Many people feel a bit of anxiety (fear) when they are first trying something new. It is totally natural that you might not be as sure of yourself as you normally are if you' ve been hired for a position in an entirely new field. Remember, when you were younger - did you ever think that going into the sixth grade or starting high school was REALLY scary? Yet, you made it!

I am not necessarily recommending that you DO or DO NOT take on this new challenge, but I suggest that you ask yourself the following questions to see whether or not it' s a risk you' d like to take:

Have I ever learned a brand new subject or skill from "scratch" without knowing anything about it? How did I do? Did I quickly succeed? Did I have a rough time at first but then get better? Did I get better with a lot of practice? By seeking help? By "sleeping on it" and coming up with an intuitive solution?

How good am I at calming myself down when I feel nervous or that my thoughts are racing and my heart is thumping? Do I take a deep breath? Do I walk away? Do I forge straight forward into the problem until it is solved? Do I pray or meditate? Do I go out and do something fun, just to releive a bit of the pressure?

Do I say things to "MYSELF" (also called POSITIVE "SELF TALK" like: "I know I can do it." or "I am an intelligent and competent learner." or "The more I practice and apply myself, the better I get." or "It is OK NOT to be perfect - I will be satisfied if I am just striving to do my best." or "It is OK to make a mistake. I can learn from it and move on." or EVEN, "If I fail at a task, I will look at it as a positive learning experience." or simply, "I am a competent person and I like myself whether I fail or succeed."

Now, many people who have anxiety, (I am not necessarily saying YOU in particular) unconsciously practice NEGATIVE self-talk like: "I' ll never make it." or "I' m not good enough." or "I can' t stand up to the pressure."

No one but you really knows how strong your feelings are or whether you should take this job or not. Changing negative self-talk to positive self talk is part of the solution, but certainly not ALL of it.

Think about it this way - If you were honest in the interview about what you DO and DO NOT know in terms of this industry or position, then THEY made a decision to hire you knowing your present level of capability. You were honest and THEY were willing to take a risk on YOU!

You might decide, especially if the job offers higher pay AND it is something you' d like to learn anyway, to TAKE A RISK on THEM by moving ahead and tackling the new position head-on.

Think about every time you' ve ever learned something new:  how to ride a bike, how to read, how to approach dating and relationships, how to drive a car, etc. It' s almost always a little bit scary. 

If you are really concerned about their expectations of you, why don' t you have a talk with the person who hired you and let them know you really want to work there, but that you expect there will be a learning period (called "ramp up time") before you get fully up to speed. If they' re understanding and reasonable and your anxiety is lessened, why not give it a try.

If, on the other hand, they seem rigid, unreasonable, rude or overly impatient, it is probably not the kind of management team you' d like to work for anyway.

By the way, people change CAREERS (not jobs), on average, up to FIVE times in a lifetime. Most everyone has had an experience where they didn' t feel fully prepared - or maybe even felt terrified, but the fear wore off as soon as they had taken a few steps forward.

Whatever you decide to do, I wish you confidence and I wish you well.