10 Things I Learned at My First Job out of College

Technically my first job out of college was at Nordstrom Rack. I started working as a Sales Associate at the original Nordstrom Rack store in Downtown Seattle exactly one day before I started my internship with a Digital Marketing Agency based out of New York City. While it's a good fit for some, retail is not my cup of tea. 5 AM shifts and standing on my feet for hours at a time around beautiful clothes that I couldn't afford to buy. No thank you.

Retail and food service jobs right out of school has become the norm for many of my peers. The harsh reality of life after graduation can be a hard pill to swallow. Due to a number of reasons outside of my control, my contract with my job is coming to an end this week and sadly, will not be extended.

I am still very much on the journey and learning as I go, but as I reflect on my first full-time gig after college I want to share a few reflections and insights. Granted, my experience has been very unique... working primarily from home, with flexible hours with one co-worker who I love, and a team based out of NYC who are some of the most talented people I have ever met. So pretty much the coolest first job ever. But it wasn't all a walk in the park. Here are some takeaways from my experience:

1. Relationships are Key

If you are reading this and you are still in college, get off your hiney (right after you read this post and leave lots of interesting and thought provoking comments) and get involved in something. It can be anything, really. Campus clubs, on or off-campus jobs, church groups, volunteering with an organization, etc. Ideally you would get involved somewhere of interest to you that could lead you down a career path that you enjoy. But the key is to get out there and meet people. Relationships and networking are invaluable when it comes to finding a job and the more relationships you can develop now, the better.

My job came about by a friend and two of my husband's jobs out of school came from existing connections that he had. When you are looking for a job and even after you settle into a job, keep building raport with people. Even if you are not a "people person" or you consider yourself introverted, taking those first steps towards getting to know different people in different contexts will result in a huge pay off later. I personally hate networking. Networking events are a breeding ground for awkward situations, but more often than not it is a lot scarier in your head than in reality. In case you're still not convinced check out these tips for networking as an introvert.

 2. Entry-Level Tasks are Character Building

Let's face it, even some of the best first jobs require monotonous tasks. Part of "proving yourself" as an employee is demonstrating that you can take on those tasks with a good attitude. You don't have to love the task itself, but getting it done without complaining always bodes well. The age-old piece of wisdom is true: if you can be trusted with little, people will notice and will trust you with more. 

I didn't love sending 400 emails every week and getting a 2% response rate, but the discipline it took to sit down every week and send those emails, (from the comfort of my home office no less!) taught me a lot about discipline and perseverance.

3. Develop Work Rhythms

This was especially vital for me since I worked from home most of the week. There are a lot of schools of thought on productivity and a lot of research and resources to back those theories up. Some of the most productive people I know or know of have a routine. Some days my routine was as simple as making my morning coffee, working for two hour increments, taking an hour lunch, two 15 minute breaks, and wrapping up my work day.The days I wasn't at home I worked at a co-working space downtown called The MAKERS Space. It was inspiring to be around other creative people and helpful to get out of the house every once and a while so that I didn't lose my mind.

Much of my work rhythms and productivity efforts were based on an incredibly helpful and FREE (music to a recent college grad's ears) e-book developed by Marketing guru, Matt Heinz. After a careful read-through of the E-book, I took what applied to me and left the rest, but at the end of the day it really helped me stay on track and not lose focus each day. 

4. Immerse Yourself in Industry Best Practices

There are people out there who have been doing what you do a lot longer than you have and then wrote a book, gave a talk, or wrote an article about it. Even if you are working at a job just to pay the bills and you are unsure about whether you want to stay at that company or in that industry, it is smart to find out as much as you can about what thought leaders in your industry are saying. One great resource for industry thought leader resources are TED Talks. You can find expert's speaking on a variety of topics on their website.
 
Generally speaking, the knowledge that you gain in one industry can transfer in some form to another, and actually knowing what you're talking about in your place of work lends to people perceiving you as competent and a fast learner. 

5.  Glean as Many Learning Opportunities from Your Role as You Can

As you settle into a new role it is helpful to identify one or two people who are receptive to your questions and who are willing to function as a mentor in your place of work. I was very fortunate to be able to directly report to someone who cared about my professional development and invited my questions. 


Even if you don't have an opportunity to develop this type of relationship with anyone at your work, observation can be very powerful. Being attentive to the work styles of the people around you is a great way to be intentional about learning what makes a good employee.

6. Take Initiative and Show You Can Solve Problems

It takes time to become an expert in anything and so it is unlikely that co-workers will be coming to you at your first job out of school asking you for direction or insight. As you dig in and learn more about your industry though, it is totally appropriate to voice your opinion about things and offer up your perspective.


Taking initiative and solving problems are desirable qualities in a new employee. I have been told this by numerous employers and Forbes confirmed this in an article they published called The 10 Skills Employers Most Want in 20-Something Employees.

7. Learn from the Best!

In an interview with Seattle Startup, Mixpo, serial entrepreneur and CEO of Rover.com, Brent Turner, talked about the importance of a professional mentor. There is something uniquely valuable about meeting on a semi-regular basis with an industry veteran to ask questions and gain wisdom. Taking a humble posture when you start anything new is a smart idea, but particularly when it comes to your career.

In the first few months of my job I started actively seeking out a professional mentor. We have been meeting on a monthly basis and it has made a world of difference.

8. Be Prepared

As you learn over time and develop new skills it is super helpful to keep track of everything you are learning by updating your resume and Linkedin profile on a regular basis. That way as you advance in your career you can look back and see the specific ways you have grown as a professional. Important things to keep track of are times when you were given more responsibility, quantitative shifts in your role, (like managing budgets or a team of people that grew over time) and any title changes, no matter how slight.


Linkedin is an increasingly important tool for professionals. Recruiters also use Linkedin to prospect for new employees. The professional landscape is always evolving and unfortunately there is no guarantee that any job is permanent. Keeping your Linkedin profile up to date is important for networking purposes and allows you to be prepared in the unfortunate event that you lose your job.

9. Take Chances

Have you been mulling over an idea that you think would really improve your department, but haven't brought it up to your boss out of fear that it might get shot down? Maybe you've thought up a better system for organizing client information but you assume you won't be heard because of your limited experience. If there's one thing that I've learned in the past year it's that it can't hurt to take chances! When done in a respectful way, proposing a new idea that will increase revenue or suggesting a new and more efficient way of doing something is never a bad thing. The worst they can do is say no!


When I pitched the idea to feature a small business in Seattle on my company's blog every month, I wasn't sure how our Senior Content Editor would agree to it, but she ended up loving the idea and started featuring my write-ups every month. The opportunity gave me a chance to get published and helped me to grow as a writer.

10. Your Job is not the End-all Be-all 

Your first job is probably going to be overwhelming. There are going to be days when you get home and just want to pass out on your couch because you're so exhausted. There are going to be days when you feel undervalued or unappreciated. But there is one important and comforting fact in the midst of all that. 

Your job does not define who you are. 

It is just a small part of your life and it will not lead to your ultimate happiness. Your job is important and your first job out of college is a big deal, but it is just one step on a long road ahead. 

For those of you who have been in the professional world for a while, what insights do you have to add? 

What kind of experiences have you had in your first job out of school? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!

#MexicanFoodTherapy - Shrimp & Summer Veggie Tostadas

Mexican food. I have only met one person in my entire life who told me they didn't like it. It was hard for me to even process those words. I still hold to this day that the only reason she made such an outrageous claim is because she had only been exposed to the travesty that is Taco Bell and Tex-Mex.

Although I have a particular affinity for Tex-Mex there is nothing like truly authentic street tacos, or the joy that one can experience when they take their first bite of a homemade churro. Mexican food is most definitely comfort food for me. You might even say it's therapeutic. I'm having a hard time even writing this because I keep day dreaming about the mouth watering "tacos al pastor" that my family and I could pick up at the street corner living in Mexico City. But I digress...

I am very excited to start an ongoing series called #MexicanFoodTherapy in which I share some of my favorite Mexican food recipes. These recipes are inspired by my Abuelita Lupe, my childhood in Mexico, and my own cooking experiments and research.

Traditional Mexican food generally comes deep fried and dripping in grease, (again I do not understand the lack of appeal) but because I don't want to weigh 400 pounds and my husband and I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle, I have tweaked some of the more traditional recipes to be slightly healthier. I don't want to get too crazy with the substitutions, but you may read about low-fat sour cream here and baking instead of frying there. Of course I don't want to deprive you of the truly rich and authentic flavors of Mexico, so on occasion I'll post something you may regret eating later. But hey, that's what some of the best food experiences are all about.

This week's #MexicanFoodTherapy recipe is a take on the TOSTADA. This recipe is inspired by summer flavors and can be made with shrimp or chicken.

Shrimp and Summer Veggie Tostadas

Ingredients
Serves 4

1 tablespoon cooking oil 
8 small tortillas or 4 large tortillas
3/4-1 pound of shrimp, (fresh or frozen) peeled
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large zucchini, diced medium
1/2 cup of corn (frozen or fresh)
1/2 cup of salsa verde
4 tablespoons of cilantro, minced
Cooking spray
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Directions
 
Before you start cooking anything you'll need to put on some Salsa music. Any good cooking experience is paired with good music. Feel free to borrow my Mexican Food Cooking Playlist on Spotify here.

Ok now that that is all settled, you'll want to preheat your oven to broil. I just set it on the high setting because I am impatient and want those tostadas to cook up as fast as possible. But feel free to set it to a lower setting. The point is to get it hot enough to harden the tortillas and melt the cheese.

Next you'll want to prepare your shrimp. This recipe would be just as delicious with frozen shrimp that has been thawed, but I bought fresh shrimp from the grocery store. Peeling and deveining shrimp can be tricky and time consuming, so do whatever works best for you. Just make sure to take those tails off! This recipe is also excellent with chicken and you could use chicken tenderloin here. Here is a little less than a pound of large shrimp that I rinsed with cold water.

Once your shrimp is prepped you'll want to cut it into smaller pieces and season it. Large shrimp can be cut in half or in thirds and be a good size for tostadas (depending on the tortilla size). Mix the shrimp in a bowl with the spices. Adjust the seasoning to your preference depending on how spicy you want it. Once you cut and season your shrimp set it aside.

Next is chopping your veggies. Like I said this recipe is inspired by summer flavors so I used summer vegetables, but you can tweak this recipe to include any veggie you want. If you are using zucchini dice it medium like so:

After dicing the zucchini you'll want to get the shrimp cooking. Shrimp cooks relatively fast and since this is a "one pot meal" you don't want to overcook it and make it too chewy. Set your stove top to medium heat and throw those shrimp in a 10-12' frying pan. I decided to cook my shrimp in coconut oil because shrimp and coconut go so beautifully together and it is one of the healthier oils. Trader Joe's brand is my fave.

After the shrimp has cooked for a minute or two throw in your zucchini and cook for a minute or two more. 

The next ingredient to add is your corn. I decided to use frozen corn, though corn straight from the cob would be lovely. I just didn't have the time. At this stage in the game you'll want to add a bit more salt and pepper to keep everything flavorful.

After a minute or two of cooking the corn, bust out your salsa verde. I LOVE homemade salsa verde and have a pretty stellar recipe, but like I said I was short on time because it was a week night dinner, so I decided to use the pre-made stuff. Once again I used Trader Joe's, but any salsa verde will do. Can you tell I'm a T.J.'s fan?

 

After adding your salsa verde turn the heat to low so as not to overcook the shrimp. As the liquid evaporates a bit, chop your cilantro. Mince it fine and stir it in. You can always add more later.

 

After stirring in your final ingredient, turn of your stove top and start preparing your tortillas. For those of you who didn't know, a tostada is in fact a fried or baked tortilla. Crazy, I know. I used white corn tortillas this time around. You can use flour or corn tortillas. I would encourage using corn though. It is more traditional and you can get more tostadas out of them.

Spray each side of the tortilla with cooking spray and stick them in your preheated oven. On high heat it should only take a few minutes on each side to harden. Keep a close eye on them so that they don't burn. Meanwhile,if you'd like, shred some Monterrey Jack cheese. 

This is what you are looking for with the tortillas...

Last but not least, assemble your totstadas. Spoon a generous amount of the shrimp mixture on the tostada and sprinkle with cheese if desired. After you sprinkle with cheese throw it back in the broiler for a minute or two to melt the cheese. Y fin!

Serve with black beans and a fruit salad and squeeze some lime juice all over everything! 

¡Buen Provecho!

Destination: Vancouver B.C. - Part 3

THE PLACES: ACCOMMODATIONS AND SITES

Vancouver truly is stunning. But it is a big city, so you can expect the hustle and bustle of a busy downtown area. We were really happy with our stay at The Victoria Hotel. We found the price for two nights to be reasonable even with prices going up around the city for Memorial Day weekend. The hotel is older, but we had nothing to complain about there. The recent renovations made for a comfortable stay. The freshly painted exterior and Victorian architecture is beautiful. While the rooms were comfortable and relaxing, the staff was not incredibly friendly. The customer service was in my opinion, lacking. 

The location was great. Right in the heart of downtown, most everything we wanted to see/do was in walking distance. Only a few blocks from the popular Robson street and Gastown. Staying in the city has its downsides though, there was quite a bit of noise outside of our window and since it was business as usual on Monday in Canada, we woke up to garbage truck noises outside. 

One great amenity is that breakfast is included. Many of the hotels we looked at in the area did not include breakfast in the price. It was nothing special -- crossaints, fresh fruit, yogurt & granola, coffee. But it was nice to just roll out of bed and not have to worry about paying for one more meal for the day. My only complaint was that breakfast ended at 9, not allowing much time to sleep in.

   
We originally planned our trip to get some much-needed rest, but we tried to squeeze in a little bit of site-seeing while we were there. Our first stop was Robson Street. Right in the heart of downtown, it is a major attraction for those wanting to shop or grab a bite to eat. We window shopped with Matt and Sam and ate dinner on the strip. 

TRAVEL TIP: Anyone who lives in or has visited a big city knows that parking can be a headache. If you are planning to drive anywhere in the downtown area, be aware that you will have to pay for street parking (every day of the week). Canada still uses traditional meters, but they do accept U.S. quarters. Instead of having to worry about estimating how much time you'll spend in one place and scrambling for change, I would suggest downloading the PayByPhone App. It was SO helpful for touring the city. You simply register your car and credit card information so that when you park you just have to enter the location number, confirm the cross streets and voila! You will even get a text reminding you that your parking is going to expire and you can add more time right there on your phone. It's pretty much amazing. Parking in Vancouver is....challenging. About what you'd expect from a big city. Which is why I'd recommend staying somewhere near the city center and just walking everywhere.

 

The majority of our time was spent in Gastown, which I have to admit did not seem very appealing when I was looking around for things to do in Vancouver, but it ended up being one of the best parts of the trip. Some of the highest rated restaurants are located in Gastown, and the streets are lined with cute boutiques, furniture stores and coffee shops. It was pouring down rain when we were there, but despite the weather, we had a blast walking around, window shopping, and dining. As you would expect from specialty boutiques, the shopping was not cheap, but even if you're on a limited budget it is still a fun area to explore.

Braving the Rain in Gastown

I was amazed by how many people were out and about the entire time we roamed the streets of Vancouver. The night life there was one of the most lively I've seen. Our plans were foiled several times when we tried to grab a bite to eat but the wait was over an hour. Being that it was the weekend it wasn't too surprising that we had a hard time finding late night bites on Saturday and brunch on Sunday morning, but if you do visit during a weekend (and a holiday at that) know that you are going to be competing for a seat at some of the hottest restaurants and bars in town. 

We didn't leave Gastown until midnight on Saturday and the activity didn't slow down at all. People were out and about well after we went back to our hotel and there were several night clubs in the area with lines wrapped around the building. It wasn't a crazy atmosphere though. We felt safe walking the streets at night.

The final and most beautiful part of the trip was Stanley Park. We weren't sure what to expect on our last day because it was supposed to be rainy, but I was so happy when we woke up to clear skies on Monday. After checking out of our hotel we headed to Spokes Bicycle Rentals  and rented a couple of one-speed bikes. Now this was a big deal for me because I hadn't ridden a bike in over a decade and was a little hesitant to ride along the narrow pathway that was over 4 miles long. 

I am so glad we made the time to see the park, though because it was INCREDIBLE. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. It turned out to be the perfect day for it and we had a blast.  

The park is right up against the water and has breathtaking views all along the way. I would recommend biking and stopping every so often to take in the scenery. The 4-mile long radius of the park only takes about an hour to ride around with a few stops factored in. This was honestly one of the most affordable activities of the entire trip and it was definitely one of the most memorable. 

My Studly Husband Navigating

On our way out of the city we made a stop at Granville Island to enjoy the live music and the market. It was a lot like Pike's market in Seattle and so we didn't stay for long since we frequent Pike's quite a bit. If you wanted to visit the island you could pick up some produce to munch on for the day, grab a bite to eat and take your pick of live music street performers.

Besides stopping at a local burger place on the way out, that was the extent of our adventures. While we didn't get as much down time as we were hoping I'd call the trip a success overall and I am definitely planning for future trips to Canada.


Have you had any notable travel experiences in Canada?  Do you have any additional insights/tips for anyone wanting to travel to Vancouver BC? Let me know about it in the comments below.

Destination: Vancouver B.C. - Part 2

THE FOOD: A FOODIE'S PARADISE

Vancouver is most definitely foodie-central. As soon as we rolled into town we were hungry for lunch and so we stopped at a Vietnamese food restaurant, Cafe Mai Mai. Boasting four-and-a-half stars on Yelp we were excited to check it out.The city is a hub for Asian food restaurants and so we had no shortage of choices. JD ordered the beef Pho, which was yummy, but not better than my favorite Pho place in Seattle. I went out on a limb and ordered a lemon grass chicken Vietnamese sub, which is what the restaurant was rated so highly for. It was fantastic. The combination of Vietnamese mayo, pate, cilantro, pickled carrots, and daikon on a baguette made for an amazingly fresh and satisfying meal. 

At the top of my list of places to try was the famous, JAPADOG. I've had friends rave about the Asian-inspired hot dog stands in Vancouver, and so we had to check it out for ourselves. Not to mention all of the press they get and their slogan - "MAKING THE WORLD HAPPY AND ALIVE THROUGH HOTDOGS." It was an easy sell.

I ordered the popular, Terimayo pork hot dog with their signature teriyaki sauce, mayo and seaweed, and let me tell you it was delicious. I ordered the spicy garlic fries and I was a happy girl. JD ordered the Yakiniku rice with BBQ style beef on top of an arabiki sausage.

The real show stopper, though was what they call AGE ICE. Which is basically ice cream served in a deep fried hot dog bun with sugar sprinkled on top (aka a donut). It was SO good, though we had to share one between the four of us because it was possibly one of the unhealthiest meals I've ever consumed. 

There are several stands scattered throughout the city, but we stopped at the "restaurant" in downtown, which had limited seating. If you are going to take a trip to Vancouver (and you are ok with sacrificing your body's well-being) -- you must try Japadog!

As I mentioned, Gastown is the place to go for late night bites. We stopped at Six Acres later that evening for drinks and the consensus was that it was the perfect last stop for the day. My Adoxa (lillet blanc, maraschino, dry vermouth, lemon) was expertly balanced and refreshing. My husband and our friend Matt had great things to say about their Stout and Cider and Sam was generous to share her cheese board with us that had a smattering of delicious cheeses, jams, and nuts. I would definitely recommend this spot if you are looking to munch on something post-dinner.

I'm not sure if it was just because of the holiday weekend, or if it is normally like this, but finding a brunch spot on Sunday was exhausting. After a failed attempt to eat at Provence, (though we hope to make it back and try it) we wandered around for a while hitting one obstacle after another. We finally settled on The Templeton which ended up being a good place to land -- nothing fancy, just good ol' diner food. They did have great ratings on Yelp. 

Because I'm a lady, I ordered the Trucker's breakfast and had no complaints. The turkey sausage is made in-house and was really yummy. The coffee was very much "diner coffee" though. Don't be tempted to get it, no matter how long you've been roaming around the city and how desperate you are for caffeine :) 
 

Another couple of quick stops during the day on Saturday landed us at Coffee Bar where I was happy with my Spanish latte (and had had way to much caffeine and sugar in my system at that point). 

We also grabbed some apps at The Flying Pig, which I wish we had been able to go back to for a proper meal, because the food coming out of that kitchen looked GOOD. We were still happy with our crispy brussels sprouts with lemon, capers, and Parmesan, though. 

Our fanciest (and most expensive) meal by far was our date night at Lupo. I know Canada is supposed to be known for its French food and seafood blah blah blah... but there are two main issues with that in my mind: I am allergic to fish. AND I have yet to have an amazing French food experience. So instead, we went with the fail safe, highly rated Italian food restaurant. The service there was exceptional. The wait staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. In order to get a little taste of Canadian seafood (which lets be honest is probably the same quality as Seattle seafood), I ordered the shrimp + prawns linguini with zucchini and a citrus cream sauce. JD ordered the Tagliatelle with chicken, peas, prosciutto and a black truffle sauce. To be honest, I liked my husband's better. The truffles in the sauce were heavenly. We both enjoyed white wines with our meal and JD's Chardonnay was fantastic. It is located in the city center and the owners set up the restaurant in a refurbished house. The setting was very romantic and relaxing. We had a great time. Especially since we rounded out the meal with their seasonal fruit crisp and vanilla ice cream. So good.

Besides stopping at a local burger place on the way out, that was the extent of our food adventures.

How do you determine where to eat when you vacation? Do you have any recommendations for good restaurants in Vancouver? Let me know in the comments below!


Stay tuned for the third and final part of this travel tip series.