Hi all! I just saw a post by someone who is feeling stressed about their first FT job. I’d like to share my similar experience as well and get some advice.
Similar to the other post, I did accept this job quickly out of desperation due to the worsening job market. The job also doesn’t have that many benefits as well.
I just started working my first ever FT job after graduating from poly and find that this job isn’t for me. As such, I’ve not been sleeping and eating well for the past few days. I’ve already got thrown with a lot of things to do on my first day of the job and am feeling really overwhelmed. However, there are interns that are willing to train me and I’m grateful to them for that but I still have my concerns.
• I find whatever I do in this job meaningful and interesting.
• Job does require me to be on-site most of the time as I’m in charge of the facility’s operations. So there’s no way I can WFH. I’m also required to work on Saturdays most of the time but thankfully my working hours are flexible.
• Boss and colleagues are nice. I did ask around about the work environment/culture and was told it wasn’t toxic, which reassures me.
• Company is quite low on manpower and thus I had to rely on interns for my training
• Boss and colleagues don’t work onsite, therefore I’m worried I have no one to look for if I need help
• Job is quite physical and I would say I’m kinda slow absorbing such information. I’ve tried to take down notes and record videos but I still feel it’s a lot of work
• The intern that has been teaching me is going to leave soon so I’ll lose my only form of guidance
• Another intern is coming in soon and soon it will be my turn to teach them. However, I don’t think I’ll be able to absorb all the information by then and am afraid I’ll mess up and tell them the wrong things.
• As I’m working in a small company, I’m afraid of the fact that I’ll have to wear multiple hats which really worries me as I’m not very good at multitasking
So yeah here goes the end of my rant. Should I sound out these issues to my boss? They’re nice but I’m just worried they’ll brush off my concerns. Also, I do appreciate any form of advice. Thanks for reading!
you said you haven’t been eating or sleeping well since starting and that already tells how much your body is carrying right now. reading your list, i noticed you can see both the good things (flexible hours, nice colleagues, even finding the work meaningful) and at the same time you still feel overwhelmed…
i wonder if the hardest part isn’t just the workload, but the fear of being left alone when the intern leaves. when you picture that, does it feel like everything will collapse on you?
first jobs often ask you to learn faster than your body and mind can absorb. the notes and videos you’re making show you’re already doing a lot to cope. maybe the next step is not to carry all of it by yourself. would it feel safer to bring up one concern with your boss, just one, instead of the whole list?
it’s ok if the start feels too much, that doesn’t mean you’re failing. sometimes the real work is pacing yourself until your body catches up with your role.
Hey! Thanks for replying and taking the time to read my post.
Yeah I’m quite worried when the intern leaves because they are very familiar with how things are run at my workplace. Even my boss trusts them to teach me and finds them reliable.
As I’m the only FT employee in the facility, I do understand that I have more responsibilities piled up and will have to teach any incoming interns in the future about what to do. And about that, I’m not someone who can soak up information that fast, especially if it is something new to me. I’m also very critical on myself whenever I make mistakes…
I understand that I can’t rely on the intern too much as they are leaving soon. So I’m trying my best to absorb the information provided by documenting them. I also do understand that I will need time to learn new things so I’m trying to be kinder to myself about. As for bringing up my concerns to the boss, I think I’ll bring up a few, as you advised, first.
Hi @Velvetplummet I’m glad to hear you feel empowered to share and get some support. It is stressful to be settling into a first full-time job.
You’re trying your best, and whatever that is and whatever it amounts to, it is good enough. Getting feedback, making mistakes, and learning and becoming better are all part of the process – We do try our best in our work, but none of us come in perfect into our jobs and whatever we do. You were chosen by your company, and that means they believe in your abilities, and that they should be prepared to support you to help you thrive at work. Of course, not all workplaces are perfect, but it’s very fair to expect some support from your superiors starting out
But I’m hearing also that all the stress is affecting you, your eating and your sleeping – all important stuff to make sure you can do your work! I can imagine in fact, it might be harder to concentrate and multitask without enough food and sleep (and multitasking is already hard enough for everyone!)
I encourage you to take a pause and see how you can take care of your body and mind. Even though everything feels like a rush right now, it’s important for you to have the energy to navigate this situation. You deserve that kindness to yourself – regardless of how you perform
Thanks for hearing me out and I very much appreciate your encouraging words!
Yep, I do understand that companies actually don’t have all the time to teach/guide me and am expected to pick up things on the go. My boss did tell me that they’ll guide me through things that are new to me and am grateful to the intern who taught me in detail about what I’m supposed to do.
I do get critical of myself (which I’m trying to work on) whenever things go wrong as I’m afraid of letting others down . So that’s why I felt really overwhelmed (which affected my sleeping + eating) when I just started my job.
Hey @Velvetplummet, you said that you get crtlitcal of yourself so I hope that you remember to be kind to yourself too, it’s okay if you don’t get everything perfect right away. You’re learning, and that in itself is already progress .
Thanks for the kind words . I need to remind myself that I’ve been in my first FT job for a few days and will need time to learn things through…I do find the situation even more worrying now that I’m a full-timer and not an intern. So if I do make any mistakes, I won’t be let off as easily.
what you said about “I’m a full-timer and not an intern.” and linking it to “I won’t be let off as easily”… is clearly weighing on you alot… being a full-timer means that you can do the job and you are reliable.
it doesnt mean you never make mistakes… its clear that you reflect alot on the work that you do and you care about doing better. that matters.
Hey thanks for the kind words. I do understand that being a full-timer means that the boss trusts me that I can do the job. However, I just feel that there’s a steep learning curve (whatever I’m doing now is very different from my internship) + even more responsibilities now that I’m a full-timer. My salary isn’t high too as I’m working in a small company and yet I’m still getting a lot of things thrown to me .
But I’m slowly working on improving myself by taking down notes whenever appropriate. I’ll keep you guys updated in the future if there’s anything .
. So that’s why I felt really overwhelmed (which affected my sleeping + eating) when I just started my job.
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