Dear Office,
I’m 23, I work for myself and I think you are boring. You’d
probably get along really well with my dad. He’s in his mid-fifties, he
has a giant stack of lanyards from different conferences, a closet full
of suits, and has never communicated in less than 140 characters.
Office, I think you’re looking for him, not me.
Listen, you seem like a really nice
guy, and I’m sure there are lots of girls out there who would love to
spend time with you. But as I sit on my couch, listening to my favorite
podcast, in my comfy work uniform of leggings and a t-shirt, doing what I
love on my own schedule, I just can’t see us ever working out. I
graduated two years ago and have been gainfully employed (mostly in my
field) for the entire time. I have never once stepped foot in an office
and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love the freedom
of creating my own workspace, building my own schedule and timelines and
not having to make idle water-cooler chat about last night's episode of
The Bachelor.
Now, that being said, I do
certainly see your merits office. There are elements of my work
environment that could use a bit of a makeover. As a relatively new
member of the workforce I know that I could have benefited from a lot of
the experiences office environments can bring. Interacting with senior
staff and learning from them, asking questions when I need help,
networking with like-minded individuals, and drawing inspiration from
co-workers. But, I’ve met someone else to help me with all of those
things; his name is “Associations”
Being a member of an association is
the perfect way for new grads, entrepreneurs and self-employed people
to get support from people in their field. All of my newly graduated friends and I, we are all kind of equally clueless in the workplace. It's all brand new to us, so being able to meet and benefit from the knowledge of those who have been in our fields for awhile. An online community is just about perfect for how we are dealing with life at the moment - social media is a language we speak and we can use it to help us advance our careers.
In the age of social media it is
easier than ever to be in constant communication with members of your
field through associations. If I need a question answered fast, I can
fire off a tweet to my association list! If I’m looking for someone to
join me on a new project, I post to our message board! If I need a break
in my day, I can check out the association Facebook page and get some
inspiration from other members of my community.
Office, I’m just not that in to you. But, Associations, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Love, Hannah
#Planning #Association #blog #Strategy