Being the new kid at twenty-two feels just as awkward as it did at eight. Bring the same courage you had then.

Being new does not get easier with age, it just gets less expected. The same awkwardness you felt in a new classroom shows up in a new office at twenty-two, and because you are supposed to be past it by now, you add embarrassment to something that was already uncomfortable. It is the situation, not a regression.

Do what worked when you were eight. Learn names, ask what things are, stand near people rather than at the edge. Simple, slightly undignified moves are still the ones that work.