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Job Offer Anxiety

ArabianKnight

Just got an offer of employment with and IT firm and I am feeling hesitant to accept. Even though this will be my first "real" IT job I am a career changer and have been unemployed for a few months.

Anyone hesitant to go back to work after a period of unemployment?

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Comments

N2IT

Sure your confidence can get hit and you grow accustom to a certain way of living. I would suggest taking the position and fighting through the growing pains. Work isn't easy and it's not supposed to be. Stay positive and be confident and move forward.

jonny72

I've been through that a couple of times in the last 5 years, going permanent after being self employed or out of work. It can be difficult and it can be very easy to make up excuses not to go through with it. But it always turns out ok even if the first few weeks are hard.

The way I look at it is that the worst case is that even if the new job doesn't work out you'll be no worse off than you are at present.

Mrock4

I experience anxiety anytime I'm changing jobs, let alone getting back into the workforce in a new career! I think it's normal to experience this. That being said, a lot of your anxiety can be alleviated by preparing as much as you can for the new opportunity. Best of luck to you!

hoktauri

I have anxiety any time I talk to a new clients and go to networking events, you just have to push through it and move on or you'll never get anywhere.

networker050184

Mrock4 wrote: »

I experience anxiety anytime I'm changing jobs, let alone getting back into the workforce in a new career! I think it's normal to experience this. That being said, a lot of your anxiety can be alleviated by preparing as much as you can for the new opportunity. Best of luck to you!

Same here. It's a stressful process and even more so I'm sure with your situation. Preperation always helps you feel more comfortable and confident. You already got the job offer, the hard part is over! Good luck.

goldenlight

Take it one day at a time.....

f0rgiv3n

The only way to grow is to step outside your comfort zone. You got this.

About7Narwhal

It is going to be awkward and uncomfortable for a few weeks and it will suck while you feel that way. Once you get past the initial shock of working again, you will be fine. You have the offer and you already have accepted that it will be difficult until you get back into the groove. Just buckle down and fight through it. Six months from now you will look at your post and laugh at the anxiety you had.

**EDIT**

Just wanted to add a little bit extra. I got laid off in Jan of 2011 and was out of the job for 3 months. I was afraid to go back because it had been so long but I went ahead and took the first offer I got. Once I met my group of co-workers I was fine. Similarly, I severely injured my back later that year and was unable to walk for 6 months. After about 8 months of physical therapy and rehab I was good to go again. The fear was exactly the same the first day I walked into my new job. It doesn't matter if it has been 2 days or 2 years, the first few weeks are always stressful.

I hope everything goes well for you.

Plantwiz

Take it and go!

Best time to find a new job is while you HAVE a job. If it doesn't work out after six months or so, start looking again, at least this time you be able to be more selective. For now, take it, build those people networking skills and see what happens.
You may find this works out to be the best job ever!

z3r0cool

Tomorrow will be my third day at my new job and there are so many new things to learn and different ways of doing things, it's over whelming. I tried to think back to when I first got my old job and it was the same feeling. I'm just trying to push through till things stick and I get calmed down. Take the leap. You'll never want to wonder "what if" later down the road. Good luck.

N2IT

Z3 me too. My third day! First day I nailed it out of the park, beginners luck I suppose, the second day was very noob of me. Lot's of questions and forgetting a few items. This gig has a ton of new concepts and technologies. Not to mention the data I have to understand and processes. WOW this is going to take awhile, I hope they keep me on long enough to learn

forestgiant

OP, try to manage and control any anxiety coming your way. What has worked for me is hand-writing out my concerns and what I would do or respond if said things were real. Almost all the time those fears never materialized. If they did, I knew exactly what to do. When they didn't, I learned I worried for nothing.

The new coworkers and employers are at work for the same reasons and they are probably pleasant people looking to help out the new guy. Give them a chance to sell themselves to you as much as you to them.

ArabianKnight

Just an update on the job....It has been a week now working as a NOC tech 1 and I just sit and stare at monitors, manage tickets(mostly from automated alerts) and escalate when needed, not what I expected. Rarely get phone calls or emails asking for assistance, I expected it to be a little more technical(now I know why I was not asked ANY technical questions during my interview!) Just going to keep up with it for at least 6 months then maybe move to another position with the company or somewhere else.

From many threads on here it seems most NOC tech 1 positions are like this. So I am just gong to study for the CCNA and take it from there!

DoubleNNs

Is there lots of downtime at work? Are you able to squeeze a little bit of studying on the job?

lsud00d

I would give it to the first month to get fully acclimated with things. If after this time you still feel lack of stimulation you should take the initiative and talk to your manager about it--most managers appreciate candidness and it could show them you can and want to do more than be a NOC monkey.
Ask:

for more duties/responsibilities
about upcoming projects
if anything needs to be documented (or updated)
for network diagrams

Etc. There is always more work to be done and if you show that you're a worthwhile investment it can lead to good things.