This is how I picture the transition into the “adult” life: You grow up in a river your entire life, then spend a few years in a lake (i.e. college), where people guide you as you swim towards the other side, striving for good grades and impressive internships and a venerable full-time job. Then you get released into the ocean and you’re left with the question, what exactly do I do with my life now? Starting your first-time job is a transition in several ways: academically, you’re tested not by essays or exams but rather by how well you execute tasks and produce deliverables; socially, your friendships change and you start to prioritize who you keep in touch with. You have full control — and therefore full responsibility — over your schedule and how you spend your time.

My last day on the job reminded me a little of college graduation. Just as my graduation was both a time of relief to be done with exams and essays and a time of cautious anticipation and uncertainty of what is to come, now is a time to look back on what I’ve learned and look forward to the next stage. As an analyst at an environmental consulting firm, I have had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, from the most mundane tasks to more intellectually stimulating work, with colleagues who have helped me grow and develop over the last two years. Here I summarize 5 lessons from my experience:

1. The details matter.

Several times I asked myself why I was going through the pain of checking every number in the analysis, and every figure and graph. I couldn’t help but get a little annoyed when my colleague pointed out seemingly trivial typos in a report I was about to submit (e.g. a section of a table border missing, or a word too close to the border). But objectivity and accuracy are key distinguishers of my company; a large part of my work as an analyst is about making sure our work products are error-free and thorough, that all sources are documented, and that the final product looks visually appealing, so attention to detail is crucial to ensuring that the final deliverable is of high quality.

Many tasks required finding workarounds for situations where we had a lack of data or poor data quality while still answering the client’s questions and developing useful results, which required diving into the details. I was often conducting analyses in Excel and continuously seeking ways to automate a process or make it more efficient, and details mattered, as one typo could invalidate an entire analysis. This became even more crucial when working with large datasets.

2. Clients don’t really care about the details. 

While the details matter in creating high quality deliverables, the clients themselves don’t really want to know all the details. As mean as this sounds (and feels), at the end of the day clients don’t care about all the nitty gritty issues you dealt with. They don’t really care about the hours you spent digging through documents trying to figure out when the bankruptcy happened, or how company X relates to company Y. They just want to know what you found and how it affects their next course of action. As a consulting firm, our business model revolves around tailoring to the client’s needs. As such, I learned how to write clearly and concisely for the client, tell a compelling story, and summarize findings on technically complicated or complex topics. This was not easy, especially on complex cases that can suck you deep into the weeds and make it tough to come back out on top and condense all the information into a half-page summary for the client. But that’s where our value lies — making the client’s life easier.

3. The mundane tasks are just as important. 

When I first started my job, I was given advice to do the mundane tasks well, because that’s what gives supervisors confidence in assigning you more involved tasks. So I eagerly volunteered for any and all tasks. While I didn’t realize this in the moment, doing basic tasks helped me acquire skills that are valuable for any career path, including law. Lawyers want to know that you can be self-directed, manage your time and communicate well, and are attentive to detail and thorough in your work. Categorizing 1000 cleantech companies and inputting data from hundreds of electricity and heating bills into a data portal wasn’t always the most fun, but it helped to remind myself that these steps were a crucial foundation for our analyses and final reports, and that I was saving my colleagues (who are often more expensive for the client) a lot of time. And I will say that I found enjoyment in being able to listen to music while doing these tasks!

4. Feedback should not be taken personally, but all critique has a grain of truth. 

On a rainy morning that happened to be my birthday, I made mistakes on a client deliverable that I should have noticed and corrected. My supervisor was not happy about it, telling me (over email) that this was “becoming unacceptable,” and that “this could have gone so much better.” I remember sitting in my room (we were working remotely) with that paralyzing, sinking feeling when you sorely regret having screwed something up. It really hurt, especially as I consider attention to detail as one of my strengths. The problem wasn’t that I didn’t agree with her feedback — it was clear that I had messed up — but that I took her words personally, as a statement about my capabilities. I completely overreacted, and the fact that it was my birthday didn’t help the situation.

Finally I realized that just because I messed up a number doesn’t mean that I am not attentive to detail, or that I am a terrible analyst. A week later I re-read that same email, but it no longer had any power over me. It was a mistake I made a week ago, and that statement of fact remains. But I could move on, still confident in my abilities. While I wished my supervisor had delivered the feedback differently, I appreciated that she had caught my mistakes and made sure that my work was accurate and client-ready, potentially saving a headache down the road.

A couple months later, I listened to an episode of Adam Grant’s WorkLife podcast that was on this very topic. What struck me was the suggestion to take feedback as a gift, as no one is entitled to feedback. If you don’t agree with the feedback or the way it was delivered, look for the grain of truth in any critique. You don’t have to agree with the way a critique was delivered to receive feedback. Seeing feedback not as statements about my character and ability, but rather, as objective facts and things of occurrence, made all the difference in valuing the feedback for what it was and learning from it.

5. It’s okay (and usually a good thing!) to speak up if you want change.

One of my goals was to gain experience working in diverse practice areas, but when I started at the company, I was assigned to supervisors who worked in the same practice area. So I asked to be added a new practice area, and a few months later I was introduced to another team. If I hadn’t asked, I would not have learned as much as I could have.

The company provides many opportunities to get involved outside of billable hours, both work-related (e.g. presenting to the company) and non-work related (e.g. getting involved in the environmental committee). I appreciate how the company gives analysts a voice, whether it be in diversity initiatives, professional development, or staff welfare — opportunities to contribute to the firm. But it takes initiative to see change. At an analyst lunch, several people agreed that a mentorship program would be helpful, especially for incoming analysts. Yet a year later, nothing had changed. So a couple analysts and I reached out to and worked with the COO to start the company’s first mentorship program.

---

If you’re starting or in the midst of your first “real” job, take some time every few months or so to reflect: What do you like and not like about your job, both in terms of the day to day and the work culture? What is your preferred communication style? What type of environment do you thrive in? Working has given me valuable insight into what my ideal work environment might look like. For one, I found that I liked collaboration and working in groups. I started regular check-in meetings with my supervisors, which was helpful to communicate and plan my workload more effectively. I also found that I liked flexibility — as my tasks and hours were often dependent on the budget, I was constantly balancing not having enough work vs. having too much work. Lastly, I preferred to have some integration between work and personal life, and didn’t see them as mutually exclusive.

It’s easy to focus on the negatives, things you think the company could do better. But it’s just as important to take note of and appreciate the many positive aspects of one’s experience. One thing I have taken for granted is that we do good work for the environment working for the “good guys,” as we like to refer to our clients. I worked on and contributed to rewarding projects, whether evaluating the benefits of a state renewable energy program, calculating the carbon footprint of an international company, or supporting environmental enforcement efforts. I also had a great work-life balance (another thing I took for granted!).

All in all, I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend the last two years working on diverse and rewarding projects with an amazing group of people. A college alum who was also an aspiring lawyer once advised me to choose a first job that focuses on the exit opportunities and skills gained (as an investment into your future), exposes you to data analysis, has a good work-life balance (that allows you to study for the LSAT), and is a place where people genuinely enjoy the work they are doing. I can personally attest that this is good advice.