Name: Siddhant

Year: Junior

Major(s): Economics

Minor(s): Mathematics, Business Institutions Program

CFS Program: Business Field Studies

The Delicate Balance Between Work and Life

I have been working at Blue Canyon Partners, Inc. – a B2B management consulting firm – for 5 weeks now and I feel that I have learnt more in these past few weeks compared to the last 3 years in college. No, I have not learnt any more economics, math or engineering, nor have I taken any midterms, quizzes or homework. However, what I have learnt are the skills to manage time, follow a daily schedule, and improve my work ethics. I used to be one of the laziest, tardiest and most unorganized persons ever. My attention span and willingness to get distracted by anything did not allow me sit and work for more than 20 minutes at a stretch.

As expected, I struggled at work from the very first day. Having to wake up at 7 in the morning and working 9 hours at a stretch seemed like an insurmountable task for me. I would have to spend more than 11 hours in the office to get the same work done that my colleagues did in 9 hours, which started taking a toll on my life outside of work. However, as more work started flowing in, I started to enjoy it. I would look forward to getting new responsibilities and projects, and my colleagues would give me numerous training in all the different areas of business that the firm operated in. Additionally, the firm assigned me my own mentor with whom I could share these thoughts and instances, which served not only as a means for me to vent out my frustration but also to seek advice from someone who had a lot of experience. Because of this, I have certainly improved my work ethics and time management.

he fact that I got continuous yet constructive exposure to high-quality work, good mentors, and incremental work pressure made me develop a healthy routine and helped me become more disciplined. Now, I do not have to stay for 11+ hours to get all my work done, and can enjoy my work inside the office and my life outside of it. This is one of the greatest things I could have learned, which will help shape the rest of my life.