--- title: "Life Lessons: First Year As A Professional" description: Reflections on my first year as a sales/engineer professional at Melink. image: https://blog.melinkcorp.com/hubfs/Stock%20images/Full%20length%20of%20group%20of%20happy%20young%20business%20people%20walking%20the%20corridor%20in%20office%20together.jpeg --- - [Services](https://melinkcorp.com/services/) - - - [Services Overview](https://melinkcorp.com/services/) - [Building Commissioning](https://melinkcorp.com/services/building-commissioning/) - [Test, Adjust & Balance](https://melinkcorp.com/services/test-adjust-and-balance/) - [Test, Adjust & Balance FAQs](https://melinkcorp.com/services/test-adjust-balance-faqs/) - - #### Why we do what we do “We’ll build a 7 figure new store and we’ll fight with the A/C or negative air pressure for months or years, all because the equipment was never set up properly, causing problems that extend for the life of the building. Your reports allow us to know everything is set the way it should be from the beginning.” *Director of Facilities for a national restaurant chain* - [Kitchen Hood Controls](https://melinkcorp.com/kitchen-hood-controls/) - - - [Intelli-Hood Overview](https://melinkcorp.com/kitchen-hood-controls/) - [Intelli-Hood FAQs](https://melinkcorp.com/kitchen-hood-controls/intelli-hood-faqs/) - [Intelli-Hood Resources](https://melinkcorp.com/kitchen-hood-controls/intelli-hood-resources/) - - #### Why we do what we do > “Our engineering department worked with the engineers from each of our hotel brands and fully evaluated Intelli-Hood. Everyone is convinced that this is one of our most cost-effective paths to sustainability.” > > *SVP Operations New Development at Leading Global Hotel Chain* [tel:15139657300](tel:15139657300) - [Services](https://melinkcorp.com/services/) - [Building Commissioning](https://melinkcorp.com/services/building-commissioning/) - [Test, Adjust & Balance](https://melinkcorp.com/services/test-adjust-and-balance/) - [Test, Adjust & Balance FAQs](https://melinkcorp.com/services/test-adjust-balance-faqs/) - [Kitchen Hood Controls](https://melinkcorp.com/kitchen-hood-controls/) - [Intelli-Hood Resources](https://melinkcorp.com/kitchen-hood-controls/intelli-hood-resources/) - [Intelli-Hood FAQs](https://melinkcorp.com/kitchen-hood-controls/intelli-hood-faqs/) [About](https://melinkcorp.com/about/) - [Green Buildings](https://melinkcorp.com/about/melink-green-buildings/) - [Careers](https://melinkcorp.com/about/careers/) - [Contact](https://melinkcorp.com/contact/) # Green Link Sharing our expertise to help you succeed ![](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/hubfs/Brent%20Morris.jpg) [Brent Morris](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/author/bmorris) 5/28/19 8:00 AM [Employee Owned](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/topic/employee-owned) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) Work anniversaries (work-aversaries) hold a special place in many people’s hearts. Most people I’ve talked to know the exact date when they started working for a company — especially those who have been at the same company for many years.  That date becomes more and more special each year it comes around. It’s something to be celebrated not only by the individual but by the company who has seen this person grow over the years. For me, “years” is not yet plural, as May marks my first work-aversary of my young career. And although this anniversary may not even merit a pizza party, it does invoke a sense of reflection in consideration for all of the lessons that have been learned in a year that will one day be long in the past. Let’s start with the common hurdles that many young people graduating college must first overcome. I would title this first lesson: **perspective**. For the first 20-ish years of our lives, we learn, succeed, and fail among our peers who are similar in age and background. From the youth baseball games to the high school AP tests to the college capstone projects, we were always surrounded by people in the same shoes. It was comfortable, safe, and most of all relatable. However, when the real-world hits (after college, let’s be honest…) we plunge into the diverse environment that is “the workplace.” Many of our  fellow co-workers are not the same age, they went to different schools, have held other jobs, and might even have children our age! You are now just another guy or gal that is held to the same standard as everyone else in the office. A missed deadline is no longer 10% off your grade — it’s overhead, it may affect the bottom line, and it probably isn’t going to tolerated like it was in school. For the first-year employee, you have to grow up fast and get up to speed with how people do business. The sooner that happens, the sooner the real world will feel more comfortable, safe, and relatable. The second lesson that I learned is how to have **confidence** in the workplace**.** Growing up and looking at corporate life, I remember thinking how complicated business must be. With words like “capital expenses” and “contract administrator” and “taxes” (kidding about the last one), I thought I’d never be able to grasp what it takes to be successful beyond the classroom. What I’ve learned, however, is that no matter the complexity of a subject, the least you can do is identify its purpose and function. Drawing any sort of connection to something that sounds foreign will begin to make sense overtime. There might be a big learning curve, but once the confidence comes, you become dangerous. The third lesson, and certainly not the last lesson, is one of **research**. I don’t mean research like you would do in a library, it’s research you carry out by asking people questions. The importance of asking the right questions in the right way and at the right time is a skill that is not taught in school. Just like asking the “right” questions, you must also seek the “right” answer. To do this, problems have to be broken down in the simplest form in order to ask the simplest questions. As always, time is of the essence. People may not have time for you to explain the problem at hand, so it’s important to get the information you need as efficiently as possible. It therefore becomes imperative to identify people who know the answers to certain questions. And, if they give good answers, keep going back to ask more questions. At the end of the day, if you’re not asking questions, you’re not learning. In reviewing my first year of working, it was packed full of new experiences; I can confidently say that I learned something new every single day. Making sense of the real world by doing good research, having confidence, and keeping a fresh perspective on things is my best advice to anyone struggling with first-year transitions. By the time I retire, I may not remember everything I did in that first year of working, but I will remember the lessons I learned based on how they have shaped who I have become.       ![Brent Morris](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/hubfs/Brent%20Morris.jpg) #### About [Brent Morris](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/author/bmorris) Brent Morris currently serves as the Director of Sales. He is responsible for sales, strategy, and customer service within many of the largest hospitality, healthcare, and energy service companies in North America. Brent also manages Melink's international sales efforts in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, India, and Europe. ## Most Popular Blog Posts ### Recent Posts ### VIEW BLOG POSTS BY TOPIC - [HVAC Test & Balance (50)](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/tag/hvac-test-balance) - [DCKV (49)](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/tag/dckv) - [Employee Owned (35)](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/tag/employee-owned) - [Energy Efficiency (27)](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/tag/energy-efficiency) - [Building Health (21)](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/tag/building-health) - [Climate Change (13)](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/tag/climate-change) - [Construction (10)](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/tag/construction) - [Commissioning (8)](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/tag/commissioning) - [Green (8)](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/tag/green) - [Renewable Energy (6)](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/tag/renewable-energy) - [Corp (5)](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/tag/corp) - [Zero-Energy Building (5)](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/tag/zero-energy-building) - [Electric Vehicle (4)](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/tag/electric-vehicle) - [Solar PV (3)](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/tag/solar-pv) - [HQ2 (2)](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/tag/hq2) - [Geothermal (1)](https://blog.melinkcorp.com/blog/tag/geothermal) See all ## Most Recent Blog Posts ### Recent Posts ### Subscribe to Email Updates ## CONTACT US **Global Headquarters:** Melink Campus 5140 River Valley Road Milford, OH 45150 USA 513-965-7300 © Copyright 2025, Melink Corporation. 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