Am I unqualified for my position?
I recently started my first full-time job after graduating a month early. I accepted a position as a test engineer, and I felt that I had a clear understanding of the job description before starting.
My resume was up to date, and I was completely honest about my experience throughout the interview process. However, after starting the role, I’ve realized there’s a fairly significant gap between what the position seems to require in practice and the experience I currently have.
The role did require coding experience, which I had through college coursework and personal projects. However, it’s become clear that a much stronger scripting background is expected than I anticipated.
This is an associate-level position, and my team has told me that the expectation is for me to learn and grow over time. My concern comes from the fact that I’m working as a contracted engineer. Although the position is full-time and salaried with no defined end date for my contract, I worry that I may not be what the team expected, even though I was transparent throughout the hiring process and was hired in good faith.
I also recognize that I’m only in my first month and that it’s normal to feel overwhelmed at the beginning. I’ve been told to “drink from the fire hose” and to give myself some grace while I learn. Even so, I can’t shake the feeling that I may be behind where the team needs me to be.
I’m not asking for pity or motivation but personal experiences that engineers can share about how they got through the feeling.