Starting a first job is a bridge that every person crosses at some point in his or her life, and the coworkers that he or she meets become his or her second family. For me, the community at my place of employment has allowed me to grow as a person in multiple ways. It has helped me learn to rely on others for strength and motivation, which I had never done before. I had struggled with asking others for help, because it had made me feel weak and insecure in the past. Asking for help is something we all need to do sometimes, and we should never feel weak for doing so. Confiding in my work family for help or advice from time to time has helped me learn to open up more as a person to my peers, and subsequently has made me more aware of my feelings, how to express them, and how to deal with them. I had struggled with self doubt issues for most of my life, and I had never fully believed in myself. Gaining a leadership position at work, where I am teaching others a new position or helping them improve on old skills, has helped me move past my self doubt. I now see my strengths and weaknesses clearly; they are no longer clouded by uncertainty and indecisiveness. Leading my peers has helped me understand other people’s feelings more accurately and in more depth. Because I have to be extremely in tune with my peers’ feelings when I am leading, I have learned to do the same outside of work. My first job has taught me countless life lessons and skills. Without this experience, I would never be the person that I am in today.