I've been really unhappy in my job for quite a while. I could go on and on, but to put it briefly: There is zero room for advancement, I'm not doing what I want to do, I'm not using my degree, and the company is not on steady financial ground.
I've been applying for jobs steadily for months, and Tuesday I found out that I had landed an incredible job as a marketing rep for a wound care center. It's ideal-I'll be convincing doctors, hospitals and nursing homes to send their patients to the wound care center I'll be working for. I did a ton of research in to wound care centers, and they are really growing. Also, the only other wound care centers in the region are in huge hospitals, and the wound care center I'll be working for makes the process so much easier and better for patients. It's so much easier to "sell" something to others when you genuinely feel that its in their best interests.
So yesterday I went in to do some paperwork. This one woman really runs the show, and she runs a super tight ship. I was told not to be too familiar with the doctors, to respect the chain of command (in other words, her), that I would be expected to meet goals, what bonuses I could potentially earn, etc etc.
After that meeting, I was kind of a mess (sidenote: I'm on my period this week, which I am positive has TONS to do with all of this). I had let myself get psyched out by the manager. Weekly check-ins with her? I go months without even seeing my boss where I'm at now! Change is never easy, even if where you're at kinda blows.
I think this is the problem: I haven't really used my Public Relations degree since I graduated in December of 2008. I finally landed a really amazing "career" job, and now I'm freaking out that I'm going to suck it up. And a hard-lining manager just freaked me out even more, I guess.
The really frustrating part was trying to tell Coach how nervous she had made me. He just didn't get it. He couldn't understand what the problem was...in his mind, I had "fixed" the problem of my current, crappy job, and now I was complaining about the solution. That old school "Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus" really isn't far off! He finally got it though, and he grabbed my shoulders and looked right at me and said "they wouldn't have hired you if they didn't think you could do this." Which helped.
I need to get over myself here. Goals, check-ins, etc are part of almost any job. And honestly, anywhere else I go is going to be better than where I'm at. I need to stop freaking out and be ready to tackle this challenge head on. I have to convince myself that I can do this.
Have you ever reacted like this to a new, scary job? Is communicating with your partner sometimes more challenging than others?
Again, I can totally relate. I wanted a job so badly, I finally got one, and I complain because it's not exactly what I expected. David totally doesn't understand (because he's loved every job he's ever had) and it's hard to find a balance of being thankful for the job and being frustrated/scared by the change. It's slowly getting better, but it's taken a few weeks!
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