The world of work can be a harrowing place – especially if you're fresh out of school or university, not quite sure how to dress like an adult and haven't yet mastered the 'I know what I'm doing' facial expression. (Trust us: when you've got that one down, you're flying).
With that in mind, we've got some of the best and the brightest around (and, ahem, people from our own office) to offer their own words of wisdom. We asked them what they'd known when they first started work, here's what they had to say:
1. "I wish I had understood that my boss is just my boss. And that expecting them to be my parent, accountant, personal cheerleader or therapist was a tad unreasonable." - Ruth Mawhinney, editor
2. "I wish I'd known how lonely it can be starting in a new job in a new location and having to make new friends. If I had found and been more connected to a local church with people my own age I think that could have helped a lot in the transition." - Paul, management accountant
3. "That you're apparently supposed to bring in cakes for YOUR OWN birthday!?! (whaa?) Would have made for a less embarrassing start." - Sarah Shore, EA
4. "That making a difference for God and In the lives of vulnerable people brings far more job satisfaction than making money ever could. " - Krish Kandiah, founder of Home for Good.
5. "No matter how infuriating it gets, when kettles, plugs, wifi, computers, lifts and entry passes fail to work, don't shout at anyone, ever, no matter how tempting. Let someone else complain about them and find a way to live with it. Oh, and never, ever tip your tea and coffee dregs into the nearest pot plant. You will get caught." - Ruth Gledhill, journalist
6. "It turns out that when you start work in September and wear a suit, sweat patches are a real problem. Solutions include never removing your jacket – but then you begin to pass out with the heat – or just walking incredibly slowly to try and avoid sweating. I finally stumbled across vests. Very old man vibes, but they hide the sweat patches perfectly." - Harry Farley, journalist
7. Before I started work as a journalist, I wish I had known how all-consuming work can be; how tiring it is to start with; and how fairness and talent sometimes seem to have little to do with who gets promoted! Before I started work as a minister, I wish I had known that there is much you can only learn by keeping on doing the job. The best thing I did was to form a fellowship group with a few other ministers starting work at the same time; although we live in very different parts of the country, we still meet up regularly several times a year, nearly 20 years after we began! Whatever your line of work, both fellowship and exercise are vital! - David Baker, former journalist and now Anglican minister
8. "People are more willing to be distracted from work than they might appear. Just prepare with snacks, a good conversation starter or a funny story." - Anna Mason, ordinand
9. "That the world of work is riddled with racial and gender politics. That as a woman of colour, my competence is not assumed in the same way as my white counterparts and that I will have to work harder to establish credibility. That although I will be successful at repeatedly gaining employment, there will be no visible role models in middle, upper or CEO positions for me to aspire to. I wish I'd known that I was more capable than I thought and that just because I didn't really see myself reflected in the industries I wanted to work in, didn't mean that I didn't have a place." - Andrea, training manager
10. "That I would be quite good at important things I'd never imagined were even worth knowing about, and quite bad at important things I thought I could do pretty well. Work isn't a straight line because life isn't either; it keeps knocking you sideways." - Mark Woods, journalist
11. "I wish I'd known that it was OK – even necessary – to put in boundaries around the space your work takes up in your life. When I moved to London and started working for a charity on the issue of human trafficking, I thought that because I really cared about the issue, that meant I had to throw everything I had at it – all my physical, mental and emotional energy. Of course, I burnt out. I walked away from that job five years later exhausted but wiser, knowing that if you don't take care of yourself, then your work – and every other area of your life – will eventually suffer. If you want to be sustainably successful in the work place over a 30-40 year career, then take lunch breaks, don't check your email outside of office hours, and make sure you save some of yourself for the other things that matter." - Rachel, senior advocacy manager (NGO sector)
12. "I wish I'd known that it's not a good idea to moan about your boss in an email to colleagues and send it to the boss instead. And that eating a sandwich at your desk is a false economy – it takes the same time as eating outside." - James Macintyre, journalist
The London Institute of Contemporary Christianity is holding 'Changing Light' from 9-11 September, a weekend away for people in their first years of working life or preparing to start work. Speakers include Jen Logan (LICC), Frog Orr-Ewing (Latimer Minster/Zacharias Trust), Simon Ward (former COO of British Fashion Council) and others, to help explore vocation, calling and the practicalities of working in interesting and often pressured environments.
For more info, see www.licc.org.uk/changinglight.
