Coping with Knowledge Gaps

There is one phrase that either sends a wave of relief or a shiver up the spine for college students: “you aren’t expected to know everything yet.” For me, it is a reminder that I am at the stage of my life where I’m learning the skills that form my professional foundation. It is also understandable to feel antsy about not having everything figured out. Even though I have made my peace with my current gap in knowledge, my experiences outside of the classroom left me with a sinking feeling regarding this phrase. It is much easier to digest the fact that you are not an expert when you walk into the first day of classes for the semester, and everyone is at the same level and in the same boat; however, I found that this changes with the first encounter of actual professional life. Internships, through my experience, operate in a grey area; you are not expected to know everything but feel as though you should. Thus, I want to share some experiences where I have thrived despite and because of the present gaps in my professional knowledge.

Over the summer, I started a position at a fragrance manufacturing company as a digital marketing specialist. At this point in my schooling, I was an undeclared, aspiring marketing and information systems major with only an introductory marketing class under my belt. Instead of being in an environment comprised of other students my age with my limited experience, I was in meetings with business professionals with decades of experience. In all honesty, I had a moment of imposter syndrome, “what skills and experience could I bring to the table to add value to this company?” The more time I spent getting to know my coworkers and the culture of my workplace though, the more my perspective began to shift. The first insight I gained that eased my worries was learning what worked in my position previously and the elements the company was looking to approach differently. At this point I remember thinking to myself, “I can implement that approach.” The second insight I gained was knowing how my contributions had a positive effect on everyone else. For instance, the time I invested in running my first minor marketing campaign was time that was saved for the other sales staff, to whom had much more pressing accounts to attend. I began to find a sense of true belonging with my understanding of how my actions positively impacted others; I did not need to be an expert in my field to have these impacts. I just needed to put myself out there and try.

As the fall semester of my sophomore year draws to a close, so too has my first session of my assistantship at Gies Global. As I reflect on what I have completed thus far, I am proud of what I have accomplished. I am, however, left with a great hunger to learn all that I can about the semester study abroad process before my time in this position is over. When it came to the customer service portion of my position, in the form of helping students with their study abroad inquiries, I’m seen as a resource – a person with all the answers. It was through owning my gaps in knowledge where I was able to practice two very important skills: being comfortable asking questions frequently and learning who to ask. I recall from findings shared in my business dynamics class that employers wished that interns asked them more questions. As part of that demographic, I am empathetic in why there is timidity with that subject. When trying to impress our employers, asking questions can feel weak, like giving up. There is a sense of pride that is felt when we are struck with a question but spend the time trying to dig for the answer ourselves; this can feel like a victory fueled by self-motivation and an eagerness to learn. Perhaps there is also a fear of asking a “dumb” question. Through my lens, there is definitely instances where I find the answers to my own questions, but I have gotten increasingly more comfortable with coming to my supervisor with questions whenever they arrive. Something I found to make this process easier was how asking questions was motivated by helping others find the information they need. Each question posed to my supervisor was an opportunity to learn how to be a better resource. Thus, asking questions made me feel powerful. I also gained a sense of which questions I should approach my supervisors with and which I could find on the study abroad resources I knew about; even if I did not know the answer off of the top of my head, I knew where to navigate to connect students with the resources they needed.

There is a quote by John Lennon that goes, “the more I see, the less I know for sure.” Connecting this idea back to the expectation that people in my stage of life do not know everything yet, I feel as though I am left with more uncertainty about my career path when I hear people’s varying perspectives. For instance, I have cherished all of the insight gained through the panelists during the Hoeft T&M Seminar class. Without learning to navigate being the least experienced colleague in the meeting or gaining confidence asking questions, perhaps I would feel lost in learning all of the possibilities that are out there. “You aren’t expected to know everything yet,” meaning that little by little, with each lecture and each shift, one learns to find their way. Embrace the not knowing, for it proves the existence of knowing. It could be just one question away.