Taking your first steps in the workplace, in your career, feels just like taking your first steps in any other milestone, such as kindergarten. As a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame, I volunteered weekly at a preschool near my dorm. One day, a 5-year-old boy told me he was nervous about kindergarten the following year, because of the daily homework. And just like him, I was also nervous about my next step, especially because work doesn’t assign homework, something all college students are fairly used to. When diving into a new phase of your life, one naturally overthinks what they’ll wear, or wonders where their desk will be, if they’ll make friends, or adapt well to the new environment. But we underestimate, or forget to think of at all, of the importance of the community around us to succeed in the workplace – or kindergarten.
I can’t speak for my peers, but I know I was a bit nervous my first day at work; a good sign, as my dad would always say, “you only feel nervous about things you care about, things that are important.” However, during orientation day, I caught a glimpse of Indium Corporation’s community. HR had us use a beach ball for introductions, and after completely failing to catch it and laughing at myself, as well as having lunch with my supervisor and chatting with the CEO about Notre Dame (go Irish!), my nervousness suddenly diminished.
Although I was still not completely settled in this new environment, I was mesmerized by how kind and sharp all my fellow interns and coworkers were. After my very first day, a Monday, I carpooled back to the dorms with my soon-to-be friend, and we had dinner with two other interns – a start to a tradition. During these dinners, we chat about our days at different Indium Corporation facilities, our highlights and challenges, what is exciting and what makes us nervous, weekend plans, and so much more. It became crucial to me to have a social network outside of the office to spend time with, to decompress, and laugh.
Indium Corporation’s precious community doesn’t only stay in the intern bubble. At school, I attend mass every Sunday, and it was important to me, on a personal level, to keep that going. Not knowing how to get about it, I asked HR if there would be someone who attends mass and would be willing to drive me. And turns out the supervisor for Talent Acquisition and his wife agreed to take me to the church they attend. This said, I was surprised, in such a positive way, by how HR took it upon them to help me with such a personal matter, and ensure that I am fulfilled inside and outside of the office.
And just like that, I found myself being surrounded by a growing and extraordinarily welcoming community and establishing a routine at a place that had been once so unfamiliar to me. Besides the everyday dinners and laughs with the girls, my intern friend and I built the habit of cooking for ourselves every night for the following day’s lunch. I have never been a cook myself, having always relied on my school’s dining hall food and my mother’s outstanding homecooked meals. But I found myself learning so much outside of work; I learned how to prepare different types of food, what to do and what not to do – like grilling chicken with the fan off and almost setting off the fire alarm – and about my friend, as we cooked together.
Outside of the dorm life, I met people at church who made me feel so welcome, and even my coworkers, who are a lot more experienced, found ways to include me. For example: one of my coworkers shared his niece’s phone number, leading me to explore a café in Utica, and a gelato store in Clinton, per her recommendation. Furthermore, I ended up quickly going back to my hobbies, like working out and reading, and even signed up for my third-ever 5k race – the Boilermaker race in Utica.
In the office in Utica, I had a project kickoff meeting with the Engineered Solder Materials (ESM) team on my first day. It’s part of my personality to ask many questions, even the silly ones, to share my ideas and think out loud. During the entire meeting, I felt that my questions and curiosity were appreciated, and my ideas were being heard and taken seriously – even though it was only my first day and I only had thumbnail sketches. As the days passed, I noticed that people go above and beyond to ensure that I am learning, as I have been invited multiple times to watch how different machines work, and no one seems to mind explaining to me the components, motors, and the mechanical structure behind each machine. I have been through many places and experiences – an international high school in Brazil that was problem-based-learning, a two-week high-school program in Venice, Italy, two amazing years (and counting) at University of Notre Dame, and a 6-week engineering study abroad program in Berlin – and I can attest that the level of appreciation for curiosity and the willingness for teaching that I feel at Indium Corporation is remarkable.
I could not finish this blog without a remark to my supervisor. It’s natural for me to work very independently, something I developed in high school as I worked on many engineering projects, and here I am given the opportunity to do so. I have been given the space to take full ownership of my project; I have the freedom to do my own brainstorming, come up with my own ideas based on what works/doesn’t work, look at other machines, take things apart and put them back together, mess with software assemblies and test things out, create my own parts, and schedule meetings with those whom I can learn from and take my knowledge a step further. And not only do I have the freedom to do all of this, but my ideas and judgement are being taken seriously: in a Design Review meeting that I led, I was given the opportunity to present my design and defend my decisions to the ESM team. That said, I would not have the room to grow, learn, and make mistakes, if not for my supervisor’s balance between guidance and letting me arrive at my own answers.
In conclusion, my first steps in the workplace have been incredible. In the office, I am surrounded by sharp coworkers who are ready to help, appreciate my curiosity, are excited to teach, and give me the freedom to own my project. Outside of the office, you will find me driving back with my friend from work listening and singing to The Great Divide by Noah Kahan, or cooking together at SUNY Poly, or having dinner with other interns. You will also find me at Utica Coffee on Saturdays, running on campus any day, working out at the gym, or reading in my room. The point is: being successful in the office does not only depend on what you put in, it can be leveraged by those around you, inside and outside of work. Although I was nervous at first, I can confidently state that I am doing well in this new phase of life, even if no homework has been assigned, unlike kindergarten, and I am sure the 5-year-old boy will also thrive in his next steps.
