First day jitters and blunders

Is it just me or does everyone have their share of first-time nervousness, anxiety, or something similar to morning sickness when life embarks them on a fresh journey? Let me share my story of my first official day at work as a fresh graduate stepping into the corporate world.

Just like how every first exam in a while, attending your first ever interview or traveling alone for the first time, or moving to a new place, gives you a rush of emotions. every step into the unknown felt like a leap. Despite my usual pre-event sleepless nights, I surprisingly slept soundly the night before. Waking up nervous and jittery, I was both thrilled and anxious about heading to work—a dream come true, yet dauntingly unfamiliar.

My journey started early, with a bus ride scheduled to pick me up at 6:50 AM for a commute that involved changing buses midway. The hitch? No one had mentioned the need to switch buses. and that's where the blunders began.

I did find it weird when people got off the bus just minutes after I boarded, it amused me that there were people who had their offices located in the vicinity I lived in , when in reality, I was too dumb to realize it was just a changeover to reach their needed destination.

Upon arriving at the changeover, I noticed the driver looking into the rear-view mirror, weirdly enough it felt like he was looking straight at me, he then spoke ‘Aapko bus no. 8 par jaana hai'

Under different circumstances, I would have acknowledged it immediately and left for my next bus. Since anxiety was taking over me, I clearly did not understand he meant me. I looked back to ensure whether it was me and then I pointed to myself to confirm whether he really meant me. Despite being a very loud person, all that came out of my mouth was 'huh'??

He repeated himself again, it’s not like I did not understand what he said, I couldn't hear him, and I went ‘huh’ again. Then a passenger from the front seat got up and clarified that I should be getting off there and wait for bus no.8, that's when it hit me.

My mind was going crazy, I was flustered and all I could think was how come I hadn't been told about this in advance. I waited for my next bus and took the front seat, right behind the driver this time.

 The journey continued with a new bus and a new driver; He asked me.

‘Are you Farhana? ‘

I nodded, Apparently, I was still tongue-tied.

He asked me 'Shaam mei what time?’, me being me clearly couldn't hear him.  I think my ears block out when I'm anxious as well.

I went 'huh' again.  He repeated himself yet I still failed to hear him, Poor guy was being so kind to me, he then spoke louder and spelled the Word ' E V E N ...' It clicked before he could complete, and I blurted out 'Oh at 6!'

 And then he asked ‘Metro'?

This time I clearly heard him, but I was confused, my mind was racing rapidly with all kinds of thoughts.  Metro? What? Why ?? I thought I had given the location, why is this happening? Am I wrong? Did they tell me they would drop me at the metro station? Did my parents say something like that at all??

I knew what I had to do. I had to correct him and tell him I had the location. But all my stupid mouth could do was a ‘huh’, he must have taken it as a ‘haa’ which translates to yes.

I was much more anxious now. I lost my timing; I couldn’t do anything about it I was like that the entire ride and all I did was nothing.

I was tracking my location live and all I had to do was keep track of it, use my brain, and get out at the closest possible stop. But clever me didn't do that either. I decided to fix this later.

I got out at the metro station, the driver told me he will pick me at the other side of the station in the evening, but all I could think was this wasn't my stop at all. I had to find my directions to the office.

My map showed it was just a 5-minute drive away, giving me hope. However, I soon realized I had to walk an additional 20 minutes to reach the office. With time ticking away and wanting to make a good first impression, I couldn't afford to spend 20 minutes walking in the hot weather.

As if on cue, HR from the office called. I answered promptly, "Hi Farhana, good morning! How are you? Have you arrived at the office yet? If not, how much time do you need?"

For the first time that day, my voice came out clear and composed. I informed them that I was at the metro station and requested for directions. They advised me to take a taxi, and within five minutes, I reached my destination.

Now that I was where I needed to be, I felt calm and relaxed. The next half hour went on setting up my laptop, It was a moment of calm amidst the day's chaos, I began fiddling with two sticky notes I was given.

Being my first day, it was natural to expect no work, you just try your best to get used to your new surroundings. With an aesthetic appeal of red and white, it was perfectly built for work conditions. I looked around and realized no matter how long I was here, this was going to be one of my core memories and I was determined to give my best.

I met my boss and was assigned my workstation. I opened my brand-new laptop provided by the company. I couldn't have been more excited. I loved it. I was provided with all laptop supplies along with a notebook and a pen. It was already logged on during the setup process.

As a first step, my boss told me to download the AutoCAD software as I will be needing it soon. He wasn't kidding because once I was given work on CAD, there hasn't been a day where I never used it. He guided me in downloading the software from the official Autodesk Website.

After downloading the installation link, my laptop however had other plans. It abruptly stopped midway because my system needed to restart for pending updates. The first time this happened, I didn't think much of it and proceeded with the restart. However, the issue persisted on the second attempt. Frustration crept in as the process took longer than expected, eventually restarting again after starting updates.

Thinking the ordeal was finally over, I encountered another hurdle. Upon restarting, I needed to log in with my password. Uncertain which password to use since I hadn't been informed, I guessed it might be my email password. Predictably, it was wrong. Aware of my mistake, I sought help from a colleague sitting nearby.

I asked her about the laptop password and whether everyone used the same one. Uncertain herself, she questioned if I had not been given any passwords. It suddenly dawned on me that I had indeed received two sticky notes with passwords, which I had absentmindedly stuck together and stashed in my notebook while playing with them earlier.

Excitement coursed through me as I finally logged in, ready to complete the installation. However, my computer still had other plans—it locked me out despite entering the correct password. Frustration grew as repeated attempts failed to grant me access. Just then, the receptionist entered my office, providing a timely opportunity. I nervously asked him to verify the password. With him looking over my shoulder, I tried once more, and to my relief, it worked.

The moment I called someone over to supervise, the system acted perfectly normal, it was as though it was trying to have a fight with me, the guy looked at me a little confused, Embarrassed I told him that I really couldn’t log in until he came over. He just smiled and left.

But that wasn’t all, I had the installation problem yet to be resolved. Despite restarting multiple times, the problem persisted. Consulting my colleague, I restarted from scratch, re-downloading the software from the website. Unfortunately, the issue continued, prompting me to involve my boss. As soon as he came over, I explained the situation, only for my laptop to cooperate perfectly when he arrived, making me feel foolish. All of this for a good first impression and working day. I must have broken all records for the number of embarrassing moments in just 6+ hours.

My day progressed smoothly thereafter. I made every effort to salvage what I could and turn it into a memorable first day of work. The challenges I faced ensured it would be unforgettable. Later that day, I resolved my transportation issue, and despite the initial chaos, the journey home was smooth and peaceful.

This day, with its mix of nervous beginnings and eventual triumphs, will undoubtedly remain etched in my memory as a defining chapter in my professional journey.