I have to say that I love the corporate world because it is so challenging. Creativity and team-work are needed everywhere. Business might be as simple as applying basic principles to solve an issue or to reach a target; but also could be as complicated as setting strategies with plan Bs and coordinating several departments to work on a common project.

The contract

If you remember the post What Rejection Letters and Tales Have in Common, you know that the ideal job is where you and the company find the best position to use your talents and abilities that will match the business expectations to make the best deals. Once you passed the interviews, the next step is to discuss the terms of the contract.

The benefits. Money is the tool that helped me to travel, to buy a new writing partner – a new laptop for those who are not familiar with metaphors-, to acquire a nice camera, to take private photography classes, to participate in a film workshop at the MET Film School of Berlin – I still smile when I think of these words action! and cut! while giving instructions to professional actors. I also created my Kleinunternehmen – which is a sort of company-, and made several wedding films. What a blessing it was to cover special events and work with talented and professional artists.

The compromises. Time is the biggest sacrifice. You thought you were going to attend those four weddings but the holiday calendar didn’t work with your co-workers’ plans. You thought you could go to the gym regularly, yet you had to work late hours and you arrived exhausted at home. In addition to that, the whole work situation is not getting better. Well, c’est la vie, and if you’re not happy with the terms of the contract anymore and you cannot change them, then you are free to terminate your business deal here. You have to know for yourself why you are doing what you are doing.

The people

Human beings definitely make the difference. I have experienced everything: those who gladly share their vast knowledge, those who want to control everything, those who stay professional no matter what and those you can call friends.

Human interaction is what makes you grow – or the contrary if you don’t have the right people around you. Something I learned: nobody is perfect! My husband made a very good point saying that every person has a different way of dealing with stress at work, and rare are those who really properly cope with it. Some people will eat too much, some will restrain from eating, some will talk a lot, some will be silent, some will smoke a lot, some will do too much exercise, some will try to control everything, some will not care about the business at the end of the day.

The corporate world is all about learning by observing and by example. The ones who are most willing to give you a chance, to teach you, to be fair to you, to treat you with respect and to guide you, are the ones who will climb far on the corporate ladder – and in life. There is nothing that you can do alone; the more you give, the more you receive.

There is actually more to it than what I mentioned above: the corporate culture, the know-how, the soft skills, the strategies, the products, the customers, the markets, the changes, or the new implementations. A lot of people tend to regard the corporate world as an evil, money-making machine; yet, it is the best place to grow, not only in knowledge but most importantly, as a person.