, this relationship with your elders changes drastically, and it can become hard to distinguish what the best way to act is. While your seniors and bosses are still ‘teaching’ you, there is a responsibility on yourself to act not just as a student, but also as a colleague.  

For the socially able, the extroverts of Massey, this probably sounds like a cake walk. But that’s not the reality for most of us.  

Be cautious about the way you communicate with your co-workers. Work on your communication skills to build a rapport with your colleagues and take an interest in the things they do, rather than sticking to your habitual university conversations. 

Once you begin understanding the nuance of this foreign relationship, you can rely on judgement to get jokey and vaguely inappropriate. I’ve found a lot of the time, these professionals enjoy a yarn from time to time where they can reminisce on their younger years, doing shit we all do nowadays. 

Keep being social 

Student life isn’t easy – there are endless deadlines, stressful exam periods, and pressure from friends, family, and lecturers to do your best. But there is also the fantastic social life, the freedom of independence and flexibility of routine. Students have a great work/life balance that brings a great deal of happiness.  

This doesn’t completely vanish at the collection of a degree, but with everyone’s busy schedules, and new pressures from work, your usual social schedule will be most likely be less than it once was.  

Work itself is a great opportunity to socialise. Spend time with your co-workers, hang out together, and stick to that buzzing social life. 

Not only will a good social life keep you sane but being social is a key part of the workplace. The better you are with people, the better you will be at your job. Going from university, where everybody is the same age, and from similar social backgrounds to work, to a place where everybody ranges in age, social background and education can be a shock. Everybody brings different attitudes and perspectives. Being able to work with, rather than against, these mindsets is an important, but valuable learning curve. 

Keeping your individuality 

As students we dress how we want, act how we want and generally blow caution to the wind when it comes to being seen as professionals. Unfortunately, the harsh reality for many jobs is that this may cause questions to be asked about your professionality. 

This aspect of corporate work sucks - why are we being judged on how we dress, or our hairstyles when what matters is our output of work? In this day and age, companies are much more lenient of this expression of individuality, but there is still an unconscious bias favoured towards those who fit in the box.  

Be confident in who you are. Don’t be forced to make subtle changes to please a person in a suit. It circles back to knowing your value.