Culture Shock

The way we do things in college is different with what actually happens in real job. When we are still in college, we doing things for ourselves. We study for our score, we work hard to impress our parents and we get smart to satisfy our professors.

When we get a job, it makes us a part of many connections in the company. Company means a system. An organised and connected system. We are now a part of that system.

Contrast to what we do in college, being an employee, we do things that are related to other people. It’s a chain of tasks and we may end up in the first chain, the middle chain or as a finisher in the last chain. If we don’t perform at our best, when we start to get lazy and are not doing things the company expected, we might break that chain. Our chain and others, it’s a bad thing.

In college, when we’re not doing well, we’ll get a bad score. We own the responsibility, no ones affected by that. When we don’t finish the homework, who’ll get punished? us. There’s no way other people will get the blame.

This is a culture shock. Many of my friends complain they aren’t comfortable with the company they work for. In fact, after they tell me the condition, it’s not that bad. Sometimes, the problem is on us, not them.

This is the thing so called a transition. We’re not ready to have the responsibility. The condition where what you do would affect many people in the chain. People could get the blame for your mistake. We’re holding a real task, a real job that 100% has to be finished. Company and people depend on us so we feel like carrying a huge backlog we’re never trained for.

It’s bothering you but don’t be afraid. Be patient. Storm will pass away and you’ll adapt. Time will tell. Just do and hope for the best.