I’m [in]

Today marks the end of my second week as a learning experience (LX) designer at LinkedIn. It’s been quite eye-opening to go from my previous experience with small companies and startups to the hypergrowth and lightning fast pace of this 8000+ global organization.

Yet despite the size of the company, the startup spirit burns bright, and people are proud of the scrappiness and trailblazing that’s core to LinkedIn. There’s a sense of urgency to everything and an ongoing connection of every little detail to the greater mission of building the economic graph and changing the world. The air is abuzz with energy and passion, and I love it.

I started my journey here with [in]troduction, the full day orientation that marks every employee’s first day. Along with about 30 other new hires (yes, LinkedIn has about that many new hires every week in just the Bay Area alone), I learned about LinkedIn’s culture and values, history, and vision for the future. And even though I’m only 1 of 8000+ employees, I know that my work can make a difference and play a part in impacting the world. And that’s worth getting out of bed for.

The part of [in]troduction that has stuck with me most is when one of the senior leaders came in and thanked us for joining LinkedIn. At most places, you get congratulated when you start a new job. But he explained that he was thanking us because we represent the top 0.5% of talent in our respective industries, and we could have chosen anywhere to work, but we all chose LinkedIn. A truly thoughtful message and a great way to make each employee feel valued.

With the first two weeks under my belt, I’m ready to forge full steam ahead. I’m all [in].