Abstract
Newly graduated social workers often experience their first period as professionals as challenging. Complexity is a word frequently used to describe not only the newcomers’ situation, but also social work in general. The present study is based on life mode interviews with social workers who started their careers in child protection services, focusing on their daily lives as newly graduated professionals. Theoretically, the study draws on theories of situated participation in communities of practice and narrative theory. In order to explore aspects of complexity in professional work, thematic analysis was used. Four aspects of the participants’ accounts of their daily work were found to be prominent: multiplicity, uncertainty, professional divergence and emotional strains. In addition, the article discusses how being a newcomer intersects with these aspects of the professional conduct. The article provides useful knowledge for the educators who prepare students for their professional lives, as well as for those who guide and support the newcomers at the workplaces.