My First Week at a Start-Up

Starting a new job can sometimes be a bit nerve wracking, especially if you're fresh out of college and into the "real world" as our parents and teachers often told us was out there. I had an internship last summer and I learned a lot about real world experiences and gained a lot of knowledge on how an organization runs, as well as info about how my future job may look. However, the internship was at a large non-profit and it didn't quite prepare me for my first week at a start-up company.

With many large, established organizations comes a structure with rules, regulations, and guidelines to follow and while that statement may run true for some startups, most are focused on creating a solid foundation on which their business can run efficiently. A large portion of what makes a startup successful or unsuccessful is their ability to manage the time they have and the large amounts of work they have to complete. Which is why I was in a bit of culture shock when I started my first week at a startup.

I was used to structure and instructions from my bosses on a daily basis, but with a startup, I realized I need to be a self-starter to achieve the organization's goals as efficiently as possible. Although this is only my second week, I already feel more comfortable with my role and how to accomplish those goals. Like any new job, it takes a bit of time to get settled, but now that I am, I have a clear goal to strive for and a detailed plan to get there.