Starting your career is weird because everyone expects you to know how to work before you’ve really had the chance to learn how to work.

You can know how to do your job. You can have the degree, the internship experience, the technical skills, whatever got you hired in the first place. But there’s an entirely different set of skills that comes with actually being in a workplace every day.

How much should you tell your coworkers about your personal life? What do you do when someone at work just doesn’t like you? How do you make sure your boss knows what you’re accomplishing? What happens when you’re bored? How do you have a life when work suddenly takes up most of your week?

A lot of that you just learn by going through it.

And that’s something I’ve realized more and more when thinking about What Actually Matters at Your First Job? Getting hired is only the beginning. You still have to learn how to exist within a workplace, build a reputation, and figure out what kind of career you actually want.

I recently went through a bunch of career advice I’ve seen people giving online and realized that some of it is actually really good. Some of it needs a little more context. And some of it gets at things I wish more people talked about when you're starting your career.

So if you’re in your first job, your second job, or just trying to figure out what the hell you’re doing with your career, these are the pieces of advice I think are actually worth knowing.

Accept That Not Everyone at Work Is Going to Like You

One piece of advice I came across was basically a warning that at some point, you might randomly become enemies with an older coworker.

It sounds ridiculous, but I actually think there’s something underneath it that matters.

You can walk into work every day, be nice to people, do your job well, try to be helpful, and somebody still might not like you. Maybe you changed something they were used to doing. Maybe you got credit for an idea. Maybe your personalities just don't work together.

That’s part of working with other people.

“Not every coworker is your friend, is your best friend. And you're not really always there to make friends.”

I think one of the harder things to learn early in your career is that being good at your job and being universally liked are not the same thing.

You shouldn't intentionally piss people off. You should be respectful, easy to work with, and a good teammate. But you also can't spend your entire career making decisions based on whether every single person in the office is going to like you.

They won't.

And that's okay.

At the same time, building actual relationships at work matters. If you're new, How Do You Meet People at a New Job? gets into why introducing yourself and building those relationships early can make the entire experience easier.

Don't Overshare at Work, But Don't Be a Robot Either

Another piece of advice was to never overshare or get too personal with coworkers.

I agree with the first part. I don't completely agree with the second.

There are absolutely things you probably don't need to tell everybody at work. Your coworkers don't need access to every detail of your dating life, family problems, friendships, or whatever happened last Saturday night.

But I also don't think the answer is becoming a completely different person from 9 to 5.

Talk about the show you're watching. Tell someone you're going away for the weekend. Talk about your girlfriend, your friends, sports, pickleball, whatever you're actually interested in.

Those little conversations are how you build relationships with people.

And if you eventually have one or two coworkers who become real friends and people you genuinely trust, I think it's completely normal for those relationships to become more personal.

The rule I'd follow is pretty simple: be a person at work without telling everyone at work everything about you.

Keep Track of What You're Actually Accomplishing

This might be my favorite piece of career advice from everything I came across.

At the end of every week, write down what you accomplished.

That's it.

It could be an email you send yourself. It could be a running document. It could be a note on your phone. I don't really care where you put it.

Just keep it somewhere.

At my first job, my team used to share three things we accomplished that week and three things we were working on the following week. Eventually we stopped doing it, but looking back, I wish I had kept doing it myself.

Because six months from now, you're probably not going to remember everything you did this week.

But those things matter.

When your boss asks what you've been working on, you'll have an answer. When it's time for a performance review, you'll have receipts. When you're asking for more responsibility or potentially a raise, you'll be able to point toward your actual contributions.

And when you eventually want another job, you're not sitting there staring at your resume thinking, What the fuck did I actually do for the last two years?

You already have the answer.

“It’s also a great way to share what you’re working on so people know your value and what you’re doing.”

I'd actually take this advice one step further.

On Monday, write down what you want to accomplish that week. On Friday, write down what you actually accomplished.

Over time, you're basically building a record of your career.

Get Important Things in Writing

This is one of those lessons that can feel unnecessarily formal until the first time you really need it.

If something important is discussed verbally at work, follow up in writing.

You don't need to make it dramatic. You don't need to send some terrifying corporate email that sounds like you're preparing evidence for a lawsuit.

It can literally just be:

Just wanted to confirm our conversation about X.

That's enough.

Maybe your boss gave you a specific deadline. Maybe someone changed the direction of a project. Maybe another team agreed to deliver something. Maybe you were told to handle something a certain way.

Having that conversation documented gives everyone clarity about what was actually agreed upon.

This is also consistent with Harvard Business Review's guidance on managing up, which emphasizes understanding expectations and building an effective working relationship with your manager.

I also think there's another lesson attached to this: remember that your work computer is your work computer.

Your company Slack is your company's Slack. Your work email is your work email.

Act accordingly.

If You're Bored at Work, Figure Out Why

I saw someone give the advice that you should "get comfortable being bored" at work.

I don't completely agree.

Yes, sometimes work is boring.

Every job has repetitive tasks. There will be meetings you don't care about, spreadsheets you don't want to look at, administrative things you have to finish, and days that just drag.

That's normal.

But I think there are actually three different kinds of boredom at work.

The first is I have a boring task to do. You probably just have to do it.

The second is I don't have enough to do.

That's different.

If you've finished your work and genuinely have nothing else to do, ask your manager if there's something you can help with. Ask a coworker if you can take something off their plate. See if there's another project you can get involved in.

Being the person who says, Is there anything I can help you with? is rarely a bad reputation to have. It's also one of the simplest ideas behind How Do You Show Initiative at Work?. You don't need some massive idea to show initiative. Sometimes you just need to look for ways to contribute before someone asks.

Then there's the third kind:

I've been bored for a really long time.

That's the one I'd pay attention to.

If you've stopped learning, you're no longer challenged, there's nowhere else for you to grow, and you've felt that way consistently, your boredom might be telling you something.

Maybe it's time to start thinking about what comes next.

That doesn't mean you need to know exactly what your next move is. Figuring that out usually happens gradually. Paying attention to what you're enjoying, what you're good at, and what you're completely bored by can help point you toward whatever comes next.

Build a Life Outside of Your Career

One of the biggest adjustments when you start working full time is realizing how much of your life work takes up.

When you're younger, there's always another break coming. Summer break. Winter break. Spring break. A long weekend.

Then you start working and realize: Oh. This is just Monday now.

That's why I think you have to intentionally create things to look forward to during the week.

Get dinner with a friend on Wednesday. Go on a date Thursday. See a movie. Go to the gym. Take a long walk. Watch something you've been excited about. Do literally anything that reminds you your entire existence isn't getting to Friday night.

“One of the best things we can all do for ourselves is to have things to look forward to and be excited about.”

I think having even one thing every week that you're genuinely excited about can change how the entire week feels.

Your career should be an important part of your life.

It doesn't have to become your entire life.

The American Psychological Association has written about the relationship between work, stress, and well-being. Building boundaries and making space for the rest of your life isn't something you should wait to think about until you're already completely burned out.

Figure Out Your Routine Earlier Than You Think You Need To

Your first full-time job can completely change your routine.

You're sitting more. You're tired when you get home. You're eating differently. You suddenly have to fit the gym, cooking, cleaning, dating, friendships, errands, and everything else around your work schedule.

If you don't intentionally build a routine, it's really easy for all of those things to start disappearing.

For me, one of the biggest changes was moving my workouts to before work.

I used to work out after work, but then anytime I had dinner, drinks, a date, or anything else planned, the workout disappeared. And if I did work out, it felt like I didn't have time for anything else.

Eventually, I started getting up earlier and going before work.

That meant preparing the night before. I'd lay out my clothes, pack what I needed, wake up, get ready quickly, work out, shower, and then head to work.

It completely changed my mornings.

I felt more awake when I got to work. I felt more present. I had more energy. And most importantly, I didn't spend the entire day wondering when I was somehow going to fit my workout in.

You don't have to work out in the morning.

The larger lesson is to build your life around the reality of your schedule instead of constantly hoping you'll magically find extra time.

That's something I get into more in How Do You Balance Work, Friends, Dating, and the Gym? You probably can't do everything every day, but you can create a week where the things that matter to you still have a place.

Lay out your clothes the night before. Make your lunch ahead of time. Schedule the workout. Put the dinner on your calendar.

Make the things you care about easier to actually do.

Don't Sit Down When You Get Home If You Still Have Things to Do

This sounds ridiculously specific, but it's so real.

If you get home from work and still want to work out, cook, clean, run an errand, or do anything remotely productive, don't sit on the couch first.

Because once you sit down, there's a very good chance you're done.

I know because I've done this approximately a million times.

You tell yourself you're going to watch one episode. Then you're scrolling your phone. Then you're tired. Then suddenly it's 11:30 and everything you planned on doing is now tomorrow's problem.

If you need to get something done, try to keep the momentum going when you get home.

And when you inevitably don't do that one night and accidentally fall asleep on the couch anyway, don't make it a bigger deal than it needs to be.

You Are Going to Get Some of This Wrong

This might be the most important career advice of all.

You're not going to perfectly navigate your first few years of work.

You're going to overshare with someone you probably shouldn't have. You're going to handle feedback badly. You're going to have a weird interaction with your boss. You're going to procrastinate. You're going to have weeks when you don't work out. You're going to wonder if you're in the right career.

You're learning.

I still mess these things up.

The goal isn't to create the perfect work routine where you wake up at 6:30 every morning, crush your workout, walk into the office perfectly energized, complete everything on your to-do list, impress your boss, cook dinner, see your friends, and get eight hours of sleep every single night.

That's probably not happening.

The goal is to figure out what works for you, keep the things that help, change the things that don't, and get a little better at navigating all of it.

And Here's The Thing

Your first few years of your career aren't just about learning how to do your job.

You're learning how to have a job.

You're figuring out how to deal with coworkers, communicate with your boss, advocate for yourself, keep track of your accomplishments, separate work from the rest of your life, and recognize when it might be time for something new.

Nobody walks into their first job already knowing how to do all of that.

So take the advice that helps you. Try something tomorrow. Keep doing it for a week or two and see if it makes your work life a little easier.

And when you inevitably get something wrong, try again.

That's part of figuring out your career too.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best advice for starting your career?

Stay curious, build good habits, and keep track of what you're accomplishing.

How can I stand out early in my career?

Be reliable, take initiative, and look for ways to help.

Should I be friends with my coworkers?

You can be, but you don't need every coworker to become a close friend.

What should I do if I'm bored at work?

Ask for more responsibility. If the boredom lasts, consider whether you've outgrown the job.

How do I balance work with the rest of my life?

Plan around your work schedule and intentionally protect time for the things you care about.