Is it me?

5 Comments

1. AnonymousAugust 4,2026 at 2:55PM UTC

   There does seem to be a pattern here. It sounds like misaligned expectations. You mention how, in each position, training was lacking for you. In my experience, that's almost always the case. I would suggest two things: in your conversations, ask clearly about examples of short comings and what the expectations are of "done." (Brene Brown calls this Painting Done) If the issue isn't the final product, but the amount of time/process to get there, again, ask for examples and support. While the outcome of the PIP may be inevitable, use it as your opportunity to learn as you move to your next role. (Education or Accounting, training may not be as extensive ad you'd like, so learning how to discern expectations and what the key priorities are is important.)

   Second, I think it's always good to talk to a neutral party. Maybe it's through your current company's EAP-do they have counseling available? Especially with all you have going on at home and in your job, having a couple sessions to talk through your situation and how to cope may be beneficial

2. AnonymousAugust 5,2026 at 10:40PM UTC

   Sounds to me as if you may be targeting positions that demand more experience in the workplace than you have, as you just graduated recently. You may try a position which involves more routine items, such as Accounts Payable or Accounts Receivable or one requiring less of a background to just "get your feet wet", so to speak. Training is just not happening a lot in the job environment now, so you may have to work your way up in order to gain the background you need for a staff accountant position.

   My recent experience as a financial analyst was a lot like yours in respect to training - basically minimal -and then you need to be able to perform. Since I had a background in working quite a few finance positions, I could basically teach myself what I needed, but I can see it would be a challenge if what you have is basically book knowledge.

   The other recommendation would be to see if you could get a contract job with an agency where they could match your skills in a better way with the requirements of the job.

   Wishing you well! Hang in there and get a position you can do well in - This will give you background to tackle the more complicated positions.

3. AnonymousAugust 8,2026 at 3:10AM UTC

   Keep a running log of all you work and print out relevant emails. It is possible to meet PIP requirements and stay (normally difficult). If you want more structure, normally government or companies that have contracts with government jobs have more documentation. Perhaps you can focus on those. Good Luck.

4. AnonymousAugust 9,2026 at 5:10PM UTC

   PIPs have exploded in popularity recently, and I am seeing that and surprise negative performance reviews everywhere. At the end of the day, 90% of the time it is because management and leadership sucks and are either too cowardly to communicate with employees or are trying to find a scapegoat to cover for why they haven't met their own goals. It's happened to me as well.

   I wish I had better advice but unfortunately this is part of working for other people. Work culture has gotten so bad across the board since 2020 that it is almost less risky to start your own thing or freelance. I had to learn the hard way to never rely on a single stream of income.

   Wishing you all the best! One last tip (if you're in a single party consent state) is to record your meetings on the PIP. Try to get them on record saying you are meeting PIP goals. That way is you get let go, you will have proof you tried to complete the PIP for the unemployment office. Don't quit - let them fire you.

5. AnonymousAugust 11,2026 at 8:39PM UTC

   The frustrating part about this is that it’s clear they want me gone. So much so, they pick apart everything I do, KNOWING that I have not had adequate training in anything.