Trial Day at STARTUPA

For the past year, I've been wanting to work at a startup. Startups are so cool. Startups are so hip and innovative. There are so many perks--free lunch, gym memberships, fun swag and I'd be working in a young work environment. I had idealized the situation, obviously. And sure, there are startups in which that description is true (Warby Parker), but for the majority of the struggling startups out there, they are focusing hard on building their company--and while they may come with some perks (namely free lunch) it also comes with sacrifices (smaller office space and using your own laptop for work). I mean I guess I understood that but today at my "trial day" at STARTUPA, I really was able to witness the inner workings of the startup environment. I was in a deep observation mode--comparing it to The Story Exchange and my role there. My conclusion at the end of my 5 hour trial day: I actually like working at TSE better.

Wow.

I never thought that I would come to that conclusion, but I have. I actually have much more ownership and input in my role at TSE. At STARTUPA, I was just going to be a customer service rep, helping customers book services over the phone, troubleshoot with the providers and organizing appointments. While I would be gaining very useful skills in that position, that's not where I'd like to invest my time in right now.

My whole mentality during this interview process with STARTUPA has been, "I hope they like me" but now I realize how wrong that mindset is. It should be, "I hope we're a great fit" because I have to enjoy working in this environment too. My gut instinct already told me that this wasn't going to be the job for me but I continued to follow through with it because I convinced myself that it could be a good fit. (I won't lie, I was also lured by the prospect of getting a higher salary too.) But after my time today, I realize how much more work I must put into my job search to find a suitable transition. It just wasn't a good fit at STARTUPA. Being at STARTUPA just showed me an alternate reality where I worked at a startup, answering calls all day and attending to customers' needs. That's really exhausting and not the line of work I'm interested in.

I have gained such a different perspective about my time at TSE now from this one trial day at TSE. I realize how valuable my work and time is. I realize that in many ways, TSE is more similar to a startup than I thought. I am held directly accountable for many facets of the organization and report directly to my bosses, Sue and Victoria, just as I would be at any startup. The difference is simply in the work environment and mentality.

I am so grateful for the job, liberties and responsibilities that I have now. I haven't been able to enjoy my job at TSE because I internalized a lot of what others told me--I should be making more money, I should be doing X and Y to build my resume...and while that may be true, I could have been enjoying my time there more had I not worried about all these other judgments.

Working at TSE has been a great entry level job to launch my career. And now I'm even more fueled to find a better job transition. Honestly, it was only through this trial day experience that I was able to recognize how much I've learned in my time at TSE.