In my previous post, I mentioned that my first job helped me see reality and understand how company culture affects your professional values, work habits, and personality development. Of course, some naively think that as long as they do their own job well, that's enough—but the truth is, work is never that simple.
However, to truly understand the importance of your first job, you need to reflect on it through your second and third jobs. I had planned to cover too much in one post, which would be hard for readers to digest at once, so I'm breaking this into a five-part series.
Your first job: choose your manager well, not just the company.
When choosing my first job, I always thought about company reputation and salary. But in reality, I believe your direct manager matters more than any other factor. A manager who is willing to mentor you—whether stern or kind—and can help you grow and adjust your mindset is the most critical key to your career path. Everyone needs a good manager.
A good manager can be evaluated across three dimensions. First, whether the manager is willing to give subordinates opportunities and be their backing. Second, whether the manager's thinking is progressive or conservative. Having a good manager truly feels like heaven—compared to working under a bad one, it's like working at a completely different company.
(1) Is your manager willing to give you opportunities?
When joining a company, many people care about whether there are promotion mechanisms and chances to shine. This is where your direct manager's mindset becomes crucial. Some managers worry you'll steal their credit, so they grip tightly to every opportunity to stand out and never let subordinates perform. They guard their position like you're an outsider. If you work under such a manager, you'll only do grunt work, and all your effort becomes the manager's personal achievement—they take all the credit.
If upper management also fails to distinguish right from wrong, your promotion will face many obstacles. I've heard of companies where the promotion list is always the same people, moving from team member to team lead to assistant manager, while those at the bottom stay as team members forever, with no change. This not only breeds resentment among colleagues but also makes subordinates restless, doing work just to get by rather than to do it well.
But of course, there are good managers who adjust work based on your personality, interests, and strengths. They're willing to understand you and teach according to your abilities. They even proactively show you how the entire organization allocates work, rather than leaving you like a headless fly, confused and directionless. When you spend time at such a company and work hard for it, it's truly worthwhile.
(2) Is your manager willing to be your backing and help you climb higher?
Good managers are happy to see you grow and willing to give you maximum support—that's truly fortunate. Speaking from my own experience, my previous manager was someone who, when you made a request, would absolutely try to negotiate within their capacity and stand firm on your behalf, regardless of your experience level.
Everyone envied our department because even outside of work matters, he was willing to be a person you could consult and a mentor to guide you. His constant mantra was "focus on yourself, don't let others influence you," "be yourself, and you'll be the best one"—truly admirable!
Of course, I've also encountered unreasonable managers—temperamental, indifferent to truth, only concerned with not being implicated themselves. When something happens, they deflect, claiming everyone else did it and they knew nothing. Without the ability or heart to protect subordinates, they can't earn respect. You either endure or leave.
(3) Is your manager's thinking conservative?
I think conservatism has a positive side—carefulness and prudence—and a negative side: restriction and suppression.
Once, a manager of mine said, "Your life should revolve around the company." When he said this, I was quite upset inside. He believed we should wholeheartedly dedicate ourselves to the company, and instead of thinking about our own futures, we should work even harder for the company—as if working overtime every day or handling company matters at home made someone superior.
But ultimately, your life is your own. If your manager's thinking is conservative, you might feel like a slave: you only dare to leave when the manager leaves, and if you don't stay late to finish work, it seems like you lack ability. Even if you're seriously ill, you're reluctant to take leave, fearing it will harm the manager's impression of you, your promotion prospects, or your raise.
With managers like this who push you relentlessly, I believe the overall atmosphere becomes unhealthy. Everyone just goes along with it—even when unfair things happen right in front of you, no one dares to step up and change things or make the environment better. This creates a negative cycle, which is really not good.
【Key Insights from First Job Series - Five Articles Below】
Key Insights from Your First Job (Part 2-1): Choose Your Manager Well, Not Just the Company
Key Insights from Your First Job (Part 2-4): You're Not Omnipotent, Don't Take Everything On
