4 Valuable Lessons I’ve Learned in My First 6 Months Working at Adobe
Photo by Saketh Garuda on Unsplash
In July 2018, I embarked on a cross-country journey to the “Technology Mecca” of the world — Silicon Valley — to launch my career as a Social Media Specialist at Adobe’s HQ in San Jose, CA.
As my time at Florida International University was ending, I was optimistic about my chances of joining the CIA in Washington D.C. shortly after graduating. But my plans as a CIA hopeful took a crazy turn and long story short, I ended up landing my dream job at one of the world’s leading tech firms, Adobe.
Opportunity knocked thanks to a simple Twitter thread I was serendipitously tagged in by a quick-thinking mentor (thanks Miri Rodriguez) which highlighted a one-off job opening published by a now-Adobe colleague and mentor, Joe Martin.
Now, more than 6 months into my role, I’ve learned some simple yet valuable lessons that I believe would help anyone looking for new ways to prioritize and bring the most value to their organizations, bosses and their higher-ups, too.
Although this list is not exhaustive, it highlights the most impactful lessons I’ve learned on this journey so far. Here are 4 valuable lessons I’ve learned in my first 6 months working at Adobe:
1. ASK YOUR MANAGER WHAT TO PRIORITIZE
I wish someone had told me this when I started.
In my first 3 months working at Adobe, I was working late nights — early mornings, weekends — you name it. I found myself anxiously stressing over every email and deliverable, worrying about which “fire” to put out and when.
The result: As critical deadlines flew by, I came close to burning out.
The lesson: In hindsight, a lot of office-related headaches and unnecessary anxiety could have been avoided if I had been transparent to my manager about my current workload and capacity. Although I can’t speak for all managers, mine was always ready to help me prioritize if I’m drowning at work.
If you ever find yourself in the same boat, I highly recommend having a talk with your manager!
2. LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE
Truthfully, I found the level of expectations I had at Adobe a little daunting. Scaling an Employee Social Advocacy program from 750+ employees to ~20,000 while managing side projects for various events, stakeholders, social analytics reports, and juggling social media communications for a handful Adobe executives is a little overwhelming.
But, who doesn’t love a good challenge?
The lesson: The way I see it, I moved out to the West Coast to grow, learn, network, leave my comfort zone, develop my skillset and have fun along the way. If I’m slightly in over my head then I’m in the right place.
Embrace the stress, expectations and challenges of your hustle. It’ll grow your capacity.
3. THE BEST WAY TO TRULY LEARN ANYTHING IS TO TEACH IT
Are you looking to skill up?
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a class called Storytelling for Success by Andy Raskin at General Assembly SF with a good friend of mine in San Francisco named Shane Martin.
As a challenge, we decided to compress the content we learned into a 15-min webinar format where over 10 people attended!
The result: Surprisingly, the webinar went well (overall feedback was positive), it added some much needed reps under my belt as a presenter, and Shane was asked to host weekly webinars at his start-up moving forward.
The lesson: The Bay Area is FULL of brilliant innovators, engineers, thinkers, artists, academics, thought leaders — tap into them. Go to networking events. Audit classes for free. I have plenty of friends in the city who attend improv classes simply to get out of their comfort zone and learn how to think and speak on their feet.
P.S. Also, if you’re looking for a great community of encouraging, value-driven and successful people in San Francisco, then I definitely recommend visiting Hillsong SF. I’ll save you a seat!
4. K.I.A. vs L.I.A.
The final valuable lesson is the most important. Early on, a decade-tenured teammate shared some practical wisdom to apply swiftly in a new job:
Be a “learn-it-all” (L.I.A.) vs a “know-it-all” (K.I.A.)
I love this because it reinforces the importance of having humility in the workplace and being open to learning new skills, processes, perspectives, and management styles.
What about you?
What are some of the valuable lessons you’ve learned throughout your career journey? Did we have any in common? Are there any BIG ones I missed?
Let me know in the comments below!
