A recent graduate has taken to Reddit for questions about his inability to find work. The 22-year-old, with Reddit username Akmrparadise, posted a story titled “Is it on me or my boss/colleagues to help me find work to do?.” In his story, Original Poster (OP) explained that he recently landed an engineering job but was finding it difficult to find work. Redditors reacted to the man’s story and advised him on what to do. Get more details below.
Chef Loses Motivation and Drive
OP, 22, began by providing some background information. He got a job as a water resources engineer five months before his post, immediately after college. The 22-year-old engineering consultant was placed in a team of six engineers with 7 to 40 years of experience. OP explained that he needed to fill his days with billable work, so he usually reached out to team members and other employees. He also expected his boss to help him with his quest to find work.
However, OP’s boss, who got the position one month before OP joined the company, wasn’t much help. The engineering consultant said:
“Other senior engineers in the team have been much more helpful than him.”
OP concluded by asking:
“Should all the pressure be on me to fill out my own workload, or should I be expecting more help from my boss to fill out my days with productive work?”
Other Redditors Share Their Thoughts
Redditors read OP’s story and offered him advice. A Redditor with username Jv1856 said OP was right to expect his boss to help him find work. However, Jv1856 noted that OP needed to find work by himself to avoid getting laid off. The Redditor told OP that he could only get promoted if he didn’t wait to be told what to do. He concluded:
“Look at it this way: Its your opportunity to pick your busy work, so pick the kind of work you like.”
A second Redditor with the username Wta1999 told OP that he would be the one to be held accountable if he didn’t have enough billable hours. Wta1999 advised OP to form relationships with the older personnel. That way, they could cut him projects to work on. They also advised OP to get a non-consulting job if he disliked his job.
Another Redditor, Theoldman-1313, agreed with OP that his boss should find work for him. However, the Redditor noted that OP’s boss seemed to be still settling into their new position. They advised OP to keep asking the other employees to help him find work. Theoldman-1313 added:
“You will gain valuable experience, make connections, and gain a reputation as hard working.”
However, a few other Redditors thought OP didn’t need to worry about finding work. They advised the engineering consultant not to bother if he already asked his boss for help. One Redditor with the username o_Discipline_512 said they worked in software consulting. o_Discipline_512 said they only worked when there was a backlog and added value to the business in other ways if there was nothing to work on.
#Clique, what do you think of OP’s story? What would you advise them to do in this situation? Let us know in the comments.
