People have a habit of giving advice when you really didn't ask them for it. Most of the times it's pretty redundant or even patronizing advice, but this was different.
I worked a late shift together with someone I hadn't spoken to before. It was just the two of us in the office. Because it was a slow night, we had some time to chat, and when I told her about my hopes for a future in this workplace she told me this:
"You're pretty quiet. In this society, where everyone always talks even if they have nothing to say, that puts you at a disadvantage. People will assume you're weak, unopinionated, boring, and that you lack the ability to stand up for yourself. You will have to work twice as hard to prove yourself. You will have to sit through lunch with co-workers wishing they would stop chitchatting and actually start talking about real subjects. You will get frustrated because the world will never stop misunderstanding you. But never forget, there will always be people like me, too. Other quiet people that have gone through the same. I see you. I see your raw talent, quiet enthusiasm and dry wit. I see someone that only opens her mouth when she has something to say. Let them think you're boring. They'll find out who you are eventually, when you're being promoted over them. Because you know what? The boss is one of us too."
Quite the conversational bomb for someone I just met. But I loved the raw honesty, and I loved how she really saw me. I have so many layers, it's exceedingly rare for me to meet someone that sees through to my core, and even rarer for those persons to flat out tell me they do. It felt great to be understood, but I'm also a little worried, because her words do touch on one of my bigger fears.
I have been at my internship for 10 weeks now, and I'm having the time of my life. I requested sort of a job interview with the big guys, pouring all my enthusiasm into an email. There are no positions open at the moment, but I'm hoping to get hired next year. I'm hoping for tips on my application at minimum, but am aiming for an arrangement where I get to start next year, while working on a project in the meantime. The interview is next week, and I'm afraid I won't be able to convey my enthusiasm verbally. My everyday supervisors know how much I love the job, and how talented I am (their words), but they're not the ones that decide who gets hired or not. They've offered to write me recommendations for when there's an actual job to apply to, but that's not the case right now. I just really hope these guys see me for who I am as well. And I hope I can show off my enthusiasm without seeming desperate
I worked a late shift together with someone I hadn't spoken to before. It was just the two of us in the office. Because it was a slow night, we had some time to chat, and when I told her about my hopes for a future in this workplace she told me this:
"You're pretty quiet. In this society, where everyone always talks even if they have nothing to say, that puts you at a disadvantage. People will assume you're weak, unopinionated, boring, and that you lack the ability to stand up for yourself. You will have to work twice as hard to prove yourself. You will have to sit through lunch with co-workers wishing they would stop chitchatting and actually start talking about real subjects. You will get frustrated because the world will never stop misunderstanding you. But never forget, there will always be people like me, too. Other quiet people that have gone through the same. I see you. I see your raw talent, quiet enthusiasm and dry wit. I see someone that only opens her mouth when she has something to say. Let them think you're boring. They'll find out who you are eventually, when you're being promoted over them. Because you know what? The boss is one of us too."
Quite the conversational bomb for someone I just met. But I loved the raw honesty, and I loved how she really saw me. I have so many layers, it's exceedingly rare for me to meet someone that sees through to my core, and even rarer for those persons to flat out tell me they do. It felt great to be understood, but I'm also a little worried, because her words do touch on one of my bigger fears.
I have been at my internship for 10 weeks now, and I'm having the time of my life. I requested sort of a job interview with the big guys, pouring all my enthusiasm into an email. There are no positions open at the moment, but I'm hoping to get hired next year. I'm hoping for tips on my application at minimum, but am aiming for an arrangement where I get to start next year, while working on a project in the meantime. The interview is next week, and I'm afraid I won't be able to convey my enthusiasm verbally. My everyday supervisors know how much I love the job, and how talented I am (their words), but they're not the ones that decide who gets hired or not. They've offered to write me recommendations for when there's an actual job to apply to, but that's not the case right now. I just really hope these guys see me for who I am as well. And I hope I can show off my enthusiasm without seeming desperate
