My fears when turning from Cleaner to a Professional.

If you have read my blogs, you already know what's coming next: My beginnings in the professional world!
It was a big challenge. I felt a lot of fear, and I won't lie, I still feel it. When Josh and Bec gave me the opportunity to start this adventure, we began with a part-time contract, which meant 20 hours/week, with the aim of getting to know each other better professionally while I continued cleaning for them. In December 2021, when my role as a "workflow analyst" began, I was the shyest. Everyone was Australian and I was the only Colombian; this terrified me, not to mention that I had trouble understanding their Australian English, and of course, they did not understand my Colombian English lol. This increased my insecurity even more. As a workflow analyst, I had to be in constant communication with everyone, the 3 women who worked at elco were Bec who attended very few days, Sarah worked from Sydney, and Rachel from somewhere in Asia. Here I was, the only woman in the office, facing my own fears.

My feelings and thoughts were:
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❤️-I am the luckiest, I got a job opportunity as a professional.
😵-I won't be able to, I don't understand anything.
🙏-Would it be better to go back to being a "CLEANER" or start a career in hospitality, as a waitress?... God, help me.
🫂-I want to be here, but I don't know how to start.
💫-How can I add value here at "elco"?
🤯They don't like my work.
🔨I must produce something to show them that I am working.
🚩They are going to fire me.
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All these feelings and little voices were speaking to me in my head

All these feelings and little voices were speaking to me in my head, telling me that I would never make it. I didn't have a boss as such, so asking for feedback had to be with Joshua. My role did not exist before, so nobody knew the What, How, When or Why; my challenge was to add value. My ego was hurt.
I felt that I should be capable in this position, I am an engineer I said. My adaptation to this new professional environment was not easy and it took time. I was completely out of my comfort zone, which was a huge challenge for me, and although I did not feel so comfortable and happy, I wanted to be here and continue.So, what did I do to keep going? I raised my hand and spoke with Josh. Speaking with Joshua cleared up many of my doubts, allowed me to show myself vulnerable and transparent, and believe it or not, they valued that; they were looking for someone who wanted to be there, to give their best version so this changed what would come next for me. It was an overwhelming process, in which I continue to evolve and where I still have fears, but now understanding my process and understanding where my feelings of frustration come from.Being aligned with the company's values and understanding them was key to evolve.

What were they?
‍1- Fail and evolve fast: I didn't have to know everything, but I could learn quickly.
2- Open mind: Our ego is our biggest obstacle to fulfill our dreams; there is always a room to improve and learn.
3- Authenticity: Here there is no word "you must" be political to fit in, here you fit in because you are you, I didn't CHANGE to please anyone.
4- Time value Outcome; Don't spend too much time on things that don't make much sense or won't add much value. Work with MVP (minimum product value) and evolve from the MVP.
5- Feedback: This comes and goes even from my coworkers, understanding that it comes from a safe place has allowed me to grow and accept the opinion of others, and see through someone else’s eyes.

Finally, I can say that I have been fortunate to arrive at a work environment like this, so I found the opportunity to help internationals create their own story in the work world.
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Author: Dani Santa