Freedom is frightening
"Some people just can't handle the freedom", my philosophy teacher would say, when he talked about new consultants joining his firm from public administration. "There's no boss telling them what to do or to shift responsibility to — it's frightening".
After the last briefing on our five-weeks exam project, I can sense many of my co-students feels the same fright for freedom. Our problem definitions are much looser than usual. There's an actual company involved presenting actual work products. Much unlike the constrained world of known sales functions and marginal cost and revenue meeting at a perfect 100.
So naturally, frustrations came crying in form of questions. "So what are we supposed to do?! Just guess everything?!?", or better yet, "But what does this box contain? Tell me! I need to know what this box contains" (speaking of a project management plan from the company).
I share equal parts pity, annoyance, and apathy with their frustrations. No wait. I share a brief moment of pity followed by enough annoyance to instill apathy. I wish they could ask themselves: Will venting by whining make the definitions ring any clearer? Don't bother pondering, the answer is no.
