From College to Career: 10 Common Challenges New Grads Face in Their First MedTech Job (and How to Get Ahead)

Starting your first job in the medical device industry out of college is exciting—but it can also feel overwhelming. The transition from classroom to career is full of new expectations, unfamiliar dynamics, and high stakes.

​While every new grad’s journey is unique, many face the same core challenges in their early roles. These challenges can be so consistent across the board it’s common to hear medical device employers complaining about the same ‘song and dance’ behind closed doors over and over again.  Their chief complaint – why are so many undergraduates unprepared for industry when they leave academia?

While this article isn’t going to necessarily tackle the purported problems within academia, it will bring to light the issue and how you, recent or soon to be grad, can be better prepared to address it in your own career.  Parents – if you have a child who is in college at present, make sure they read this article.  While yes, it will help them with their job once they have it, but it could also help them land the very job we’re trying to keep. 

So here’s the good news? Most of these new grad, or new career hurdles for that matter, are manageable with the right mindset and proactive strategies. Here are the 10 most common challenges new graduates face in their first job—and how to get ahead of each one with realistic solutions.
 
1. Lack of Real-World Experience 
College taught the theory, but not necessarily how you apply it. This is a giant issue, especially in the engineering world where theories don’t always lend themselves to real world applications.  Case and point – the concept of Laplace Transforms.  While understanding the concept may be valuable for personal knowledge, memorizing all the transform pairs or doing hand calculations is rarely required in industry.  Today, we have dozens of tools which help us through this process such as MATLAB, Python, etc.  In this example we may understand the textbook principle behind it, but have no bearing on its usefulness in a real world setting.

What also doesn’t help is just not having any experience at all.  Academia and industry are two completely different structures, requiring different approaches and mindsets to be successful.  Having literally no working experience whatsoever when you graduate from college is another way people struggle early in their career as we’ll learn in #2-10 below.
Get Ahead: Intern during school, or do part-time work, take freelance projects, and don’t hesitate to ask questions. Learn by doing, observing, and iterating.
 
2. Weak Communication Skills
Knowing what to say isn’t enough—you also need to know how to say it.  Communicating solely through text or message boards is a disaster waiting to happen.
Get Ahead: Practice concise, professional writing and public speaking. Use feedback to refine your tone and clarity. Watch how skilled colleagues communicate. If you have something critical or sensitive to communicate never wait until the last minute and always try to do so in-person or at a minimum via video.  Stay off text and emails when communicating information which can be construed as sensitive.
 
3. Poor Time Management
Deadlines in school were flexible. In work? Not so much.  If you know you have a deadline coming up on Friday, August 1st (to pick a random date), the time to communicate you are potentially at risk of missing said deadline is not on Friday, August 1st.  It’s not Thursday, July 31st either.  Procrastination is dead giveaway you don’t have your crap together, which then signals to everyone around you the very same message.  A last note here – being late or tardy is just flat out unacceptable.  I tell my employees – if you are one time, you’re already late.  If you have a meeting to attend, show up 5 minutes early, set up your laptop or notepad and be ready to rock when the meeting starts.  Walking in the door at that time and then setting up your gear is disrespectful.
Get Ahead: Use calendars, to-do lists, or project management tools. Prioritize daily, time-block your schedule, and avoid multitasking.
 
4. Unrealistic Expectations
Many grads expect fast promotions, creative freedom, or perfect alignment with passions—immediately.  You will not be CEO in your first year of your career.  Make your bones, or establish one’s bona fides, is a good ole fashion reminder that things take time and you need to be willing to allow for that time to pass, assuming you’re doing the work required to benefit from said time in the first place.
Get Ahead: Reframe the first year as a launchpad for learning. Success is about growth, not glory. Ask for feedback, not titles.  Seek training and ways to develop your skills.  The compensation, titles and exciting work will follow, eventually.

5. Navigating Office Politics and Culture
The unspoken rules matter just as much as the written ones. Office politics and culture exist in every organization.  Learn how your company operates and try to act accordingly. 
Get Ahead: Listen, observe, and ask about company norms. Stay professional, avoid gossip, and find mentors who model the culture well.
 
6. Impostor Syndrome
"Am I even qualified for this?" (Spoiler: You are.)  This is particularly important for women as many women, according to Sheryl Sanberg’s best selling book Lean In, struggle with ‘not raising their hand until it’s a sure thing’.  Waiting until someone tells you you are qualified is a missed opportunity.  If you’re in a new job and feeling like it’s above your abilities – seek help and so quickly!
Get Ahead: Everyone starts somewhere. Document your wins, ask questions, and surround yourself with supportive peers and mentors.
 
7. Lack of Initiative
Waiting to be told what to do is a missed opportunity and a potential sign of a lack of good work ethic.  Throw away the phrase, “that’s not a part of my job description”.  Opportunities favor those who are willing to go the extra mile, especially those who are proactive.  Ruminating on issues without offering a solution is folly easily avoided.
Get Ahead: Be proactive. Offer help. Suggest improvements and solutions. Even small ideas show that you’re thinking ahead and taking ownership.
 
8. Difficulty Accepting Feedback
Feedback isn't failure—it's your roadmap to growth.  If you find yourself becoming argumentative or defensive when someone is sharing feedback, that’s the first sign you need to adjust your thinking and mindset. 
Get Ahead: Seek out feedback, ask for examples, and apply it quickly. Say “thank you,” not “but…” when receiving constructive input.
 
9. Struggling to Network Internally
Knowing your team is good. Knowing across teams is better.  I struggled with this in my early career as I thought my work, and work ethic, would speak for itself.  It didn’t, and I found myself missing out on a promotion because the other leaders the next rung up the ladder didn’t know me as a person and what I was all about.  Why, because I never took the time to invest in those relationships.  People often times go to bat for those they know and trust, if you’ve done nothing to earn their trust the chance they’ll go to bat for you in significantly reduced.
Get Ahead: Schedule coffee chats, attend events, or simply ask colleagues about their work. Internal networks drive collaboration—and visibility.
 
10. Limited Business Understanding
You’re not just doing tasks—you’re helping move the company forward.  All employees should know and understand what the mission of their employer is and how their departments work funnels into that.  We also lose sight of other people’s goals and objectives which in turn can hurt us from a lack of big picture understanding.
Get Ahead: Learn how your role connects to company goals. Read internal reports, attend cross-team meetings, and stay curious about the bigger picture.

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​Afterword
The first job out of college is full of lessons, and no one expects perfection. What matters most is your willingness to learn, adapt, and grow. Every challenge you face now builds the foundation for the professional you’re becoming.  One thing to remember is this – the way you show up, both physically and mentally, is often the experience you’ll get.  Treat every situation, even your pizza delivery job, as a training ground for the next best thing.  A strong work ethic with a sprinkling of grit and proactiveness will take you far in your new frontier.