Work Work Work

Have you ever looked back at the first time your parents told you that, "you can be whatever you want to be?" At this point in life, we were all so young and naive to the work force that we replied with an unethical response. I remember that I wanted to become a professional basketball player or a pirate for the rest of my life. This is an example of anticipatory socialization. Most of us in our childhood learn about work through television, parents or any sort of media. 

Take a few moments and watch this stand-up by Nick Swardson about Childhood dream jobs below. 

http://www.comedycentral.com/video-clips/r2nh3j/stand-up-nick-swardson--ninjas

The next phase is the Encounter phase which is the point in time that you get employed with a new organization. At this phase you learn how to become comfortable with the organization's culture. I've worked at two different places throughout my life. I worked for my dad's powder coating business throughout high school. This job helped me set my feet down in the work force and begin to realize how much I wanted to just become a Pirate. I shadowed a few of my dads employee's so I was able to catch onto the culture very quickly. Once I graduated from high school I moved on and decided to get attend college for an Exercise and Sport Science degree. I was able to land a job with Jones Soda as a Brand Ambassador since I started college. My boss and supervisor are very laid back ever since the very beginning so it made it easy for me to transform from job to job. 

The last stage is the metamorphosis phase which is the transition where a "new member" becomes an insider in their organization. In this phase the employee tends to gain respect and are handed more responsibilities. The employee knows exactly what is expected from them. Unfortunately, I've only experienced this a few times due to my lack of experience in the work force. I can relate this back to when I was employee for my dads business because I moved up from a front desk employee to actually powder coating customers products. I had to go through another learning process but it was much easier and not as boring. I felt more responsibilities building up on my shoulders but I was able to cope with them. Once I graduate college I will hopefully get a great job I can stay with for the rest of my life.

Here are a few frames I powder coated while working for my dads business (JD's Powder Coating):

Gloss Purple Frame with Clear Coat

Shocker Green with a Clear Coat on the frame

Black Chrome Wheels

Gloss Red frame

All in all, work is something that takes time to process for many people. We go through different phases in our lives that form how we view work. We began thinking that we were going to become the best super heroes anyone would ever see to sitting in our office thirty years down the road. This is why it's sad to see that I'll be graduating college within a year. I never thought the day would come that I would have to start thinking about a job that I can successfully obtain. Even though I have only worked for two jobs, I know there are certain qualities that I've gained that I can apply to another job.