New at a job and it feels like everything is too fast, should I tell my boss?

Question

My concern is that am a fresh graduate and I landed my first corporate job. I've been working there for a month now but I feel so lost: the amount of work am giving is not so much, but all the information in it is all new, and before I am able to grasp one file I am handed another one at the second. Talked to my boss yesterday and she said it's okay, maybe they shouldn't have exposed me to too much in the beginning but it's okay. She also said we have so much hope in you that you can learn, but from my perspective I don't really see any progress and every file is even more confusing than the other. They expect me to perform great because they have that idea of me in their heads but I just can't keep up this fast.

I thought about quitting because am feeling very disappointed in myself and my performance and I haven't been sleeping well worrying about the job.

What should I do?

Answer 1

Subdivide tasks & find a buddy

When you first start as a junior, it's easy to be overwhelmed by all of the new information that's being thrown at you. It's also easy to feel like you're stupid because you don't understand "basic" items on the to do list.

The #1 trap a junior can fall into is feeling so overwhelmed by a task that they take 5 days to do a 30 minute task.

They don't know where to start, they try and figure it out themselves, they get stuck, they take a break, they get stuck again, they feel overwhelmed, they put off working on it, they don't communicate exactly what they're struggling with when asked, instead saying something like "I'm making progress on x" instead of "While working on x, I got stuck at step y, does anyone know how to fix that?"

This turns into a vicious cycle of falling further and further behind until you're so worried about asking about the first steps in the process because it will show you haven't done anything in 5 days.

Before doing any real work, when you are getting started on a task, try making a list of what you think needs to be accomplished to finish the task. Then, find someone (preferably closer to you in skill level, not some high level senior*) and ask them if they agree with your list of what needs to happen. Some of the time they'll tell you yes, it looks good. Other times, they'll tell you that half of the items on the list don't need to be done.

Then, when you get started on the task itself, schedule frequent check ins with them to make sure you're on track. When I say frequent, it could mean you pair with them and they step you through every step. It could mean sending them a message every hour. It could mean twice daily check-ins. It depends on the amount of structure/help you need. But by scheduling time to work, it forces you to continue making progress and prevents falling into that "doom loop".

*By having a buddy closer to your level, you can feel more at home asking them "stupid questions" which you might not want to ask your boss.

Answer 2

As a new comer to the company its normal to face information overload. You said that amount of work given is not huge. Then focus only on that work. Its ok if you dont grasp all the information given to you. Keep closing them. Avoid meetings to the extent possible. Keep crossing the hurdles in the only task given to you. If you are given 100 tasks, prioritize and pick only top 2 tasks.

Answer 3

I thought about quitting because am feeling very disappointed in myself and my preforms and I haven't been sleeping well worrying about the job.

There are 2 things:

1. Don't Quit and Don't Feel Disappointed:

Normally, most if not all new grads feel somewhat overwhelmed when they start working professional for a real company. At work, the levels of challenges are definitely greater at their former colleges. However, as time goes by, they will earn more experiences, get more comfortable with the projects, and improve their performance significantly. This process happens to everyone.

2. Get Enough Sleep:

A good night sleep will improve your work energy the next day, and enable you to focus clearly on the problems and to find good solutions faster (than if you feel sleepy at work).

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Your manager seems kind and considerate. She has not criticized your performance as she understands that you are a new grad and need time to grow and learn new skills. So, if you calm down, remain focused, and have enough confidence in your ability, you will make a lot of progresses one step at a time.

Answer 4

You are being too hard on yourself. What you are going through is very normal and expected. Since you are fresh out of school, you just haven't had this experience yet. The working world is very different from being in school and you will need some time to adjust.

A month is hardly any time at all out here. You are not expected to know how to do your job in such a short amount of time, especially if you've never done it before. Feeling lost after only a month on the job is completely normal.

Just keep learning what you can as you can. No one expects you to pick it all up on the first try. Even your boss told you so. Have confidence in yourself and that your employer knew what they were doing when they hired you. Ask questions, do the best you can, and just keep plugging along. You'll get it eventually as long as you keep trying.

For most jobs, it takes 6 months to a year to get comfortable. I've been working for almost 20 years now and have never had a new job that took less than that before I got rid of that "lost" feeling. So give yourself at least that much time before you make any decisions about quitting.

You're doing fine.

Answer 5

I feel that it's worth mentioning something else here:

Your success, or lack thereof, at work is not dependant on your perception, but the perception of others.

You intimate in your question that your boss seems happy with your current state and progress, and that they're seeing a lot of potential in you. Outside of what you think of your progress and how you're doing, those that know your role, and their business are happy with what you're doing, and how you're progressing, which means that you're more likely to be doing well.

You shouldn't put yourself down if you don't meet someone's unreasonable expectatations, and that includes yourself. If everyone else is saying that you're doing well, but you think that you're falling short, it's more likely that you're judging yourself by an internal metric, rather than by expected performance.