Ahh summer, the time we all dream about while pushing through finals and trying to reach the light at the end of the tunnel. I have to say it definitely didn’t disappoint this year.
Throughout college, and I feel like especially within this generation, it’s common for people to have resentment towards working a 9-5 job and I have to say while I see where this feeling can come from, I actually have not minded it at all this summer. During school there are periods of time where it feels like you’re going from 8am-1am so having a kind of structured time where I can say, “Alright work day’s done” is actually quite nice. Does this speak to my time management skills (or lack thereof)? Potentially, but sometimes the stress of school can do that to you.
Please enjoy a compilation of my personal thoughts on aspects of adulting I’ve had the opportunity to explore this summer.
1. Working the 9-5 beat
I’ve already shared some of my thoughts on this but to explain just a little more, having set working hours and set hours off the clock is something I definitely have come to appreciate. Sometimes during school, it gets a little harder to separate academics from outside college life so having a hard stop time definitely made me rethink how I handle my schedule during the school year.
2. Life working remotely
Working remotely definitely flashed me back to our Covid freshman year a little bit but with a couple more positives. Working from home, I could cook myself three meals a day which was a rarity let me tell you and happily watch TV during my lunch break. However, for me personally, I would’ve loved to have been in an in-person office meeting people for actual coffee rather than coffee chats. Not saying I didn’t love being able to lie on the couch during breaks and being five steps from the fridge, but at this point in my life, I would have liked to make some work friends even at the cost of not being able to watch as much Suits.
3. The power of caffeine
One of the perks of working remotely was not having to commute which I translated to being able to sleep a little later on some nights. Therefore, caffeine an hour and a half into work was a lifesaver. I’ve been in a matcha era and highly recommend it to anybody looking for a subtle and lasting caffeine boost.
4. Networking
I’ve realized just how important networking is this summer and just how far it can get you. Lots of people often like talking about their life and job experiences so coming in with a few personal ones for people you look up to in the workplace is a great way to figure out your own trajectory. Understanding the educational, personal, and professional decisions someone has made and why they made them has tremendously helped me restructure my future plans to better achieve what I hope to accomplish.
5. Putting work into work-life balance
Being home by yourself and working remotely makes it easy to work a little overtime. But then a little becomes a lot very quickly and you find yourself repeating the pattern all over again the next day. I think at our age when we’re constantly trying to prove ourselves it’s important to remind ourselves that there is more to life than just work and getting a job. So go for that walk, listen to that podcast, cook that meal, go see that friend, because that’s the fuel you need to perform your work at the best level.
