Breaking the Mold

“..Call it the millennial way, but I strapped myself in for a world of showing my boss what I’m capable of, only to expose myself to what I’m culpable of. It’s not that I sold myself higher than advertised or sold myself short, but rather how I took charge of the situation given to me..”

My fondest memory of stepping out into the world of IH is probably similar to most. With my eyes wide, ears at the ready for order, and hands in position to grab the nearest calibrator to prove to my employer what I’m capable of, I set out to prove that above all, I was ready to go. It was a place to start. With a graduate degree in hand, and a huge hunger in the pit of my stomach to consume everything and anything IH, label me your superman; or so I thought. Call it the millennial way, but I strapped myself in for a world of showing my boss what I’m capable of, only to expose myself to what I’m culpable of. It’s not that I sold myself higher than advertised or sold myself short, but rather how I took charge of the situation given to me. What a journey, as my anxiety as a new employee in the consulting field quickly turned to confidence, then to frustration, followed by the best version of myself.

“It didn’t take me long to realize that I wasn’t doing this for me anymore, but rather for the people I was helping, especially those that took it upon themselves to thank me personally.”

Like many, I came into the field at the lower-end of the proverbial totem pole. This didn’t matter to me so much as for the fact that I soon realized that I desired more out of my work. I don’t necessarily blame the employer, I just had big goals and big dreams. Anxiety turned to confidence as I quickly reciprocated my skills from my previous internship/job and graduate school studies into my daily operations. Unfortunately, confidence turned into a feeling of frustration as I desired more out of my work. I had big dreams, after all. Little did I know back then, but true resilience is converting frustration into success. As colleagues would send me texts and emails with examples of their fascinating IH work in a plethora of sectors in the field, I found myself with a moisture meter in hand assessing water damage and ascertaining the severity of mold growth in an elderly woman’s apartment in New York City. But I was good at it. Despite my conflicting feelings floating around my head like the aftermath of a punch of musty odor to the nostrils (haha..mold joke), I always put my best foot forward in the field (and my expertly trained nose). In all seriousness, I was the king of mold as far as I was concerned. I warranted praise from my clients, building occupants, and even my boss. I was the best version of myself. It didn’t take me long to realize that I wasn’t doing this for me anymore, but rather for the people I was helping, especially for those that took it upon themselves to thank me personally, whether building occupant (I should have mentioned how sweet that elderly woman was) or the client him/herself. And to whomever is reading this, you know very well about how thankless our work can be. And for my employer at the time, if you’re reading this, I owe you the world for the experience, not to mention the first-rate company you continue to run that continues to make a rather large name for itself in the greater NYC metro area.

So what’s the point of all this? My point is, to all you newcomers in IH/EHS: approach your first positions with caution but also realize that your springboard is not necessarily what you dreamed of. General employers: always remember where you were at the beginning. I’m not here to plead to for you to pay your entry-level professionals the big bucks, but do realize that in this niche field, you set the precedent to their future. Always be an inspiration. And of course, to the bosses, owners, and CEOs, think back to your humble beginnings. You probably aren’t in charge of reviewing that resume, but that resume may be the future of your industry.

What I quickly learned from all this, especially as I moved into bigger roles rather quickly soon after, is that I needed to be at that place to get to this place. And most importantly, never let the way you perceive your job impact why you’re out here. You are here to make a difference. I was there to help my clients provide the safest working or even living conditions. I may have disliked it, cursed it, and tuned it out at times, but I nailed it. And I owned it. You can own it too.