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Growing up kinda sucks, huh?

I remember being so impatient when I was younger and I couldn’t wait to get out there and get busy working!

And then it hit me…is this it?

Yes, it is!

And that’s okay, but the realization isn’t always the best day in a young person’s life.

Take a look at what this young woman had to say about the difficult transition she’s making from student to worker.

Going from being a “good student” to being an employee has been such a weird adjustment.

“Growing up, I was a straight-A student.

I generally did well in school, teachers liked me, and I was used to getting positive feedback. If a teacher told me I was doing a good job, I could pretty much take that at face value. There was a very clear sense that I was good at this.

This has been a big adjustment.

Then I entered the workforce, and I’ve struggled with how different the feedback culture is.
It sometimes feels like no matter how competent you are, there is always something your manager has to scrutinize, correct, or tell you to improve.

You can accomplish 95% of what you’re supposed to accomplish, take on additional responsibilities, meet deadlines, get along with your coworkers, and generally do your job well — and the conversation still somehow becomes, “Here are three areas where you need to improve.”

And I understand that nobody is perfect. Obviously employees need feedback, and constructive criticism is part of having a job. But sometimes the constant nature of it gets to me.

Things are different now…

In school, feedback was usually connected to whether you had actually succeeded at something. At work, it can feel like there is an expectation that a manager must always have something to give you feedback about, even if you’re performing reasonably well.

It creates this weird psychological feeling of: Am I actually competent at my job? Or am I perpetually doing something wrong?

I also think there’s something particularly jarring about going from being a high-achieving student who was accustomed to authority figures telling you that you were doing well, to entering a workplace where your manager’s job seemingly requires them to constantly identify deficiencies.

This is causing her a lot of stress…

And sometimes the things you’re criticized for aren’t even things you would have considered problems before someone pointed them out. Suddenly you’re thinking, wait, was I actually doing something wrong, or did someone just decide this is the thing I’m supposed to work on now?

I know part of becoming an adult professional is learning to separate “I received feedback” from “I am bad at my job.” I’m getting better at that.

Tired of the endless loop of corporate feedback meant to make you not feel good at your job.”

Check out what folks had to say about this on Reddit.

This reader had a lot to say.

Another individual weighed in.

This person shared their thoughts.

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Another reader spoke up.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a customer who can’t seem to come to grips with the fact that her reward points will not cover a purchase.

And this individual weighed in.

Well, this is a bummer…

But she’ll get used to it!

I mean, there’s not really an alternative to working…

Adjusting to the “real world” is always pretty tough…

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Author

Matthew Gilligan