The ‘Help’ Problem
Rocky Starts
Early into my placement I was asked by my supervisor to do a short qualitative analysis of the data set we were using. This was daunting to me at first because the pressure of being responsible for analysing such a large dataset was totally new for me. I felt anxious that I could accidentally miss something that would be highly useful for the researchers and I would be at fault for a misleading study. The data was organised in a large excel sheet which made it more daunting as previously I only had experiences with small data sets inside excel.
This feeling of anxiety surrounding a position of responsibility is something that I have felt before, as I’m sure most people also have. The feeling that your actions are solely responsible for the outcome can make you feel under pressure and stressed. Even though I had previously stated in my Digital Skills questionnaire that I was confident in my digital capabilities, this wasn’t the case when it came to actually applying these skills. The pressure I felt was rather overbearing and this made me overthink whether what I was doing was correct.
Am I destined to fail?
Whenever I start new job where I have a position of responsibility, I find myself anxious and nervous in the first few weeks, avoiding a lot of tasks to prevent myself from messing up. This placement was no different and my reservations did limit me in the first week or so. After time, and some reassurance, I felt comfortable in my ability to carry out what was required. A lot of the time, people forget that it’s ok to ask for help. We avoid asking for assistance because we believe it will make us look weak or incompetent; this is not the case.
I now understand that everybody starts somewhere, and without asking questions you’ll never learn, in fact it’s probably better to ask questions in the early portions of your job so you avoid making easy mistakes. Even if the questions I ask have obvious answers, they add to my knowledge base for the job which can only be seen as a positive. The more knowledge you can accumulate in the early days of your job, the better chance you have at becoming a highly effective employee quickly, which could lead to better job opportunities.
The Future
By working with my supervisors and not being afraid to ask them questions, I believe I was a much more effective member of my work team. This led to me having a greater understanding of the topic of our research as well as allowing me to develop my confidence in front of authority figures. Taking these skills forward into my future career, I believe I will now be a more effective team member and settle into new workplace environments much easier.
Just remember: it’s ok to ask for help. No matter what it is.