What do I wear?  What’s the boss going to be like?  What about the coworkers?  Who am I going to get lunch with?  Should I be friendly or quietly do my work?  Am I going to spend my days filing and answering phones?  Will I be the coworker or the intern?  Will I matter?

The first day of work in the “real world” is an anxiety ridden rite of passage.  You’ve toiled away for hours at your computer to design the perfect resume, put yourself together for the interview, nailed it, and got the job.  The worst part is over, or so you think, until the night before you start, when you toss and turn wondering what tomorrow will bring.

This week I began a six month co-op with NetPlus Marketing.  I spent most of Sunday night tossing and turning. On Monday, I magically managed not to get lost on the way to work in the morning, parked the car, took a deep breath, and walked into the office.  I was about to find out what I’d gotten myself into.    After growing up hearing about the cut throat environment of office life, I had my doubts about being a “working stiff.”  I did not want to spend the next six months of my life looking over my shoulder, making sure not to get taken advantage of by the coworker who will do anything to get ahead.  Filing papers, answering phones and being called the “intern” was not at the top of my to-do list either.  No one wants to spend eight hours a day feeling worthless and underappreciated.  Luckily enough for me, NetPlus is not that kind of agency.

From day one I was integrated into the team here.  I’ve met with department heads and sat in on conference calls.  The white boards full of brainstormed ideas and the conference room, they really do exist.  NetPlus may not be a huge firm but it does have a lot of heart.  As Francesca Reigler said, “Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.”  The attitude within this office is definitely the latter.  The people here have managed to create and maintain an interoffice family.   Everyone, including me, has a valuable part in the marketing process.  I have already been allowed to work on accounts with ConAgra Foods’ Rotel brand as well as DEB shops.  When I was 13, I was searching through the sales rack at DEB, now I am helping run their advertising campaign.  That’s a little crazy.

With the first week under my belt, all of my Sunday evening doubts have vanished.  I am now part of the working world, with a grown up email address and personal extension.  I have given input in meetings, contributed to society, and had a great time doing it thanks to everyone here at NetPlus.