Thank God it’s graduation day! Now that you have finished school and received your diploma/degree, you cannot wait to get your first job and start earning your own money. After years dealing with endless homework and killer teachers at college, suiting up and joining the professional world might look like paradise.

Or is it?

While you might have faced various kinds of obstacles at school and college, you will find that the challenges you will encounter in the workplace are on different types and levels. Are you ready to tackle them?

Adapting yourself to the new environment during transition period could be hard, but you will eventually get used to it. However, to avoid any cultural shocks that might let you down during the first days at work, here are 5 challenges you should be mentally prepare for:

Getting tired on the first week

‘What a tiring day!’ is the sentence you may express in the end of the first day you work. Getting to know your colleagues, know your work, learn the processes, find lunch buddies; you will be overwhelmed. You might also worry that you are going to feel the same tire-ness every day. Thankfully, this is just a transition period. You will start developing a rhythm and make new friends that will support you through the day. By then, you will run your days with your enthusiasm and feel less fatigue.

Hit by light stress

In the beginning, you might find it difficult to meet particular targets set by your supervisor. Worse, it feels more suppressive when your co-workers request that you to work faster. It also comes as a shocking moment when you realise that your job is not as straightforward as the theories you learnt in college. Everything feels complicated and you get dizzy. These are all signs of stress which you will definitely face at some point in your work life, especially at the start when everything is new.

Difficulty in managing time

What a busy day! You wished that time passed slower so you have more time to meet the tight deadlines. When one task is completed, many others are piling up and waiting for your attention. Time management will prove to be an important skill.

Getting tired of the work environment

Work environment could be the reason for you to be excited and tired at the same time. Your co-workers could be your mood booster or busters. You might find it tough to integrate into the already present cliques within the company. Or, there may be conflicts arising from differences in working style or habits that might make you feel like you do belong to there anymore. You might think about resigning for this reason, but do realise that this is part and parcel of working life. All you need to do is just stay wise and be professional at all times.

The grass is greener on the other side

You meet up with your classmate and he proudly tell you about his new job. Be it his salary, tasks, benefits, facility, culture, or others factors, there is something that make his job sounds much better than yours. Feeling a little bit envious, you might regret about your current job. At this point, you should remember how you felt the same pride as your peer when you just started work. Do recognise that every job has its own pros and cons. The grass might not always be always greener on the other side.