Back to work after a break - any good tips?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m going to return to the IT industry after a good many years as a researcher in the University (funding applications did not go well, unfortunately) and a few months’ break. Now, being the easily worried person that I am, I’m concerned about my habits and working rhythm not really fitting in with the rest of the company. This was the TL;DR version: allow me to ramble on for a bit in the rest of the post.

In short, I have to re-train myself to work in an industrial environment. Working in this particular University tended to be comfortable, for lack of a better word. We still had our hard deadlines and work pressure and so on, but the style, so to speak, was so different from a private enterprise. Lots of flexibility, for example with time management. Very easy going bosses. A very creative type of work. Being surrounded by very smart people.

But all that is gone, and, as I mentioned, I have to fit in pretty quickly. My soon-to-be new boss said openly that, although I am very experienced, my experience is in an academic environment, which works very differently, and that he is going to challenge me to see if I can cope and adapt. If not, well, he will have to give me a month’s notice and a polite but firm goodbye.

Furthermore, this break that I mentioned, while really good to improve the family’s mood and my own health, really spoiled me. I can’t get up consistently early, for example. I am out of practice dealing with people in a professional environment. Also, because of a previous bad working experience, I am really terrified of not being up to the job’s demands, technically and socially. Even though I should.

So, um, any tips and suggestions?

2

You can do this – you have proved yourself capable of working in an environment filled with smart people.

A certain amount of fear can be a healthy thing – it keeps you on your toes and alert for cues. Getting there on time is a must and then beyond that, just be on alert and observe the environment. Don’t get drawn into office politics and gossip and remain professional in your socializing.

Your boss is giving you time to learn and adjust and you can do that. While he may have his doubts, he wouldn’t have hired you at all if you didn’t have the background he needs. Do you have a sense of what the actual work will be like and are you generally comfortable that you have the skill set for it?

3

Well, not sure if he actually intends to give me enough time. While discussing the job offer, he was going on about how he would only take a few months to do the initial software project he wanted to assign me, and how simple it was, and that might sound nice enough if you read my description. But to me, sitting there, the tone and expression he used sounded a bit doubtful. And there was the continuous harping about how he can just give me a months notice if things don’t work out.

As for having the skill set - well, there’s another thing. I know my development quite well, and am quite good on the server side. With certain technologies - Java, Python, Perl. This one will be quite possibly in another language - PHP - and relying on other technologies I am less familiar with, especially on the client side - Ajax, JSON, JQuery, and in general a lot of Javascript. Nothing transcendental or incredibly challenging, it’s just a lot of stuff to take in in one go, in a rush, and deliver something commercially viable as the first thing I do with them. Great occasion to pick up a bunch of skills, certainly, but I’m in a situation where I must succeed or have lots of financial problems.

And on top of this there’s this nagging suspicion he’s not really taking me seriously.

4

You never know where he is coming from – maybe it’s less about you and more about other folks who didn’t work out and he feels like he’s been burned before. Or he’s getting a lot of pressure from his bosses and unfortunately is passing that on to you (not the most productive management style!). I’m the worst at taking this advice myself, but try to focus on the plusses (new skills, getting back into a project that will keep you busy) and leave the rest till you see if it really pans out that way. Good luck!

5

He sounds like a major douchecanoe. Who talks to a new hire like that? He can secretly expect that you won’t hack it all he likes. But a GOOD manager would give you the tools to succeed, and let you sink or swim on your own. Not put doubts in your mind before you’ve even gotten started.

What a tool.

6

Lars - when do you start? I really don’t have much advice, well I take that back - I don’t have ANY advice - but I’ll be thinking about you and wishing you the best! :slight_smile: