Fraud!

[wordnerds]

I love my new job, but it's terrifying. I'm in way over my head. I'm not used to not knowing how to do things-I'm used to being the person people go to. I feel like a big phony, undeserving of the money they're giving me. I mean, I'm an entire salary grade above the other two techs, and one of them has been there fifteen years. She's all, "blah

Comments

Not a fraud, just new...

[rdrew]

This may be completely arbitrary, but I think it takes a whole 2 months to get used to job changes. It's such a stressful thing. That's been my experience: complete unease for 2 months, followed by no unease.

Also, I think people are hired for their personalities, taste, and aptitude as much as they are for anything else -- and those are things that are not diminished by temporarily not knowing everything about strops. It should be expected that you are not going to have full command of every aspect of the job, or the knowledge that you would have 15 years from now as a new person. You may have a more nuanced, history-based view of the same materials as your colleague 15 years from now, which will make you more valuable to the department.

And about the pay grade difference? Well, aren't pay grades pretty wide? If you were in the middle of yours and your colleague(s) were at the top of hers(theirs), could she(they) be making more than you think? And if not, that's not your fault. It is the random kiss of fate. Someone new would have been making what you are making, also not knowing about strops, regardless of whether you took the job. And luckily it's you! I think personality and aptitude are huge, though -- from an employer's perspective -- so no worries!

Re: Not a fraud, just new...

[wordnerds]

Yeah. You're totally right, Rachel. Thanks. I guess I was freaking out a bit because all the other jobs I've had have been way too easy for me. This is the first job where I'm actually going to learn stuff and it's going to be a challenge. That's a good thing- it should keep me from being bored, which seems to happen after a few years.