New Office, New Challenges

First week at a new job. Only the third I've held in my adult life. Feeling exhausted and terribly incompetent. Also kind of lonely. It's a good company, though, and I've had good experiences with everyone I've interacted with.

I'm used to working in small offices where everyone knows each other and chats in the morning. This office is still small by many standards – a fraction of the headquarters in another state – but it still has four times as many people in it as my previous two jobs. It's weirdly quiet despite that. I guess it means everyone's being productive.

I am a little concerned about what the result will be when I need to work on projects that are more collaborative. Especially since the majority of my team – including my direct manager – are at headquarters. I'm not sure when I'll actually meet them in person. Again, though, interactions have been positive. Everyone has offered help freely and answered the questions I have.

The issue is with asking those questions in the first place. Between social anxiety and overly high expectations of myself, I am reluctant to ask questions that seem too “basic”. I already feel like a fraud taking this job in the first place, although everyone assures me I'm not. I didn't lie or exaggerate to get it. It's just a big step up with much more complex work and much higher expectations.

Which is why I took it, I guess. I was looking for more of a challenge. Somewhere I could learn more. There's no question I'll be doing that, assuming I can learn fast enough to actually keep up.