>> Originally published on LinkedIn on October 5, 2016

One year has passed since I began my career at LinkedIn, and year one was wild. I boomeranged across the country—moving to San Francisco and then moving to NYC just seven months later. I had three roles across three different areas of the company. My LinkedIn network grew 40 percent (an unsurprising fact given where I work). I picked up photography, started writing again and ran two half marathons. But, most importantly, I grew personally and professionally.

Year one of anybody’s career is a humbling time. In chatting with my fellow graduates from the class of 2015, it’s a tough change from being atop the collegiate totem pole to the bottom of the corporate ladder. The transition from college club president to corporate associate feels a bit like running into the freezing ocean on a hot summer day. At first, it’s paralyzing. But soon, once your body’s had a chance to adapt, you feel energized and ready to ride some waves.

My hope is this post can help guide recent and future college grads looking to navigate the open seas of their new careers. Below are eight pieces of advice that I’ve gained during my first year on the job that I hope will help entry-level employees adjust to the ice-cold waters of corporate America.

Focus on skills, not titles.

As a college senior with prior ad agency and marketing internship experience, I was laser-focused on finding a first job that looked something like this: strategic marketing role at top tech brand. A year later, my first job looked something like this: recruit senior software engineers, help customers be more successful with our platform, sell a business development tool to other salespeople.

That’s a big disconnect from goal to reality, and one I couldn’t be happier about. Thrilled, actually. My LinkedIn experience has offered me opportunities to learn new skills that round me out as a professional.

A year into my career, I’ve shifted my perspective from being focused on a title, and a specific job, to be focused on learning new skills—such as how to code in SQL and tell meaningful stories with data or how to become a thoughtful and strategic salesperson. Year one taught me that being in a role that demands you learn something new is paramount. The name of your job doesn't matter. Focus on if what you're learning will help you achieve your long-term goals and satisfy your passions.

Network, network, network.

Discover colleagues. Message them. Set meetings. Converse and learn. Repeat.

That’s entry level networking 101. Soon after I began at LinkedIn I set a goal for myself to have informal and informational conversations with around two coworkers a month. For me, it meant learning more about the product marketing, LinkedIn For Good, sales effectiveness, account management teams at LinkedIn. I’ve gained so much from chatting with my colleagues, learning about their career paths and reflecting on how I can apply their experiences to help me navigate my own.

Maintain a “life-work” balance.

Everyone has heard of the concept of work-life balance. It’s understood as the ideal balance for adulthood. Achieving such harmony requires a special mindset and daily practice. And it’s something I absolutely did not have upon starting my career.

When I first started at LinkedIn, I saw no boundary between work and life. During my first month or two on the job, I would start working at 6:15am on the shuttle from SF to Sunnyvale and would end my day around 8pm right after I finished dinner. There was no urgent project on deadline. Nothing needed my attention. But nightly, I’d return home and pick up right where I left off. My life was work and I was trying to squeeze in friends, fitness and fun as I could—not a healthy dynamic.

Fast forward a year, I’m following in the words of my NYC manager, Olfa Djemal, and having a life-work (not a work-life) balance. While Olfa just switched the order of the two words, there's a drastic shift its meaning. Trying to maintain a work-life balance means the core of your life is focused on work and you are trying to shove in as much life as you can. Maintaining a life-work balance is different. It means valuing your hobbies, friendships and family responsibilities as much as your career. Jeff Weiner puts it differently in describing what it means for him to be happy. He says, “it's looking forward to going to work in the morning, and looking forward to coming home at night.”

When you’re excited to both arrive at and leave work, it means you’ve achieved a life-work balance. This balance is as important—if not more important—than any long-term career goal I have for myself.

Seek feedback, no matter how painful.

There is nothing, nothing more painful than hearing all the ways you fail as a professional. Asking for and successfully digesting constructive criticism is one of the most important skills you can develop year one of your career.

In my role in sales development, my objective is to create pipeline and qualify potential sales opportunities. While I operationally mastered building pipeline through inMail and email for the account executives I support, I knew my weakness was when it came to qualifying potential opportunities on the phone. At first, I hid from the challenge. And while I was successful in my role without picking up the phone in Q2, deep down I knew I was stunting my professional growth all because I was avoiding painful feedback. I confronted this challenge in Q3, made 123 calls to prospective customers and improved my phone skills. The feedback, while tough to hear at first, motivated me to develop my skills and elevate my game.