Had a manager tell me to stop asking questions at my first job. Was he right or just impatient?

This was back in 2018 at a small marketing agency in Phoenix. I was fresh out of school and kept asking my boss why we did certain things a specific way. After about 3 weeks he pulled me aside and said "Look, just do what I tell you and stop questioning everything." I thought he was a jerk. But 6 months later I realized I was slowing things down by needing to understand every detail before acting. Now I see both sides. Did you ever have someone shut down your curiosity at work and did it help you or hold you back?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa_jones219h ago

Jumped in headfirst at my first real job and asked my boss why we used spreadsheets instead of a database. He just stared at me for like 10 seconds and said "because we've always done it this way, kid." I kept pushing and ended up getting assigned to sit in the supply closet for a week organizing old file cabinets. Looking back, I was that annoying new person who thought questioning everything made me look smart when really I was just slowing down people who had deadlines. Your mileage may vary but sometimes the best lesson is learning when to shut up and get the work done first.

olivere306h ago

Read something similar in a Hacker News thread last week. People hate change.