Before I got my first real job, I had really low expectations. Thanks to “The Office,” a job meant a cubicle, water cooler conversation, and the occasional casual Friday. And unfortunately for me, the stereotype matched reality. I began my work-study job  on campus at the beginning of the year, eager to make some extra cash. While having the extra money is great, the actual job isn’t so fun.

But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been valuable. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned from my menial job that will help me out when I apply for my first real job:

Always look busy

If you have a boss who’s too preoccupied to notice what you’re doing at all times of the day, don’t look at it as a “get-out-of-jail-free” card. When things slow down, they will notice that your TMZ webpage is always open and that you’re texting at 85wpm. Even when you think there’s no one watching, put a little show on. There are eyes everywhere. Not to mention, the sounds of constant texting can drive a cubicle-mate crazy!

Take advantage of the freebies.

When I organize my office’s supply closet three times a week, I always notice the extra file folders, bags of paperclips and water bottles that don’t have a home. With permission, see what you can take home. We’re broke college students and we all know that every little bit helps.

Make new friends

From 9 to 5, your coworkers will be your only friends/enemies/frenemies in sight. Everyone doesn’t have a sparkling personality, so beware of the grouchy guys and girls in the office. But as my mom always says, you must give respect to get it. Organize a get together after work one day to bond — you’ll have new people to share your pain with at work. And trust me, there’s no better way to make new friends than go to a happy hour with cheap beer and great wings. While you may never hang out with your work friends on the weekend, it will make your life SO much easier if you have someone to talk to during the day.

Maintain your poker face

Yes, you’re bored out of your mind. But saving face and pasting a smile on will keep you from being pegged as “unenthusiastic.” There are many things in life that will leave us unhappy. Use all the downtime you have to practice looking like a cheerful worker…and maybe you’ll actually end up feeling like one in the end.

Skills, skills, skills

Sure, filing papers and getting coffee doesn’t equate to working in someone’s fashion closet or movie set. But there are many skills that you can take away from the most snooze-worthy jobs. Those phone calls you make to your company’s foreign associates and the parties you help throw could lead to a great human resources or clerical job after graduation. No matter what career path you take after graduation, you’re going to have to start at the bottom. Filing papers and knowing how to make lunch reservations is a universal skill. It’s pretty likely that your new job will have the word “assistant” after it, so knowing how to be an assistant, AKA knowing how to do all the mundane tasks that no one wants to do, will be invaluable on your resume.

"Dear Freshman Me. Let me start by saying, damn girl, you look good! That being said, avoid the soft serve. For real."

Dear Freshman Self,

Live.  Wildly, recklessly, and with as much passion as you can muster. Make out with your RA during welcome week.  Accept one last drink from the cute guy working the keg.  Stay out after the bars close.  Make friends with the cab driver.  Lie in the middle of the street laughing with your best girls.  Watch The Notebook at 3 a.m when you’re all drunk and have a good cry over failed relationship attempts.  Curse the cute guys for being gay.  Get up on the damn stage and sing some freakin’ karaoke already.

Notice the true moments.  Wake up in the middle of the night for the first snow of the season and watch the city turn white with your roommates.  (During this, you might even want to put on John Mayer’s underrated, though classic, “St. Patrick’s Day” and sway arm in arm while singing along.)  Find “your” desk in the library.  Watch Grey’s Anatomy every week because you never know when a good thing can turn bad (hint: third season).  Sit on top of the washing machines and have life chats with that random girl from upstairs.  She’ll end up being one of your best friends.

Be careful.  Don’t use that fake ID you found.  You don’t look 28 and you’re certainly not a Pacific Islander.  Observe Cinco de Mayo, but be cautious of the tequila…that one doesn’t end well for you.  No private planes, no matter what.  Study.  All the men you’ll ever date will have the same name – run now from the first one in a curious line of many.  Get mad, but don’t stay mad.  Shopping isn’t always the answer.

Let yourself off the hook.  So you sleep through your first exam of college.  So you crush on a gay guy for an entire semester. So you have a blowout with your roommates.  So you eventually do sing on karaoke night and it’s a train wreck.  So you throw up Chipotle and Jose Cuervo on the basket of shoes under your bed.  So you spend all your money.  So you get a D+ in Italian. So you got on that plane.  So you dated him.

Go to class.  Call your mother.  You’ll be fine.

XoXo

Your Senior Self

What would your letter to your freshman self say? Share it below!

Whew! It’s been three weeks since I first set foot on campus, and what a crazy three weeks it’s been! It might still be too early to tell (psh, yeah right), but I’ve come to the conclusion that college is totally awesome, and for a number of reasons.

I can also safely say that I’ve learned quite a bit about college life from my experiences so far – or at least enough to help me survive the remainder of the semester. So take out your laptops and notebooks, because there’s going to be a quiz on this stuff next week:

1. I love freedom!
For the first time…ever, really, I have the power to make my own schedule, write my own rules, and run my life the way I want to. This new-found freedom was a little overwhelming at first, since there was so much to explore on campus and only so many hours in a day, but I’ve found a comfortable rhythm that allows for flexibility when necessary. For example, I usually hit the books after dinner, but if there’s an Apples to Apples game going on in the lounge at the same time, I’m so there.

2. College dining usually sucks, but the soft serve machines rule.
Even if the food isn’t always wonderful, you can always count on the soft serve machine (and sugar cones!) to cheer you up at the end of a disappointing meal. Seriously. I want one for my room.

3. The best discussions are to be had outside the classroom.
I’ve been involved in many deeply intellectual class discussions, but nothing beats spontaneous jam sessions with my hallmates or lounging on the lawn talking about the cultural implications of Disney movies. Staying up until 3 a.m. discussing the intricacies of the universe with my friends is far more rewarding than reading the confessions of St. Augustine. (No offense, Augustine.) Read More »