| October 8, 2008 | Volume 8, Issue 41 |
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by Rick Brenner
The path to the pinnacle of many professions leads through an initiate or intern stage in which the new professional plays a role designed to facilitate learning, especially from those more experienced. For some, this role is frustrating and difficult. Comfort in the role makes learning its lessons easier.
he Internet has given us many new words: one is newbie. It means newcomer or initiate. Many professions have formalized status for newbies: doctors begin as interns, attorneys as associates, pilots as co-pilots, and more. Typically, newbie rank is a way to continue your education in an environment uniquely suited to teaching important lessons. You do become a part of a team, but your main contribution is your own education.

It is perhaps not surprising that Justice Goldberg himself also has a connection to the role of newbie. As a young man, he was a member of a spy ring operated during World War II by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency. In that capacity, one of his colleagues was Julia Child, who later achieved fame as The French Chef in U.S. public television. (See, for example, CNN's article, "www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/14/spies.revealed.ap/index.html".) Photo courtesy United States Supreme Court.
For many, it's a difficult role. Achieving a goal so long desired, only to discover that the path leads through positions of such low status, can be frustrating indeed. Being the least of the best — even when it is also the best of the least — can be a painful reality. Here is Part I of a set of guidelines for newbies, emphasizing the inner experience of the role.
Most important, remember that this stint at being a newbie won't be your last. There will be a first time for you in many possible roles: spouse, parent, Nobel Laureate, nursing home resident, and on and on. Learning how to be a successful newbie might just be the most valuable lesson of all.
In Part II, we'll examine how the role connects to others in the workplace.
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