How much harder is it being in the working world than college?

[Anonymous]

Easier work, harder dealing with other people.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on how ambitious you are and what career path you want. If you want to rise to a leadership position, you need to seek out slightly more experienced peers on that path and learn from them. You need to find ways to stand out and to get in front of leadership. Similar to high school or college, opportunities compound. If you are picked for a special project and you do a good job, you get picked for the next one. If you are pegged as a top performer you will be mentored and sponsored, which helps you be a top performer.

I’m a senior exec at a consulting firm and so have people who report to me who are older and more experienced than I am - but they either never sought out different roles or just didn’t know how to get those roles. There are people I work with in their 30s and 40s who are not managers and probably never will be. I recently promoted a woman who wanted to be promoted for 10 years! But she literally never told anyone and no one asked her until her manager left and I stepped in. She thought if she just worked hard and did a good job, she’d be promoted eventually. She was also shocked when I explained she would need to take on additional responsibilities along with the promotion. I am not sure why no one ever counseled her or worked with her, but she is not an anomaly. In the first 5-8 years of your career you will establish a reputation and the opportunities and promotions will flow from that.

Find a few trusted people in your org - a peer, a level above you and someone your boss’s level - and develop a relationship so you can learn from them the best way to navigate your org. What’s normal in some companies may be pushy and annoying at another.

[Anonymous]

I thought the working world was a lot easier than college, especially as an entry level employee. I'm a manager now, so there are more responsibilities, but I still think it's better than school. I always hated having tests and papers looming over my head. With work there's more ability to turn it off at the end of the day.

[Anonymous]

Work has never been as hard as school was, and I was a really good student.

[Anonymous]

I found it much easier. I have a ton of really severe learning disabilities and school made me suicidal. Working felt much better. At work nobody cares HOW you get anything done, just what the final result is.

[Anonymous]

I had a blast at my first job- training, made friends, learned from bosses, took vacations, lived in NYC, lots of exit options.

[Anonymous]

i was never as stressed at work as i was in school.

[Anonymous]

College was the easiest four years of my life.

[Anonymous]

Work is so much easier, for me as a Computer Engineering major. 

I was essentially flat broke in college.  After graduation, I got a very high paying job in the financial sector as a SWE.  The high salary allows me to have a wonderful lifestyle, travel everywhere around the world with my wife.  I even bought an expensive guitar, 40K, and took guitar lessons.  Life is so good after graduation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends on how ambitious you are and what career path you want. If you want to rise to a leadership position, you need to seek out slightly more experienced peers on that path and learn from them. You need to find ways to stand out and to get in front of leadership. Similar to high school or college, opportunities compound. If you are picked for a special project and you do a good job, you get picked for the next one. If you are pegged as a top performer you will be mentored and sponsored, which helps you be a top performer.

I’m a senior exec at a consulting firm and so have people who report to me who are older and more experienced than I am - but they either never sought out different roles or just didn’t know how to get those roles. There are people I work with in their 30s and 40s who are not managers and probably never will be. I recently promoted a woman who wanted to be promoted for 10 years! But she literally never told anyone and no one asked her until her manager left and I stepped in. She thought if she just worked hard and did a good job, she’d be promoted eventually. She was also shocked when I explained she would need to take on additional responsibilities along with the promotion. I am not sure why no one ever counseled her or worked with her, but she is not an anomaly. In the first 5-8 years of your career you will establish a reputation and the opportunities and promotions will flow from that.

Find a few trusted people in your org - a peer, a level above you and someone your boss’s level - and develop a relationship so you can learn from them the best way to navigate your org. What’s normal in some companies may be pushy and annoying at another.

This is really good advice!

My first jobs where I was working a lot of (required) overtime, low pay, and didn't have a good support network of friends at work or outside of work was much harder. When I returned to the workforce after grad school, was savvier about career development, had minimal overtime, was making much more money, and developed a great group of friends at work and outside of work, work was easier in many ways (but not without any stress). So, I think it really depends on the type of job (including the culture of the organization where you are working) and also whether you have a group of friends and colleagues that help make time at work and outside of work more enjoyable.