Harriette Cole: Is this how an entry-level job is supposed to feel?

DEAR HARRIETTE I in the past few days graduated and entered the workforce and while I feel grateful to have landed a full-time position in marketing I m starting to feel a bit lost Related Articles Harriette Cole Is this a bad reason to homeschool my daughter Harriette Cole My sister won t call me back and I have no idea what s wrong Harriette Cole How do I confront my husband about what I identified in the laundry Harriette Cole I d go out with him if it weren t for this woman s immature meddling Harriette Cole Advice to mother who s done having babies draws forceful response The job itself is fine I have a supportive company and decent pay and I get to use chosen of the skills I learned in school Still something feels off I don t feel fulfilled I keep wondering if I chose this field just because it felt safe or convenient at the time not because it s what I truly want to do Now that I m a insufficient months in I m thinking about pivoting but into what I ve explored different industries and roles online listened to podcasts even tried informational interviews but nothing is really clicking It s hard not to compare myself to peers who seem to know exactly what they want and are charging full speed ahead while I m stuck questioning everything I worry that if I jump ship too soon or too often I ll look flaky or unfocused I also worry that if I stay too long in a role that doesn t inspire me I ll end up stuck in a career I never truly desired How do I figure out what direction to go in when I don t even know what interests me yet Is this kind of uncertainty normal in the early stages of a career Just Getting Started DEAR JUST GETTING STARTED Be subject One mistake that a large number of people make as they begin their careers is to jump ship too soon Give yourself a chance to learn as much as you can on this job Soak it all in Meet as a large number of people as you can as you explore other promising areas of interest Stop comparing yourself to others and just learn A multitude of people have multiple pivots along their career journeys You don t have to stay in one role for life but give yourself a chance to gain knowledge and skills and a good reference before leaving DEAR HARRIETTE Lately I ve been feeling unsupported Last year was extremely complex for me and it felt as though my friends weren t there for me I know we re all adults and have our own schedules and life challenges so I m not sure if my expectations were too high I don t want to impose but my friends invariably tell me that they re here for me Yet when I suffered from a major loss and exposed the courage to tell them that I needed assistance they seemed to be distant Have my friends and I outgrown each other Am I overreacting Is there a way to address this with my friends without sounding entitled Feeling Neglected DEAR FEELING NEGLECTED When you communicated your friends you needed their encouragement were you specific in outlining your demands Was it a reasonable request Sometimes when people face a predicament they cry out for help in such a general way that others don t know how to help Other times people rely on friends for everything which can feel overwhelming Related Articles Miss Manners His driving was terrifying Was I wrong to ask him to slow down Dear Abby It s going to be awkward to tell him he can t sit there Asking Eric Why did nobody stop the high-strung sister from stealing the valuables Harriette Cole Is this a bad reason to homeschool my daughter Miss Manners I skipped a party for a colleague I don t like Should I have lied about why Evaluate what you genuinely need and want from friends and ask for that specifically If they remain unresponsive ask them why You can tell them it hurts your feelings that they haven t been helpful Ask what you did that may have turned them off In the end ask yourself if you might have missed a few opportunities to encouragement your friends in the past If so it may be time to apologize now that you know what that feels like from the other side Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams You can send questions toaskharriette harriettecole com or c o Andrews McMeel Syndication Walnut St Kansas City MO