Deer in the Headlights 

Does anyone ever have a core memory about holding a flashlight for their dad when he was working on something when they were younger? (No? Just me?) 

The best way I can describe this situation is it being the easiest thing to do but the most stressful thing to do at the same time.

One wrong move and you’ll hear your father start to get increasingly aggravated. He’ll say anything from, “Are you trying to blind me with that flashlight?” to “You haven’t given me a single strand of light this whole time! Shine it somewhere else.” The feeling I get from this situation can only be described as a deer in the headlights. 

For all of my jobs, I have had that deer-in-headlights type of feeling for the first couple of weeks, and I am wondering if that stems particularly from the flashlight situations. I would always be wondering if I had done something wrong with every task that was assigned to me. 

However, that streak was broken when I joined the marketing team at 9 Clouds.

My First Day

As for most people, I felt nervous walking in for my first day as a digital strategist (a.k.a. creative content strategist) for 9 Clouds. However, all those nerves were left at the door and were replaced with excitement and determination. 

As I walked into the office, I was greeted with the harmonious sound of “Hello!” and “Welcome!”. The team made sure I felt comfortable, emphasized that no question was a dumb question, and supplied me with everything I needed for the day’s tasks. They also took me out to lunch, which I initially thought was weird, but we’ll get back to that later. 

One of the main things I noticed with this team is how fast and efficient they are. I have never noticed a company implementing a work from anywhere policy better than 9 Clouds has. The team is a well-oiled machine at this point, and I am happy to be on board. 

New Learning Curve

Whenever I go into a new job, there is always a learning curve. For most of my past jobs, they were mainly outside, get-your-hands dirty type jobs. (These jobs paid well, and I needed money for college.) Most days involved me learning to operate heavy machinery, blend chemicals and fertilizers, install electrical outlets, etc.

For the past few days, I have been a fly on the wall trying to learn as much as I can about the ins and outs of the team. From what I’ve learned, they are all hardworking and dedicated teammates who are some of the nicest people I’ve met. They even invited me to a meet-the-team lunch, which has never happened before in my previous jobs (which is why I thought it was weird). 

Whenever I have had a question, someone around me would either help me out or direct me to the right person for the solution. The team is also very tight knit and tends to hang out on occasion outside of work. 

9 Clouds is also focused on community involvement, which is something I believe all businesses should implement. I even got to do some volunteer work with the team during my first week at Feeding South Dakota.

That One Bear Grylls Quote

One of the things that I remember specifically from my 9 Clouds interviews was that they were looking for someone who can be a sponge and adaptable. When I told one of my friends about this, they immediately said, “Ah, that’s easy. You just need to live and die by that one Bear Grylls quote.” 

Improvise – Adapt – Overcome. Bear Grylls might have been referring to something different than a job when he said this, but it is still applicable.

Adaptability is the name of the game for most jobs, and it especially applies to working at 9 Clouds. There will always be new challenges in the digital marketing field, and from what I’ve seen, the 9 Clouds team has been willing and able to adapt to those challenges so they can solve their clients’ problems.   

So far I have been taking my friend’s advice to heart and living by that one Bear Grylls quote for my first week. To say that I am excited for what my future holds at 9 Clouds is an understatement. I can’t wait to see it unfold.

Meet the Rest of the 9 Clouds Team