The significance of today snuck up on me last yesterday afternoon.

Today, July 6th, is the one year anniversary of starting my “big girl job.” It’s a little crazy to think that at this point last year, I showed up to this agency with a combination of nervousness and excitement. I was amazed that I had my own office, with a window and a real door and I loved it.

On my very first day I was assigned several projects and I was amazed by the responsibility that I was given. In my internships, I wrote a total of about 5 news releases. By the time I finished my first week here (at part time) I’d already written more than that.

I later learned how lucky I was

to have the privacy that having my own office allowed me, like when I was starting giving myself insulin shots, or when I had to do a pod change mid day and again yesterday, when I managed to drop an almond down my shirt. The windows, door and office furniture are a privilege that other new professionals may not have. Although in the past year I have transitioned from part time to full time, received a new job title, moved from the west side to the east side of the office, was issued a laptop and shortened my commute from an hour and a half to about 20 minutes, I’m still doing what I love. I’m communicating.

There are many recent graduates in the same position I was in a year ago. They’re starting their first real job and still don’t feel like they know what they’re doing. The beginning of your career isn’t about having the answers or being an expert, it’s about learning, developing your skills and working hard. Classes and internships give you a great foundation and teach you a lot, but there is nothing better than immersing yourself in something you love, learning new things daily and having coworkers with more than a century of combined experience to share with you.

This spring/summer, I’m celebrating a lot of one year milestones in my adult life. A year ago I was in the biggest transition period of my life, I was changing from a college student into a professional, I was becoming a wife, I was learning to live with diabetes, I was becoming a Clevelander, overall I was becoming a real adult.