Q: I got an entry-level position in a small human resource department after graduating with a general business degree from (to be honest) an average school. I know I should feel lucky to have been hired, and I'm doing the work I've been given, which hasn't been difficult. But I'm already wondering how long I can work in this job.

My coworker is not interested in teaching me anything I don't need to know; it's like making sure I know my place. I've said nothing to show I want her job, but I want to learn about HR. I'm not an aggressive, threatening kind of person, but I also don't want to be treated like all I can be is a clerk.

When I ask questions, if it doesn't relate to anything I need to know, she won't answer me. She answers me with, "Focus on what needs to be done." I know enough to not bother her or the head when they're busy, but they could train me when they're not. I want to feel worthwhile and appreciated, but I don't know what I can say to show them I just want to learn the work. I think playing the sympathy card would be as bad as repeatedly asking them.

A: Your coworker may be protecting her job and her connection to the boss, and your questions may tell her you accepted the job intending to move in on her territory rather than happily working on your tasks. Start by appreciating your job daily. Your attitude will show and give your co-worker a greater sense of trust in you. Accept that she will explain only the work you need to know. Take steps to educate yourself if you want to increase your knowledge and develop skills necessary for a career in HR.

The human resource field covers a wide range of routine tasks to sophisticated interviewing to understanding data collection and its purpose. Though you're not an attorney and will not be relied on for legal advice, you should also gain knowledge of the legal issues that may arise. If you want to immerse yourself in HR and surprise your co-worker and boss of your knowledge, use The Big Book of HR, Revised and Updated Edition by Barbara Mitchell and Cornelia Gamlem (Career Press, Wayne, NJ, 2017) as your course book to fill in the general business education you received. It is presented in five sections, covering separate areas in HR that you may choose as a specialty.

Employee training benefits each trainee, but is intended to benefit the company when the training is particular to company systems, practices, and procedures. It is not, however, a company's responsibility to teach employees an area they missed learning about due to college curriculum.

The Big Book of HR sections cover hiring employees to meet the company's strategic goals; employee engagement and retention; compensation and legal issues; employee development; and employee relations. If you approach the book as a business course missing from your general business curriculum, you will learn information to set yourself apart as a HR professional, add greater value to any HR department and help you move up the ladder in HR or to a company making a global impact.

Email all questions to [email protected]. For more about her, visit www.lindseyparkernovak.com or follow her on Twitter @TheLindseyNovak and Facebook at Lindsey.Novak.12. For past columns, visit Creators Syndicate Website at www.creators.com.