The First Week of a New Job Feels Like a Small Eternity

Five days? How about five centuries?

Photo by Alexander Krivitskiy on Unsplash

A few days back, I honestly had no idea how my new job would go. It’s been an interesting experience — particularly because I’ve been working remotely even through training — and I’m actually very lucky. My supervisor seems kind, the coworkers I was able to meet so far were welcoming, and I’ve been complimented for my retention of knowledge.

All wins, right?

But living through it in the moments is tough. The second and third days started with me feeling tremors all over as I thought, “I don’t know if I can do this.” There may even have been a few tears involved. My mind sped up and up and up as my anxiety tried to convince me how unsuited I was to what might await me.

I went through hours of training procedures, all laid out for me in meetings I had, and I followed along while taking as many notes as I could of things that seemed particularly relevant (and useful for later if I ever needed to double-check something). Trepidation fluttered through me as I waited and waited to see what I’d be assigned to do as far as my job duties.

When my supervisor gave me my first project on day three, I felt as if I’d been given a task that required Herculean effort. I was worried over every small question I had. But all I received in return was patience — thank goodness, especially since I’ve come to expect impatience from bosses I’ve worked for and coworkers who have had to train me in other positions.

But my supervisor surprised me at the end of day four with an email saying that I was a fast learner and that she was very impressed with my work thus far. She even thanked me. The hour after that one message, I felt filled to the brim with energy — and maybe with even a small ego growing that perhaps I could do this job well.

I’m still worrying, of course. (What else is new, though?) My job is multi-faceted even though it’s technically a mash-up of inputting data and being an assistant. It’s a part-time position, true, but I still have a lot more responsibility than I thought was possible for a job that wasn’t full-time. And there are weird hiccups to contend with too — like my work laptop freezing up at inopportune moments or my…