Everyone needs a little handholding when they're first starting their careers. I wish older me had told younger me these things.

1. Things I wish older me
would have told me when I
started my first job

2. Relax.
It’s just a job.
It’s perfectly
fi
ne if you fuck up, if you fail. It’s not the
end of the world. The of
fi
ce is going to go on perfectly
fi
ne. There are far more important things in your life -
family, friends, lovers, picking up new skills. Loving
your job is great. Just don’t obsess over it, that’s all.

3. Don’t be reckless.
Save.
By all means, enjoy your money. You’ve earned it. But
be sure to keep a little bit aside for rainy days.
Because oh boy, there’ll be rainy days. And there’ll be
fl
oods. And when that comes, you better have a damn
boat to keep you a
fl
oat.

4. Don’t be a cocky
little twat.
If you’re good at what you do, great. Enjoy the feeling.
But don’t rub it in people’s faces. Instead, go out of
your way to help more people, win more businesses
for your company, train younger people. Put your
talent to good use. Because talent fades.
Attitude stays.

5. Canteen kaka is
your best friend.
He or she, as the case may be, probably cares the
most about you at work. He makes sure you’re
hydrated, knows the kind of coffee you like, reminds
you to have lunch. Treat this person well, because
you’re going to meet lots of people like him in life.
They are the ones that keep you running.

6. The boss isn’t
always right.
Or wrong.
It’s very easy to fall into the trap of perceptions. Good
boss = always right. Bad boss = always wrong. This is
almost never the case, because your boss, like you, is
human. Quite capable of being right on some days,
and wrong on others. Just like you.

7. Take your leaves.
See the world.
You’ve been given leaves for a reason. It’s so you can
switch off from work, and do your thing, whatever
your thing may be. Don’t wait to cash in your leaves.
And if you’re not allowed to take leaves that you’re
entitled to, immediately speak to human resource.

8. Dress for work.
Not bedtime.
If you’re in the media business, you’ll
fi
nd a lot of
people strolling into work in their pajamas and
fl
ip
fl
ops. Resist the temptation to follow suit. Dress nice,
comb your hair, wear nice shoes. You’ll
fi
nd you’re far
more productive than the ones who come into work
like gypsies.

9. If you’re not feeling
it, leave for the day.
Exhaustion is real. When it comes knocking on your
door, for it will someday, explain to your superior
politely that you need some time off, and if you can
leave for the day. Because you’re not going to get any
work done sitting in that of
fi
ce, when your mind’s tired.

10. If you’re not getting
paid, leave.
Corporations, by and large, are notorious for taking
advantage of their employees. So if you think you’re
not getting the salary you deserve, and a raise doesn’t
look likely, leave. If you’re good, they’ll hold you back.
And when they do, leave anyway. Because now you
know your market value.

11. Always stay an
intern at heart.
Always be as hungry to learn new things as an intern
is. Because it’s very easy to fall into the trap where
you think, just because you’ve worked for ten years,
you know all there is to know about your
fi
eld of work.
And the minute you think that, it’s game over for you.
So be as hungry on Day 3652 as you were on Day 01.