In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated from September 15 to October 15 in the United States each year, I have decided to honor my roots in the best way I know how: by giving unsolicited advice to those I love, much like my parents and extended relatives. (Immigrants, they’re just like us!)

It’s been a little over a year since I became the Bryan County News’ latest editor in its storied history. Back then, I was just an inexperienced whippersnapper full of hopes and dreams and carrying tons of antibacterial lavender-scented hand soap for the office. Giving the paper a fresh start, one would say.

Since then, I have learned a lot about myself and the position I inherited, becoming a slightly more experienced whippersnapper in the process. So in today’s column, I want to impart my learned wisdom to any of my readers who may feel scared or intimidated by the whole ‘being employed’ schtick. As someone whose parents didn’t go to university, I didn’t receive a whole lot of useful professional workplace guidance from mom and dad beyond ‘don’t be late’ and ‘never wear socks with sandals’ (you can probably tell which parent gave which line of advice).

I hope that my workplace tips are useful to you. If not, you can just disregard my ramblings and focus on more important things, like buying enough ice to keep your food and drinks cool in case of a hurricane-induced power outage lasting eight days. (No, I am still not over it.)

On a more serious note, please keep Tampa in your prayers and be kind to any Floridians you encounter on the road or in your local Enmarket gas station. Road rage won’t make I-95 move faster, but maybe a frozen yogurt can help lift your spirits. I recommend extra cherries and chocolate syrup!

Editor Gutierrez’s Top Workplace Tips for the Young Whippersnapper (say that three times fast!)

Get a good night’s sleep

• No matter where one works, being awake and alert is the absolute bare minimum. This isn’t college: no more of that ‘sitting in the back of the philosophy class held in the MLC and catching a few Z’s during a classmate’s presentation’. This was never an issue with me, to be honest; I was always the one boring other people to sleep with my overzealous Canva presentations.

Invest in a planner or calendar

• Yes, I know most people just use their phones as calendars, but I still feel that writing stuff down helps me stay organized. I have a planner/notebook for work and it’s been a great help with names, places, and deadlines.

Always bring a tasty snack to work

• This one is self-explanatory–everybody needs a treat to keep them in good spirits! I usually bring something savory like chips or a protein bar. However, be careful not to eat foods that are too smelly, like garlic: you and your employer will lose customers from important economic markets, like Transylvania.

Maintain a healthy work-life balance

• Don’t answer or send emails on your day(s) off. Period. If your boss or co-workers truly need to contact you, they can use carrier pigeons to send messages, much like in World War I. (Hopefully, your job isn’t that important to warrant such extreme measures. Plus, birds aren’t real, duh.)

Andrea Gutierrez is the managing editor of the Bryan County News and an aspiring agony aunt columnist. Have a problem? Ask Andrea! Email agutierrez@bryancountynews.com with your workplace dilemmas. Satisfaction NOT guaranteed; The Ask Andrea! column is only available for residents of the contiguous United States on select Thursdays.