THE PUBLIC SHELF
Open when you start your first job
Your first day at a real job. Comfortable shoes. A snack in your bag. A pen that works. Trust me on all three.
We're writing this together at the kitchen table, the night before you left for your final interview. You were in the other room practicing your answers to the mirror, and we could hear you through the wall saying my greatest weakness is that I care too much, and your father said, we should put that in the letter.
Here's what nobody tells you about first jobs.
It's okay not to know things. Nobody expects you to know things. They expect you to ask.
Write down names. Everyone's name, on the first day, in a notebook. You will forget them by lunch and the notebook will save you.
Ask the question even if it feels dumb. Three other people in the room want to know too and are hoping someone else will ask.
Be kind to the people at the front desk and in the mail room. They know where everything is, and they know who's actually good at their job.
Save a little of every paycheck. Future you is going to be very grateful.
And call us after. We want the whole first day, minute by minute, including what you had for lunch.
Mom and Dad
More letters on the public shelf · Write your own