My First Job: A Retrospective

In my first job I worked for slightly under three years, but in that short time I experienced almost everything there is to experience in the workplace. I saw expansion, promotion, downsizing, demotion, and then complete failure. In a matter of three years our company ran through the entire business cycle. I got to experience all the feelings that go along with the ups and downs of work life. The thrill of promotion and the company doing well. The frustration of seeing my coworkers get laid off or fired and then being thrown back into a a position that I had already advanced beyond. And finally the nervousness and uncertainty that went along with the business closing down and not knowing what was going to happen to my in the short term and whether I had a job when I woke up every morning. I knew I was joining a fast paced industry, but I never expected anything like this.