I started working almost three years ago, back when I was a 22-year-old with dreams, hopes, and expectations that weren't realistic. Like many fresh graduates, I did some training before I graduated, but it didn't prepare me for what to expect at the workplace.
When I became a working woman, I found it difficult to adapt and often just stayed in my office, not speaking to my co-workers about anything other than to say good morning or discuss work-related issues. This went on for more than a year, until eventually I thought to myself I can’t keep living like this, just showing up to work and spending eight hours behind a desk without accomplishing much more than a few emails and phone calls per day.
My daily schedule included a list of things to accomplish. I would attend a meeting for an hour with the strategic department to discuss the list of projects for my division for 2015, and settle on a few other ideas that we agreed to present to the higher management. Then I would meet with my direct line manager, and discuss the developments in my individual projects before starting work on them and preparing to meet my deadlines. In between I would try to have some breakfast, but at times when I got a moment to breathe, it was already 1.30pm and I would opt to pray dhuhr because it was late.
I reached a point where I thought to myself: “This is not how you envisioned life after graduation, and this is not how you want it to be.”
Coming from a conservative background, I found it difficult to communicate with men. I was meticulous about every word I said to them and often recapped my interaction with them. It was essential for me to overcome this fear of talking and interacting with the opposite sex because most of my colleagues were men. It was often a challenge to walk into a meeting and talk in front of a group of managers and executives, but I am glad that I eventually began to see some progress.
Another challenge was the fact that a lot of co-workers were considerably older than me, and as a result they found it difficult to take me seriously, and I, on the other hand, found it difficult to offer work-related constructive criticism without the fear of being disrespectful.
When I look back on my university days, I wish there were more courses to prepare students for a real work environment, more training and less focus on the technical aspects.
Despite all the challenges, today I love working, I love going to work, and for the most part, I have made some good friends. Even though it took me a while to reach where I am today, I am glad that I am improving gradually, regardless of the obstacles.
Fawzia Abdul Rahman works for the Abu Dhabi Government.
If you have a good story to tell or an interesting issue to debate, contact Melinda Healy on mhealy@thenational.ae.
