You did it!
You have achieved something that has taken time, perseverance, and faith that it will all be worth it, even if it may not always feel that way. Congratulations. Warmly and in a big way!
Graduation is one of the important milestones in life. One door closes, and one day another opens: into working life. Perhaps you have already stopped to think about what kind of working life you would like to enter. What could it be like?
Rushing, stress, and overworked calendars are probably not on your wish list either. Nor is a culture where success is measured solely by attendance or how late you can work.
What makes a thriving work community?
The best jobs don't just happen because everyone knows their stuff. They happen because people dare to be people.
It starts with knowing yourself and the confusingly difficult skill of knowing your own limits. When I can handle it, when I can't. It's not about being perfect somehow, it's about being honest, especially with yourself.
At its best, working life is about listening to yourself and acting on it. That you can say, “I need a break,” and that’s okay. Or that you can admit, “This isn’t my thing” – and that’s wisdom, not failure.
Imagine a workplace where you can say in the morning: “I’m not sure how to do this, could you teach me?” or where you can admit: “I made a mistake, how do I fix it?” Such places exist, and something amazing happens in them: people learn faster, come up with bolder ideas, and are happy to help each other.
When you dare to be visible with your ideas, questions, humor, and everything, something interesting happens. Ideas start to fly, problems get solved, work gets done. One person's honesty can change the atmosphere of an entire team.
For the graduate – welcome to working life!
To you who are graduating now: I hope you find a place where you don't get lost behind your title. A place where you don't have to pretend to know everything, but where you get to learn out loud.
When you don't find it right away (because you probably won't), remember that you can be the change you need. You can ask stupid questions. You can suggest new ways. You can wonder out loud why things are done the way they are.
Don't be too quick to adapt to what feels wrong. Keep that fresh perspective. It's your superpower.
For us veterans – let's build a working life together that invites you to join us
And you, who have been in this vortex for a long time – what if you took a moment and thought: What kind of working life am I really building? Is it one I want to come to work every morning?
We are all part of this story. Every decision we make—how we talk to a coworker on a bad day, how we react to a mistake, how much we praise a job well done—shapes the culture the next generation will enter.
Newcomers bring new energy and questions that we no longer dare to ask. They have permission to wonder. Our job is to ensure that that permission is maintained.
Human work life does not happen by chance. It happens when we choose it, day by day.
