To hate the pressure?

[Isitjustme0]

I’m working in a relatively junior role in a large international company, so not sure whether this has anything to do with it (although at a junior level I don’t know if it’s normal to feel so much pressure). I feel a horrid dread about work 60-70% of the time (although much less when I am actually there) where (obviously) things are expected of me and I don’t know if it is just me, or normal but it gets better! It’s not like I have a load of really serious responsibility so I worry how I’ll be if I am more senior! I’ve been working for in total 5 years but in my current profession 3 for background

Do you have imposter syndrome?

I didn’t even know that was a thing but I don’t think so! I worry about not being good enough I guess

*good enough at the job

Look to move if you can, there are lots of rewarding jobs and it sounds like you're young enough to retrain

What is it you do? Is it the nature of the job you don’t get on with? Or is it the environment?

I’m an accountant. When I worked for a large multi-national the nonsense used to drive me mad. In a smaller place now, better paid and less stress.

Same ‘job’ but the environment wasn’t a good fit.

In an accountancy firm merry, I think it is a combination of the people who, although are nice, are often stressed themselves so can sometimes put more pressure on. Also demanding clients creates stress (but surely this is the same everywhere). I do sometimes think if I’m somewhere smaller maybe as a firm we would offer a bit less but that helps take the pressure off a bit?! Don’t know as never worked elsewhere in this role

I just think I can’t handle pressure tbh

How junior are you? I felt intense stress in my first year or two of being a lawyer, but it got better as I got better at the job. If the stress is to do with feeling competent this may get better with time as it is a steep learning curve. If the stress is due to long hours and pressure to deliver for clients, it may be that it is just not the right atmosphere for you. Good luck.

Are you doing an ICAEW training contract?

I have a trainee who just joined my team and transferred over because the firm she was with was awful.

It’s not the same everywhere.

Do you find the actual work difficult?

I’m about the be a qualified accountant so pretty junior, I can’t work out if it’s that where I work there are very high expectations or if I just actually don’t enjoy the pressure.. I don’t really mind long hours as long as it isn’t constant, it’s pressure of doing something wrong that stresses me out most or not being proactive enough (something I haven’t yet mastered lol)

Merry yes ICAEW training contract but not in audit. I hope it isn’t the same everywhere, the work I don’t find difficult tbh I think often it’s managing my workload that’s the hard part, again not sure if that’s due to being less experienced or not. In a smaller firm do you find it is more pressure as there is less support? That is what I worry about

I'm the level below P/D in a Big 4 (also non-audit although an accountant). I'm currently on mat leave but I absolutely understand and relate to what you say. I feel it often especially as I am not proactive either and often feel like I should be doing more. But I know that the vast majority of people feel the same way too; it's the nature of the job and in such a high performing environment. Is there someone you can talk to about how your feeling - either in your team or your manager? There's a lot of support out there.

Calypso I probably could speak to my manager although think in this particular team it wouldn’t go down so well.. it’s actually just so comforting to know others feel the same to be honest, I constantly feel like I’m weaker than others my level and just can’t handle pressure but it’s just nice to know perhaps it’s not just me! I’m going to plough through to exams being over and reassess I think :)

Also, one of the things that I've really appreciated about getting more senior and spending more time working with Partners and Directors is realising how little they know most of the time, how much they worry about messing up and how they're human too. I definitely remember thinking that it was only me, especially when I was more junior, but I've had so many experiences which has shown that 1) we are all winging it to a certain extent and 2) there is no problem that can't be fixed, often far more easily than you think.

Thank you so much, genuinely made me feel much better!! Hope you have a nice rest of your time time on mat leave :)

Post-qual you’ll be fine but I’d still look for transferring to another employer.

I’m not actual qualified but I’m paid reasonably well PQ as FM in a school (years in industry) and it’s flexible, senior, low-stress but still interesting and I’m seeing plenty out there at the moment that’s piquing my interest.

I have two children with SEN so the flexibility is utterly essential but if I were looking for something else there’s loads around.

I felt like this too, OP. Some of it was self-inflicted and I think I put too much pressure and responsibility on myself especially as a junior. That being said, I worked in an incredibly stressful environment when I was in practice in "Big Law". I hated the constant pressure and the ungodly long hours - sometimes until the morning which was par-for-the course during M+A transactions and demanding clients. I often couldn't understand the urgency that partners and clients created, given there was no life-or-death situation - always met my deadlines though. My health suffered greatly due to years of stress, and I took a "break" from it. Still on a break (unemployed) but looking to get back into work when my baby is a bit older. I don't think I could stomach going back to practice, so will need to look at other opportunities within industry (not easy to find).

If I was you, OP, I would stick it out for a year or so to gain some experience and start looking for less stressful roles. What about something in knowledge management or professional/technical support, if those roles exist at accounting firms? I did that for a bit at a law firm and it was (a bit) less stressful. Stress has such an impact.