Megan Riksen:

Hello and welcome to the Work like a Laker podcast. I'm Megan Riksen, and today I am joined by both of my co-hosts. I have Brian Bossick.

Brian Bossick:

Hi Megan.

Megan Riksen:

Hi Brian and Grace Pushman.

Grace Pushman:

Hi, Megan.

Megan Riksen:

So the three of us are together for the first time in person in a long time,

Grace Pushman:

And over a year.

Brian Bossick:

Over a year, I'd say like a year and a half.

Megan Riksen:

Gotta be. Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Brian Bossick:

<affirmative>, right? I think so,

Megan Riksen:

Yes. All the podcasts we did together over throughout the pandemic were always from our homes. Yep. Zooming

Grace Pushman:

Yeah. With, yep.

Megan Riksen:

This feels pretty good.

Brian Bossick:

Yes, it does.

Megan Riksen:

Absolutely. And we're excited for a new season of the podcast. We have a ton of great content for you all. We have been working all summer long to think of some exciting and, and fun topics. And I, I don't think today is an exception. We we're

Grace Pushman:

No, I a topic, love a topic today and I'm very excited about the rest of the season. It's gonna be a good one. I

Megan Riksen:

Think so too. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So if you haven't already, I'll just already start putting the plug in. Subscribe Yes. On Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts, then you know, you're, you're getting our podcast in your feed.

Grace Pushman:

Subscribe and rate us. Cause that actually really helps with the algorithms I've heard. Yes. So if you, if you, whatever podcast platform you listen on, you can give us a rating, preferably a five star. Oh, we would love it. That would really help us too, to reach more people and more students. Yeah. So we'd appreciate that.

Megan Riksen:

Yeah, for sure. So today is our first episode. We just wanna, we wanna talk about something that really affects every single one of us. Whether you are a student with a new job or your recent grad in their first professional position. Um, we just, we wanna talk about some do's and don'ts of starting a brand new job and that, you know, kind of works for the beginning of, of this academic

Grace Pushman:

Year. And it wasn't, we have to be honest, it wasn't our first topic that we were going to do. It wasn't our first idea. Originally. We were going to talk about covid and coming back from covid and we all kind of just realized that

Brian Bossick:

We really didn't know what to say. Yes.

Grace Pushman:

You know, I think everyone's kind of still, uh, in a limbo of not knowing for sure how things are gonna move forward. So we thought this would be a great fun topic to start with instead.

Megan Riksen:

Exactly. And hopefully in one year we will do that topic. Yes.

Grace Pushman:

We're putting, we're not eliminating it. We're postponing it.

Megan Riksen:

Yes. Yes. Someday we will be free. It's

Brian Bossick:

In the incubator right now. It will come out <laugh>.

Grace Pushman:

So,

Megan Riksen:

Good deal. Okay, so let's jump in. I've got a fun little stat for us. So 91% of employees would consider quitting their job within the first month. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, that's from a 2018 Robert half study.

Grace Pushman:

I believe it. That's,

Brian Bossick:

I I do too. Like my first thought was like, wow, that's high. But, but I mean, when you think back to when you first started your job, your first month, you're right, your first month, maybe your first two

Grace Pushman:

Months. It's hard. It could be

Brian Bossick:

Rough. Yeah. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>

Megan Riksen:

Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And one third actually will quit before the first year. So that's a pretty, that's a lot. That's a lot. That's a pretty big percentage. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, so clearly how you start your job is gonna have a pretty big impact of if you stay in that job. Now, of course there will be times where it makes sense to leave a position. Yeah. You know, we're not, we're not saying that there are always factors, um, but we, we have some dos and don'ts today to just kind of get your wheels spinning and, and thinking about how you can really make the most of this new job and, and do your best.

Brian Bossick:

Absolutely. Okay.

Megan Riksen:

Great. Who's starting? Us think we've got a a do

Brian Bossick:

We have a do? Uh, so we got six dos. We got six don'ts. And then I will start with one of the first dos. Okay.

Megan Riksen:

Do the, do <laugh>. Right.

Brian Bossick:

I feel like we're plugging Mountain Dew <laugh>. Um, yeah.

Megan Riksen:

Shoot. So I probably scammed that from them.

Grace Pushman:

This is not sponsored <laugh>.

Megan Riksen:

Definitely not.

Brian Bossick:

Yeah. Okay. No, I was gonna say something else. Um, so let's start with number one, do observe company culture and we wanna talk about four examples of that. So, uh, when you are first starting, um, four things you can look at about company culture that might be helpful. Um, the first would be, let's say that your company culture is, hey, dress is business casual. Take a moment and observe what does that mean Right as you come in when they say business casual or if you have casual Fridays, what is a casual Friday and how casual is casual Friday mm-hmm. <affirmative> mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Right. Um, just understanding, oh, right. What can I do, um, with that and, and ask colleagues. Right. It's a great question to ask even before coming in, uh, once you've been hired

Grace Pushman:

Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I'll say that I worked at a school where the principal at the school was very against leggings. So today I'm wearing a dress that's knee length with leggings underneath, and I would not have been able to wear that at my last job. And so that was one of the first jobs, or one of the first questions I asked when I came to the career center was, am I allowed to wear leggings? Because, you know, it's one of those things that everyone is going to have different opinions. Um, or I guess it's an example of when there are different opinions. So that's where you just wanna observe. And like Brian said, ask questions if you're not sure if something is okay.

Brian Bossick:

Absolutely. So observing kind of the idea of, of what, what dresses and dress style. And then the second would be, um, observe how lunch is handled. Right. At some places everyone may eat lunch together, and that just becomes a community event. And for yourself, yes. It maybe it isn't an everyday thing, but if everybody's there and there's this unwritten expectation, how do you navigate that? Right. Or do people eat in their offices with the door closed mm-hmm. <affirmative> and then you're eating out in, in a broad area and no one is there. So what is that about? So just observing kind of some of those things. Um, when it comes to kind of observing culture, um, think about how do folks manage their doors open and closed, right? So if you are making phone calls, do people leave their doors open for those kind of conversations? Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and meeting with someone, or are they constantly closed? Only if you're going from one thing to the next. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So just thinking about how you fit into that and what that looks like. Um, and then the last one is, what's the, the unwritten or written rules around chatter in the office? Uh, so are folks kind of having those discussions at their doors consistently? Is it just at lunchtime? How do you make sure that you navigate that really well when you first start a job so that you're blending into that culture?

Megan Riksen:

Is everybody always on task when you hear them talking that's they're only talking about work related things? Or do you hear those side conversations that are dipping more into the personal side?

Brian Bossick:

Exactly.

Megan Riksen:

Yeah.

Grace Pushman:

What's normal, and this is actually a great question that you can ask in an interview when we think of questions to ask. That's good point. At the end of an interview, when they say, do you have questions for us? You might ask, uh, you know, can you describe your company culture? So then maybe you get some of this stuff out of the way right away and you can figure out, oh, that sounds great. I would love to eat lunch with my colleagues. Or, oh, you know, I don't think that, you know, that might not fit with my ideal. So that's a good question. You can ask right away too. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Yeah. All right, good. So the next do is to ask questions, participate and volunteer. So I remember when I, I've, I've been lucky enough to have two internships as a student. So when I was an undergrad I did an internship at a actuarial consulting firm.

Grace Pushman:

And then as a graduate student I did one in the career center where I work now. So, um, the first one I was, I turned 21 during the internship and the second one, I think I was like 27. So there's quite a big gap between the two. And there was quite a big difference too, in how I handled myself. And so, you know, when I was 21 doing my very first internship, I was pretty quiet. Um, and I was pretty, I think, hesitant to ask questions and to really put myself out there because it was a new experience for me. I'd never, I'd never worn business casual before. I'd never been in an office like that before. So I think I didn't necessary, it was a great experience, but I don't know that I really, I really utilized it to its fullest because I wasn't, you know, really getting to know the ins and outs due to my just wanting to kind of keep to myself.

Grace Pushman:

So, um, and then compared to when, when I was at the career center, I was constantly talking to my colleagues, asking them questions, why do they do certain things? Taking notes. And I think that not only will you benefit from that because you're gonna learn so much, I think it also makes a good impression cuz it shows that you're engaged and it shows that you're willing to learn from others, which I think is a very valuable asset to have. So just keep that in mind. Also, with volunteering, when it's your first year outta place, you probably want to try to say yes to things. So if they need a volunteer, put yourself out there. If they're asking you to do something, maybe vol, you got voluntold for something, say yes as often as you can. If you don't have the capacity, of course you're allowed to say no. But again, in that first year, especially, try to say yes to as many things as you can and be as much of a team player as you can be.

Megan Riksen:

Right. Cause that's how you're gonna learn new things. Yes. You will have the opportunity probably to work with more people on different projects and tasks. So you're building relationships, all that good stuff comes from saying Yes.

Grace Pushman:

Exactly. Yeah.

Brian Bossick:

And the process of learning is just starting mm-hmm. <affirmative>, right? I think so often we find that job and we think, okay, we're done. I got my, but it really is just starting, so what a great way to learn. For

Megan Riksen:

Sure. Exactly. Good. Okay. Number three is do communicate. So this goes, ties in really well with what Grace was talking about before, but, um, let the people you're working with know what you're up to. <laugh>, it sounds so simple, but it's really true. I, I have a great example of an intern, um, who was working with me and this was when we were remote. It was her first day on the job. You know, we're remote so it's not like we're walking into an office where I can say, Hey, let's check in. We didn't, I don't think we had a meeting on our calendar for a couple hours, but still at 8:00 AM she emailed me with a list of, just so you know, here's a few of the things I'm planning to get started on today. It was, it was a brief email, super quick little check in and I just thought, oh, that makes me feel so good.

Megan Riksen:

Cause I know she's okay. I know I don't have to have any concerns that she's doesn't have enough to do or is confused or anything like that. So just that communication piece, that email probably took her 20 seconds to write it, you know, it automatically created a very good working relationship between the two of us where I trusted her right away. So do that as much as possible. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and then people know what you're up to. Yeah, yeah. As well. And they're not, they're not guessing. So maybe that is your direct supervisor, but don't be afraid to share just with your other colleagues as well.

Grace Pushman:

Yeah. And this works for in person or remote, like it's just really good to be open with the people you work with. And it might also lend more collaboration, which is great. Cause they might say, oh, I heard Megan is working on xyz. Exactly. And I would love to get in on that. Um, so it's a good way to also just build relationships with your colleagues. And I know I can do a plug here for my supervisor Lisa Nap, who works in the career center. Some of you might know her, but she is a wonderful, as far as just being such an open person. I remember my first year here, I would go to her office all the time and just say, Hey, like, here's what, what's up with me? Do you have any feedback for me? Any suggestions? And I mean, of course you want to, there's a balancing act like you, you got like look to see how busy are they at the moment? Sure. Do they have any capacity to to hear you? But I think it was a really great, um, opportunity for me to just be able to connect with her more and to learn from her as my supervisor. So I think it's a great thing to do, again, in person remote whenever communicate. Mm-hmm.

Brian Bossick:

<affirmative>. Absolutely. Um, our next do is do find a person that you person or persons at work that you respect and want to connect with. And when we talk about this, we're talking about someone that could function as a mentor, as a friend, uh, someone who challenges and, and makes you think of different perspectives. Someone who supports maybe your own personal growth there. Uh, finding those people that can help you on that journey. So I think back to when I first started my job, my supervisor had been working here at that time, probably 25 years. And just the conversations we would have about, oh, I got this outreach project. And he's like, well, let me tell you about what we've done in the past and what was horrible and what didn't work. Or like, I would come in with a set perspective is like, well let's, let's talk about this.

Brian Bossick:

Let's expand this. And just watching somebody navigate a system that you're new to mm-hmm. <affirmative> is so, so helpful. And I, I think back how much my professional identity has been shaped by that relationship. I love that. And, and it's amazing. It was and it wasn't, it was really a relationship mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And I think that was the thing. It just kind of happened naturally. So find those people you respect that you want to connect with and they can serve so many roles and it can really teach you so much about yourself and also about the place you're working.

Megan Riksen:

Right. And it doesn't have to be so formal. No. Right. It doesn't have to be, please teach me, give me all your knowledge, but it, you can, it just kind of seeps into you as you're Yes. Having conversations and, and getting to know them. So find the people you connect with. I mean

Brian Bossick:

That's right. Yeah. From that process I learned a lot and I learned, I drank a lot of coffee, but <laugh>, you know, those are like two big things that have stuck with me and I wouldn't change either one.

Grace Pushman:

Yeah, that's a great tip. And my next one actually ties in with Brian's first tip, which is to look for cues on sharing your personal life, how much to share. And I think that goes along with Brian's first tip of looking for culture cues in the office. And so this is one of those pieces where, you know, every office is gonna be different, every workplace is gonna be different. Where there are going to be some where people kind of keep to themselves as far as their personal life and don't share a lot. And there's going to be others where people are more open and are more chatty about what's going on at home. And I know the career center, we're pretty chatty here. We, we know a lot about each other's personal lives. Um, and that's something that, you know, when you're at a place you really wanna observe that to see before you start either oversharing, um, or well, I will say, I don't think you ever need to share, right?

Grace Pushman:

Like, I think if you're in a place that tends to be more open and chatty, you still can share what you're comfortable with. I think the key here is you don't wanna overshare in a place that that's not the norm. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So I think just, just being aware of that. It also ties into that, you know, chattiness. Like where are people? Are people talking in the doorways, having side conversations. When is it appropriate? So not even just how much to share, but when is it appropriate to share mm-hmm. <affirmative>, is it just at lunchtime? Do you maybe, are you able to chat in the morning first thing and in someone's doorway and kind of give them an update on what's going on in your life? So that's just another thing to keep an eye out for, for how different workplaces are going to, to operate differently.

Megan Riksen:

Agreed. Absolutely. Good. Okay. And our final do is do give it some time, as we heard, heard from that stat at the beginning that so many people, the grand majority of people will start a job and consider quitting it within the first month. That just shows you need to take at least the first month, but you know what, it might be up to the first year before you feel super comfortable and like you wanna stay and that everything's going well. So avoid kind of all those snap judgments that you might make in the beginning. Like, oh, that person's hard to work with or mm-hmm. <affirmative>, oh this project isn't very fun. Or Oh, I hate that we have to do this this way. Right. Um, avoid kind of those little mini judgments that you make throughout the day because they either might not be how the job actually is. It might just be cuz you're new. Um, or it, you know, it could be something that just ends up, you know, kind of flowing into your normal, your normal work and it ends up being okay. So, um, take a little time.

Grace Pushman:

Yeah. I think that first, first month, first year can be tough depending on where you're at. Hard. Yeah. Just, yeah. Let it breathe. Let it give yourself grace, do

Megan Riksen:

Your best. Go, go back through all our other dues. Keep doing all of those

Grace Pushman:

And you'll be fine. You'll be fine.

Brian Bossick:

And realize you're learning, right? Like you are not coming in as a polished like product. Isn't a new environment new. Yeah. It takes time.

Megan Riksen:

And really nobody should expect that.

Brian Bossick:

Well said. Right.

Grace Pushman:

Well, great. Are we ready to move on to our don'ts?

Megan Riksen:

Let's do

Grace Pushman:

It. Okay. Okay. I like these, these are fun, I think. Yeah.

Megan Riksen:

Yeah.

Brian Bossick:

These are fun. And so, um, we'll shift our first, don't, our first one is don't have your phone glued to your face, your mouth or your ears. <laugh>, when you were first starting your job. Um, observe company culture, we're gonna come back to that. But look at how folks do tend to use their cell phones. And, uh, is it in between appointments? Is how, how often are they up and checking things, sending text on the internet, um, doing non-work related things with your phone mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And as you get a sense of what that is, um, being that you are new, try to make yours at the low level of that. Right. So you don't wanna stand out as someone who is using your phone way too much in the beginning, but start very conservatively, observe what's happening and then see how does that fit in.

Megan Riksen:

And I, yeah, I can see how it's hard. Um, I know especially as a student, I had jobs on campus where there would be downtime, right?

Brian Bossick:

Mm-hmm.

Megan Riksen:

<affirmative>, yes. There would be tons hours where like, eh, I don't have any more, uh, files to work on. I, I don't have anything that's been given to me. I'm kind of just sitting here. It'd be really tempting to be like, oh, gonna scroll. Um, but you know, even doing like mundane tasks to fill that time, like I would clean up the copy room mm-hmm. <affirmative> and organize things even though nobody asked me to. Just because it was better than being on my phone. And it maybe made some sort of a small impact on the office. Um, so yeah, try, you know, think of what else you can do or start asking what else can I do if you find like, Ooh, I've got some downtime here.

Grace Pushman:

Yeah, good

Megan Riksen:

Point. And I mean, maybe it is normalized that students in the office can do homework or something. Right? Right. That and

Brian Bossick:

That's when there's a pretty

Megan Riksen:

Normal thing to, there's nothing to do that that can be normal. Um, so again, comes back to all the, the cues. It does fall of the work environment. Yeah.

Brian Bossick:

I love what you said before Megan, about communication. Right? And that's that that idea, like if at that point communicate with your supervisor, Hey, I think I've caught up mm-hmm. <affirmative>, anything else I can Yes. Absolutely.

Grace Pushman:

Our next don't is don't be a know-it-all. And I know that I sometimes would fall into this a little bit when I would work, uh, as a server. So I worked as a server for over eight years and I was at four different places. And so of course when I would leave one place and go to a new restaurant, I would see how things were different. And often I was like, oh, that's a great change. I love that. But then sometimes I would say, oh, I really like how I did it before. And I would wanna tell someone, be like, Hey, we should change it. And I think this is addressing that piece of, you know, when you're new somewhere, you wanna give it time before you start making suggestions because maybe it did work better where you used to be, but maybe they have a reason for doing it the way they do it.

Grace Pushman:

And if you don't give it time to try it out and see why they do it a certain way, then you, you really shouldn't be saying anything. You shouldn't be giving it any advice that has not been asked. Um, but I think that, you know, that is one of those things where once you've been somewhere for a while, if you still think that there's a process or something that you can improve, then that's when you might make suggestions. But be, be wary of doing it too soon when you first start a position and being, I always like to say the example of the magic school bus where there was the character Phoebe, if anyone watched it, where she would always say at my old school and then try to talk about how her old school was better in some way. So you wanna avoid being that person. No one likes that person. So give it some time, think about what you might suggest and after a while then you might be able to have those conversations. Right.

Megan Riksen:

If you have those thoughts, jot them down because they good. Could be really beneficial down the road when you've maybe given it a little time to breathe.

Grace Pushman:

Yes.

Brian Bossick:

Yes. And your thoughts will probably sound a lot better when they're integrated into what's happening. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> good. I understand this and so let's build on this. So I exactly.

Grace Pushman:

I understand why you do it this way, but I thought maybe if we adjusted this, you know. Yeah, exactly. Good point.

Megan Riksen:

Okay, our next don't is don't leave a mess <laugh>, which

Brian Bossick:

Applies to everywhere.

Megan Riksen:

Yeah. I think we've, all the three of us have worked in enough places that we've seen some messy work kitchens. Yes. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> especially maybe the microwave. Yes.

Brian Bossick:

Oh sure. Disgusting

Megan Riksen:

<laugh>, why does it always get so disgusting? Cover your food. No. Tip number one, cover your food. Um, but you know, that's, it's just a part of kind of being aware that you're not the only person who's around and you know, whether it's the microwave, splattering food everywhere, leaving your dishes for somebody else to wash any time that there's a chance that somebody else is gonna have to kind of clean up after you. Let's not do that. Right. Yeah. Just kind of gross to think about cleaning up other people's messes.

Grace Pushman:

And I think when you say it seems obvious, it does. There's always a messy microwave there.

Megan Riksen:

Always. Yes, there is, there's always dishes in the sink be somebody just has to take

Brian Bossick:

Care of something in the refrigerator that you're like,

Megan Riksen:

Yes.

Brian Bossick:

The mystery box that nobody will touch.

Megan Riksen:

What is that <laugh>? Totally.

Brian Bossick:

So our fourth don't, is don't be obnoxious with tardiness. Uh, so I'm gonna go back to company culture, but taking a look in your company of what's going on and um, if eight o'clock is the star time, are folks coming in at eight? Is it 8 0 5? Is it eight 10? Is it eight 15? Um, paying attention to that while also realizing that maybe some people have the flex time cuz they're working late, right? They're working past five, it's seven 30, it's eight o'clock and they're still working. So pay attention to company culture around timeliness. Um, really before you might stretch your version of timeliness, understand what's going on, and think about if, if you coming in late, let's say that you're replacing somebody on a shift, how does that impact that other person, right? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And if they need to go somewhere else or they're going to class, they're going another job, they're going to do anything. But if you coming in late completely throws them off, then that's something to be mindful of.

Megan Riksen:

It's a respect issue at

Brian Bossick:

That point. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, right? If you're running late, like honestly late for like a let people know. Communicate. Communicate. Thank you. Yeah. Back to communication. Mm-hmm.

Grace Pushman:

<affirmative>. Yep. Totally. All right. Well that brings us to our fifth Don't, which is don't ask for too much too soon. And this could refer to a lot of things. So one example might be, okay, you've been working there for a month, maybe it's harder than you thought and you're like, Hey, I deserve a raise. Is one month into your job the time to ask for a raise? No. No. Probably not. Um, if you're thinking, you know, if you start a job, maybe you have some paid time off with that job, um, maybe you're allowed to take some days off for whatever reason. Right. Um, or if you, if it's, if it's hourly job, maybe you can just ask for time off whenever. Sure. And it's just unpaid, right? That, that's pretty common. Be be careful of asking for too much time off at the beginning as well. Like mm-hmm. <affirmative>, obviously if you had a commitment beforehand, like you had a wedding, that's something that you might even disclose once you're in the interview process and, and getting the job. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, but other than that I would say wait a few months before taking some time off and, and try to be cautious with that. And same thing with like asking for, um, I guess what would be some other examples of things people might ask for?

Megan Riksen:

Maybe like flexibility with working from home? Yeah. Potentially. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Oh, can I cut out at three every Tuesday? Cause

Grace Pushman:

Right.

Megan Riksen:

For some reason, I don't know why.

Grace Pushman:

Give it some time to build that trust. Trust so that they know you, they know what your capabilities are. Also, if you've only been there a month, are you able to work independently from home for two hours without like having someone there to ask, have, you know, questions you can ask and things, maybe not. So again, just just wait again, like Megan said before, maybe jot those things down. What are some things you want? And then later on, once you've been there for a while, you might be able to ask for those.

Megan Riksen:

Right. Cause you, you might be putting someone in a pretty awkward position if you're asking. I feel like most people are pretty open to things like that. I mean yeah. Not across the board, but in a lot of work settings might be open to time off but they might not actually want you to leave cuz they're still training you or something. Exactly. Right.

Brian Bossick:

Exactly. And remembering that it's a balancing act, right? So that for yourself, if this happens, there's a ripple effect. And so what is that ripple effect and Yeah. Yeah. Especially early.

Megan Riksen:

Who are you affect, who else are you affecting? Yeah, for sure. Okay. We've arrived at our final don't, which is, don't forget they hired you for a reason. This is touchy-feely one, but it's important. Yeah. Right. Absolutely. It's your confidence in in your ability to do the job, to work with others, all of that. Sometimes it's, yeah, we falter a little bit when we're just getting started and everything is new and different and hard. All the people are new and you're navigating that side of it as well. Um, it can be really easy to start thinking, Ooh, I'm not cut out for this, this is too much. Um, but you know, they looked at your resume. Yep. You went through the process of an interview and there were decisions made to bring you on so you can always fall back on that. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, you are qualified if they hired you for this job, so

Brian Bossick:

Yeah, that's right.

Megan Riksen:

Fall back on that and, and just, you know, be confident and then follow all the rest of the tips, right? Yeah. To make the most of your time. Yeah.

Grace Pushman:

And I think that's part of what makes that first month so difficult. Probably a lot of why 91% of people are considering quitting Yeah. Is because they might not feel like they're up for it. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. But just remember you're new so you're not gonna, you're not expected to be the best in the workplace. Yes. Like everyone around you probably will be better at the job than you are because you're new. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and that's, it feels bad, but it's normal and just give it some time.

Megan Riksen:

And we all feel that way. Yes.

Brian Bossick:

Absolutely. It's even when you've been there a while, there are moments right. Where you're gonna Absolutely. Yes. Yeah. Grace, you said when it's normal and, and I think that's the important thing, right? Remembering this is normal and when you leave work, turn to your supports. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, right? Talk about this, don't bury it. Right. Cuz then it's just gonna get harder. So put it out there. Help people normalize it for you. Cuz chances are, even if it's not at your current job, if it's family, if it's other people, they've all experienced this. I think we all have our host of stories to share, to support exactly that. Mm-hmm.

Grace Pushman:

<affirmative>, I remember my first day teaching, I came home and I had two roommates who are also first year teachers and we all like, I thought, oh my gosh, I must not, I'm not cut out for this. I don't know. But all three of us just had the same defeated expression on her face because it's just, it's, it's a lie. It's a, you know, and you, and then of course after a while, while you, you learn the tips and tricks and you learn how to do it. But you know, when you're starting something new, it can be really stressful and you feel like you're the only one to feel that way. Yes. And so it was, for me, it was, you know, a game changer to have two people who also could commiserate with me. That's

Megan Riksen:

Awesome. Absolutely. Good. Right. I think we've covered some good do's and don'ts here. This was nice to all be together. Yes.

Grace Pushman:

Good to see you

Megan Riksen:

Both. Good energy when we're in the flesh. Exactly. Absolutely. <laugh> good. Okay. So thanks so much to everybody for listening to our very first episode of the season and we hope you tune into a future episode soon.