How to eat humble pie, a lesson from a once young and arrogant employee

Walking out of university and into the corporate world for the first time comes with a lot of hard truths. You are no longer a big fish in a small pond. You do not in fact know everything. And if, like me, you learnt all about management styles and guerrilla marketing for multinational takeovers, it is highly unlikely you'll need to use these skills, at least not immediately.

So begins your journey of making tasteless coffees from a tin in the staff room, binding documents and answering phones. All of which is easy and fun if you have a good attitude.

My first job was as a cadet at the Australian Financial Review, a prestigious publisher of daily financial current affairs and economics, in newspaper and digital formats. At twenty one I was the youngest and newest employee in the advertising department.

Unfortunately my know-it-all-attitude didn't serve me as well as I had expected. I was commonly referred to not by name but as 'The Cadet', a reminder of my place in the pecking order. When department events such as end of year lunches were held I wasn't able to attend as someone had to man the phones at all times during business hours. I had not much in common with my mainly older colleagues. I spent hours doing what felt like menial tasks such as sorting through back catalogues of ancient newspapers.

These things are what I would now call a right of passage / earning your stripes / learning the basics from the ground up. However, with very little life experience it was a tough to learn that I needed to stay humble, bide my time and enjoy the education that real life was offering me.

Thank goodness something inside clicked, possibly after a stern talking to from a colleague encouraging me to put on my big girl pants, cut out the attitude and focus on what was in front of me which was in fact a fantastic opportunity. I ate that humble pie, crumbs and all. This was when I really started to bloom professionally. I was able to build solid relationships and make the effort to not just complete the task at hand but be the very best at it. Quickly I started to win awards for excellence and was recommended for more senior positions.

It's hard as a young adult to be equally ambitious and patient. For me those were polarising virtues that with time I've managed to master. However back then, I wanted to race up that corporate ladder, and in all honesty it wouldn't have fulfilled me in the same way the slow and steady race has. The best part is that as I now watch today's up and comers join the corporate world, I can share my etiquette strategies on how to enjoy that delicious humble pie.

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The information in this blog is general in nature and does not take into account your personal financial situation. It is for educational purposes only, and does not constitute formal financial advice. You should always seek personal financial advice that is tailored to your specific needs. Facing financial hardship? Call the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007