Goodbye to My First Corporate Job!

This entry is going to sound super corporate but these are my honest authentic thoughts about my debut in the corporate world. 

I can't believe I'm bidding goodbye to my first corporate job so soon. I loved the work culture here, the flexibility, the openness and the opportunities that I've been privileged to experience here. Being someone who joined my role fresh out of colleague, time here has proved to have been invaluable. I really enjoyed my time here in this organization, the good the bad and the ugly. 

Here is a quick summary of what I've experienced here:

(note these are my opinions as a 2 year long working adult, of course it's going to change overtime - I'm a work in progress)

Why I felt I was lucky to be in my organisation

1. Learning soft skills - as much as working in a consulting firm can be extremely demanding, I've learn so much about communicating with clients and colleague simply, clearly and properly to get things done fast and accurately.
2. Diversity and being in a regional role - having mixed with diverse people from different countries had proved to be eye opening and amazing. Each one holds different social and personal values. This really helped me to think about the nuances in my perspectives and seriously reconsider how I wanted to live my life and make decisions - deviating slightly (it's a work in progress) from my unconscious mindset that has been geared towards rat race.  Overall, I feel more at peace with myself.
3. Autonomy to speak up - I was blessed to an organization with little hierarchy and with colleagues who listen intently regardless of your level. I feel enabled to be myself most times and have a little bit more ownership in the work that I do.

What I felt was important in the corporate world

1. Soft skills - namely:  communication to people, a good attitude to learning something new and speaking up - if you communicate well and are generally likeable, most times you ask right questions at the right time that allows you to then learn the technical skills you'll need. Never forget to speak up for what you want and incidents you need to clear the air about.
2. Your manager is so important - Bosses are like your parents, if you have lousy or neglectful parents, you learn lousy fundamentals in life. While there is no perfect manager, a good one provides you the right mindset, helps you find the right resources and directs you to the right opportunities.
3. It's okay to share personal life - I have no idea why I had this preconceived notion that I have to separate my personal life from my work life as if it was mutually exclusive. 

A few things I felt I could have improved on 

1. I wished I read more books - I burned out in 2019. Picking up reading helped me to improve my mental state while being productive at the same time. 
2. Have big goals but take one step at a time - it can get so overwhelming trying to reach big goals and we typically falter when we don’t see results. Thus, taking pride in the small wins helps keep the momentum going.
3. Don't be a people pleaser - your time is only so limited. Leverage on strengths of people and exclude negativity. 

While I still have a lot to learn, I was lucky and blessed to have met people I've met and experienced what I learned here. If I were to do it again, I would have done the same. My heart is full :)

Goodbye, for now!