Photo thanks to frankh.

 

Jenn, Q, Idris and I attended the Elizabethtown College Job and Internship Fair last month. We met a bunch of college kids, nearly all of whom were extremely bright and personable. While I was talking to these young people (who already had some killer, relevant experiences) I was reminded of my internship days.

 

I got to thinking, what has been the most valuable thing I got from my internships and first few jobs?

 

For me, it wasn’t the experience, a line on my résumé, or even the list of contacts I met.

 

The most important thing I learned from my first couple jobs is:

 

The best way to work.

 

It took me four years of college to figure out the most efficient way for me to write a paper (write for an hour, do something else, write for another hour). It’s taken me nearly as long to recognize my best working environment. It’s different for everyone:

 

• Are you happiest alone at your desk, plugging away at a task unbothered by others?

 

• Or maybe you like sitting calmly in a meeting, bouncing ideas off of your teammates?

 

• Maybe the highlight of your week being cooped up with 4 or 5 coworkers, in a room, with a deadline, pressed for time to come up with a complicated strategy for a picky client.

 

Whatever it is, figure it out and stick with it.

 

For me it comes as a mixture of a couple things. My best thinking comes in the planning stage with a deadline and a team around me. When it comes to actually sitting down and doing the work, as long as I have my headphones on and Pandora blasting I can work just about anywhere.

 

What’s the best way you work?