THE JOY OF LEARNING ON THE JOB

James Meadows • September 6, 2016

Did you ever get thrown into a job for which you were simultaneously ready and not ready? We’ve all probably been there, done that. Having the right certifications, experience, references, or degrees is not a guarantee that you will instantly have the answers to every problem you will face.

Much of what you bring to the job derives from your willingness to learn on the job. This means that you must always look forward to the joy of learning on the job. Marne Levine (Instagram CEO) shares an experience about being in that exact position when she was the director of product management for Revolution Money (“How Did I Get Here?: Marne Levine” Bloomberg Businessweek . 8/29/16–9/4/16, p. 80):

“ I worked on person-to-person online money transfers. One of my first tasks was to prioritize 1,000 bugs after user testing. I didn’t know what a bug was. It was a long night. ”

I’m sure that she learned pretty quick what a bug was and I’m sure that it was a long night. If it happens to Marne Levine, it will happen to you and me. Although it may not feel joyful in the moment, let’s remember to embrace the joy of learning on the job!

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