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nything from free workshops to foreign language classes to fully-sponsored MBAs, and possible pay raises if you obtain certifications.)</li><li>Is there a system of annual reviews or objectives that are used to determine promotions and pay raises?</li><li>I would also take my first paycheck to HR and ask them to go over it with me, line by line. It took me years to understand what all the items on it mean.</li></ul><p id="e6b0">It may seem awkward to ask some of these questions, but if you don’t ask you may never learn about the benefits you are missing out on. Some of these questions might not apply to your company, especially if it is small or a start-up. Other employees are also a great resource for learning about benefits, and can likely help you draft a solid set of questions to ask HR.</p><h1 id="f900">2. Find a mentor</h1><p id="8c38">After a week spent with other new hires from all over the world going over company policies and procedures, I was sent to my assigned location in southern Mexico. I didn’t spend much time in the base there before I was sent to a rig with another employee. That co-worker and one other person on the rig were the only ones who spoke any English. My first year would have been much easier if I had asked my manager early on if they could recommend a mentor (who spoke English) who might be willing to help me out as a new hire.</p><p id="bcdb">I spent months on the rig, with unreliable internet and no phone service, struggling to figure things out on my own. A mentor I could easily communicate with would have been a godsend!</p><p id="8db1">While my own experience was a bit extreme, I have seen parallels with many new hires who began working during the pandemic. Working from home, isolated from the normal office environment, they are on their own to figure out how to perform their job function. Dropping by a co-worker’s desk to ask a quick question is a lot easier than cold-calling a co-worker you have never met face-to-face.</p><p id="9848">Regardless of your confidence level, I would encourage you to actively seek out a mentor. Ask your manager or a co-worker you feel comfortable with if they know of anyone who would be willing to mentor you. A mentor will be able to help you with everything from minor doubts to preparing for your first performance review.</p><h1 id="416a">3. Set boundaries for yourself</h1><p id="a91a">For my first several years of work, I had a horrible work-life balance. I said “yes” to every task I was given, and if I had to cancel vacations and spend an unhealthy amount of days working on the rig without rest, I did it. I was already a minority in the industry, and complaining about my exhaustion seemed like it would draw the wrong kind of attention.</p><p id="385c">Different industries have vastly different work cultures. Within every industry, I’m sure different company cultures vary greatly as well. I think it is necessary for every employee to:</p><ol><li>Learn what the norms are within your own company. Chat with co-workers about the culture of the company, and see if that matches what you observe and experience.</li><li>Think about what you are comfortable with. If you want to sacrifice your evenings to work late every night so that you can get overtime pay or a promotion, that’s okay! If working more than 40-hours a week creates problems in your personal life, that’s fine, too!</li><li>Compare the working culture of your own company with what you are willing to give. There will likely be a disconnect between the two. Figure out how to compromise between meeting your employer’s expectations, while respecting your boundaries.</li></ol><p id="5428">That last step could be very difficult, or even impossible. Hopefully, you had some idea of the expectations before you accepted the job, but the reality might not match what you were told. It’s also possible that you thought you would be willing to sacrifice a few years working 80-hour weeks for high pay, but realize that you can’t maintain that lifestyle without burning out.</p><p id="9d05">Whatever your situation, you will be letting down both yourself and your employer if you don’t communicate what your boundaries are. It’s likely your boundaries will be challenged, and there may be consequences for maintaining them. In my experience, the more firm you are in communicating your limits

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, the more your employer will respect them, as long as you can continue effectively doing your job.</p><p id="804c">I used to be jealous of co-workers who were able to take vacation multiple times a year, or who never had to spend more than four weeks at a time offshore. Eventually, I realized that the reason they were being treated differently than me was that they had expressed that they needed time off or couldn’t spend more than one month at a time away from home. Once I found the courage to speak up for myself and enforce the boundaries I set, my manager started respecting those limits as well.</p><p id="b1a5">There is no one-size-fits-all solution for navigating these issues, but with self-reflection and good communication, you should be able to arrive at a healthy compromise. Be sure to know what your rights are (which may be different than what you are willing to do), and fight for them.</p><h1 id="d3b1">4. Continue to update your resume</h1><p id="c8ca">I waited years to update my resume and putting it off only made it more painful. Resumes from college graduates applying for entry-level jobs are different than the resumes expected from experienced workers. Once you’ve been working for a few years, nobody cares about your GPA. They want concise and quantifiable explanations of what you have accomplished, and it is easiest to come up with resume blurbs when the project is fresh in your mind.</p><p id="302a">Even if you aren’t looking for a new job, it is always wise to have an updated resume available. Updating your resume is also the best way to identify weak areas. Writing out all your accomplishments and skills on paper makes it obvious where you may be lacking. This gives you time to gain experience and improve your resume before going under the pressure of a job hunt.</p><h1 id="e64a">5. Start investing as soon as it makes sense for you</h1><p id="2167">Everyone has investment regrets, and that’s okay. I wish I had started investing earlier, but calculating the compound interest I missed out on isn’t going to make me feel any better, so I’ve accepted it and moved on.</p><p id="b19c">I don’t regret paying off my student loans first or creating an emergency fund. However, as soon as you are in a position where you can start investing, I encourage you to do so. Watch youtube videos, read articles, ask a friend or family member. Learn the basics, and then dive in!</p><p id="4ea0">If you’re lost, consider looking at index funds on sites like Vanguard or Fidelity. For the S&P 500, the historical returns over any rolling <a href="https://www.thebalance.com/rolling-index-returns-4061795">20-year period</a> have never been negative.</p><h1 id="075e">6. Advocate for yourself</h1><p id="87a1">Overall, the biggest lesson I have learned is that I need to advocate for myself. It ties into so many of the other pieces of advice in this list. You will not always have a friendly HR representative who sits down to explain your benefits to you on your first day, or a manager who will take the initiative to schedule a performance review. You will have to be your own advocate and fight for yourself.</p><p id="6ee6">I understand now that my vacation and benefits are part of my compensation for the work I do for my company, and I deserve to take my vacation days and receive all my benefits. If I feel I have gone above and beyond in my contributions to the company, I know that I may need to take the time to quantify exactly what I did and set up a meeting to communicate that to my manager, or else risk having my work go unrecognized.</p><p id="f569">I still struggle sometimes with saying “no.” It took a lot of experience to gain the confidence to be able to walk into my manager’s office and openly discuss my concerns. Talking about my accomplishments still feels awkward most of the time, but I know that if I don’t communicate how happy I made a client, my manager may never know.</p><p id="352e">I spent a long time frustrated with myself for not figuring out how to best navigate the workplace immediately. After years of regrets, I’ve forgiven younger Steph and am very proud of what she learned. I also know that if I start a new job in the future, I will be scheduling meetings with HR to go over my benefits, finding myself a mentor, setting boundaries, and advocating for myself!</p></article></body>

6 Things I Wish I Did When Starting My Career

Professional and financial advice for my younger self

Recently, I had the opportunity to casually chat with a senior at my alma mater about a job opportunity with the company I work for. A mutual friend gave her my contact information, and she wanted to learn more about the company before she decided to accept the offer. Communicating through email before the video call, I quickly realized the position she was offered was very different than my own. I work on offshore drilling rigs abroad; she was pursuing a software development office job.

Despite explaining that I wouldn’t be able to tell her much about the day-to-day life of a software developer, she was still open to chatting. We had a great conversation, and at the end of the call she asked “what advice would you give your younger self, if you were starting a job this year?”.

While I normally find this type of question difficult, I immediately knew my answer. I’d thought about it often over the past few years, though more in the mindset of regrets I have than advice to my younger self. I am now able to accept my hindsight as understandable, and forgive myself for my ignorance (aka stop asking things like why didn’t you start investing earlier? or why did it take you years to figure out what your benefits are?).

I did my best with the knowledge I had at the time and made sure to tell my younger siblings what I had learned. These are the six pieces of advice I would give my younger self.

1. Meet with HR and figure out all your benefits ASAP

My current job, which I started after graduating from university in 2012, was the first job I had that qualified me for any sort of benefits. They were briefly explained to me during my first week, but not in any detail, and as I was with a large group of new hires from all over the world, some of the packages they went over didn’t even apply to me.

It took me years to figure out how my pension worked — all my peers seemed to have 401(k)s. I never realized that my employer would partially reimburse my gym membership as part of a health campaign. I had to ask a co-worker to explain to me what our discount stock purchasing plan was.

Questions to ask HR

It makes sense to figure out all your benefits as soon as you start your job, or even before accepting the offer if possible. I would tell my younger self to find a contact in HR and set up a meeting during my first week to discuss the following:

What retirement package is offered? When am I vested? What is the company’s matching policy? Can I automate my contributions to be taken directly from my pay?
What health care options are available, and can you go over some of the more popular ones? How long am I covered under this policy if I am laid off?
Is there any stock discount program available for employees, and how do I enroll in that program?
How do I accrue vacation days, sick days, overtime, etc. and can I carry over these days from year to year? What happens if I don’t use them?
Are there any employee health/fitness programs that will reimburse me for purchases like gym memberships or exercise equipment?
Does the company incentivize taking public transport or carpools or biking to work? (Some companies will pay for your metro-card or discount membership to city bike programs.)
Do any companies (hotel chains, rental cars, caterers, tax services, etc.) offer discounts to our employees? (I got a discounted Sam’s Club membership through my company.)
Since I work abroad, how are my visas, work permits, and foreign taxes paid?
If I travel for work, do I get a per diem? Am I reimbursed for mileage when I drive for work trips?
Does the company have a credit union, and are there any perks offered through that (rewards programs, mortgage rates, etc.)?
Are there any education opportunities offered, or compensation if I continue educating myself? (Think anything from free workshops to foreign language classes to fully-sponsored MBAs, and possible pay raises if you obtain certifications.)
Is there a system of annual reviews or objectives that are used to determine promotions and pay raises?
I would also take my first paycheck to HR and ask them to go over it with me, line by line. It took me years to understand what all the items on it mean.

It may seem awkward to ask some of these questions, but if you don’t ask you may never learn about the benefits you are missing out on. Some of these questions might not apply to your company, especially if it is small or a start-up. Other employees are also a great resource for learning about benefits, and can likely help you draft a solid set of questions to ask HR.

2. Find a mentor

After a week spent with other new hires from all over the world going over company policies and procedures, I was sent to my assigned location in southern Mexico. I didn’t spend much time in the base there before I was sent to a rig with another employee. That co-worker and one other person on the rig were the only ones who spoke any English. My first year would have been much easier if I had asked my manager early on if they could recommend a mentor (who spoke English) who might be willing to help me out as a new hire.

I spent months on the rig, with unreliable internet and no phone service, struggling to figure things out on my own. A mentor I could easily communicate with would have been a godsend!

While my own experience was a bit extreme, I have seen parallels with many new hires who began working during the pandemic. Working from home, isolated from the normal office environment, they are on their own to figure out how to perform their job function. Dropping by a co-worker’s desk to ask a quick question is a lot easier than cold-calling a co-worker you have never met face-to-face.

Regardless of your confidence level, I would encourage you to actively seek out a mentor. Ask your manager or a co-worker you feel comfortable with if they know of anyone who would be willing to mentor you. A mentor will be able to help you with everything from minor doubts to preparing for your first performance review.

3. Set boundaries for yourself

For my first several years of work, I had a horrible work-life balance. I said “yes” to every task I was given, and if I had to cancel vacations and spend an unhealthy amount of days working on the rig without rest, I did it. I was already a minority in the industry, and complaining about my exhaustion seemed like it would draw the wrong kind of attention.

Different industries have vastly different work cultures. Within every industry, I’m sure different company cultures vary greatly as well. I think it is necessary for every employee to:

Learn what the norms are within your own company. Chat with co-workers about the culture of the company, and see if that matches what you observe and experience.
Think about what you are comfortable with. If you want to sacrifice your evenings to work late every night so that you can get overtime pay or a promotion, that’s okay! If working more than 40-hours a week creates problems in your personal life, that’s fine, too!
Compare the working culture of your own company with what you are willing to give. There will likely be a disconnect between the two. Figure out how to compromise between meeting your employer’s expectations, while respecting your boundaries.

That last step could be very difficult, or even impossible. Hopefully, you had some idea of the expectations before you accepted the job, but the reality might not match what you were told. It’s also possible that you thought you would be willing to sacrifice a few years working 80-hour weeks for high pay, but realize that you can’t maintain that lifestyle without burning out.

Whatever your situation, you will be letting down both yourself and your employer if you don’t communicate what your boundaries are. It’s likely your boundaries will be challenged, and there may be consequences for maintaining them. In my experience, the more firm you are in communicating your limits, the more your employer will respect them, as long as you can continue effectively doing your job.

I used to be jealous of co-workers who were able to take vacation multiple times a year, or who never had to spend more than four weeks at a time offshore. Eventually, I realized that the reason they were being treated differently than me was that they had expressed that they needed time off or couldn’t spend more than one month at a time away from home. Once I found the courage to speak up for myself and enforce the boundaries I set, my manager started respecting those limits as well.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for navigating these issues, but with self-reflection and good communication, you should be able to arrive at a healthy compromise. Be sure to know what your rights are (which may be different than what you are willing to do), and fight for them.

4. Continue to update your resume

I waited years to update my resume and putting it off only made it more painful. Resumes from college graduates applying for entry-level jobs are different than the resumes expected from experienced workers. Once you’ve been working for a few years, nobody cares about your GPA. They want concise and quantifiable explanations of what you have accomplished, and it is easiest to come up with resume blurbs when the project is fresh in your mind.

Even if you aren’t looking for a new job, it is always wise to have an updated resume available. Updating your resume is also the best way to identify weak areas. Writing out all your accomplishments and skills on paper makes it obvious where you may be lacking. This gives you time to gain experience and improve your resume before going under the pressure of a job hunt.

5. Start investing as soon as it makes sense for you

Everyone has investment regrets, and that’s okay. I wish I had started investing earlier, but calculating the compound interest I missed out on isn’t going to make me feel any better, so I’ve accepted it and moved on.

I don’t regret paying off my student loans first or creating an emergency fund. However, as soon as you are in a position where you can start investing, I encourage you to do so. Watch youtube videos, read articles, ask a friend or family member. Learn the basics, and then dive in!

If you’re lost, consider looking at index funds on sites like Vanguard or Fidelity. For the S&P 500, the historical returns over any rolling 20-year period have never been negative.

6. Advocate for yourself

Overall, the biggest lesson I have learned is that I need to advocate for myself. It ties into so many of the other pieces of advice in this list. You will not always have a friendly HR representative who sits down to explain your benefits to you on your first day, or a manager who will take the initiative to schedule a performance review. You will have to be your own advocate and fight for yourself.

I understand now that my vacation and benefits are part of my compensation for the work I do for my company, and I deserve to take my vacation days and receive all my benefits. If I feel I have gone above and beyond in my contributions to the company, I know that I may need to take the time to quantify exactly what I did and set up a meeting to communicate that to my manager, or else risk having my work go unrecognized.

I still struggle sometimes with saying “no.” It took a lot of experience to gain the confidence to be able to walk into my manager’s office and openly discuss my concerns. Talking about my accomplishments still feels awkward most of the time, but I know that if I don’t communicate how happy I made a client, my manager may never know.

I spent a long time frustrated with myself for not figuring out how to best navigate the workplace immediately. After years of regrets, I’ve forgiven younger Steph and am very proud of what she learned. I also know that if I start a new job in the future, I will be scheduling meetings with HR to go over my benefits, finding myself a mentor, setting boundaries, and advocating for myself!