As I was thinking about what to post this week, I was thinking back to what I experienced this week at work, talking with friends about work, and reading articles and blogs regarding work and careers. I'm going on over a year and a half with the same company that I started with after college and realized that I'm really hitting stride now that the bulk of the initial learning is complete.
I was thinking about the frustrations that come along with taking on a new role, and learning how to perform a new function - while performing that function. The sink or swim method of teaching and passing on knowledge is rough at first, but I can be sitting in front of a demo, instructional video, or a one-on-one training session and only absorb the most basic steps of the process. By actually doing what is being taught I tend to learn much more quickly and efficiently. The mistakes, hurdles, trouble-shooting, and uncertainty of the process as a whole can be daunting, especially when you have other projects and deadlines to hit. All of these factors are necessary in order for you to learn and experience a process that looked orderly on paper, but can only be completely absorbed through all of the non-documented factors coming at you in real-time.
I'm not sure how big or what the expected duration of the initial learning curve is for most entry-level positions, but once you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel the added stress of training on top of working is removed. Work simply becomes work at that point. The learning never stops as processes rarely remain unchanged for long, but seeing the big picture through the experience and first-hand knowledge from completing your projects in the first few years really makes the new tasks seem smaller.
It can be extremely frustrating climbing up the learning curve while your managers and co-workers expect you perform other necessary functions at the same time. With the growth and rate or work speed in America, isolated training for new employees is a huge expense and not an option for most companies. Getting through the first 12-18 months will be tough, but seeing the time invested come to fruition is a good feeling and makes you appreciate the fact that you stuck around and stayed committed.
I know that job-jumping, freelancing, and having employment gaps are all accepted and encouraged according to the new laws of business, but there is nothing wrong with sticking around, flattening the learning curve, and enjoying yourself a bit.
