What's one thing that turned out to matter WAY more than I expected when I first started working?

so I've been in my job a couple years now and honestly the thing that hit me hardest is how much your relationship with your manager decides basically your whole experience at a company.

like growing up (and even in interviews) everyone hypes up "just work hard and be good at your job and you'll be fine." and sure that helps. but nobody tells you that if your manager doesn't get you, or just isn't a good manager, none of that matters as much as you'd think. you can be crushing it and still feel miserable. meanwhile if you've got someone who actually has your back, even the rough weeks feel manageable because you trust they're not gonna throw you under the bus.

i used to think the actual work/tasks were like 90% of the job. turns out it's more like 40%, and the other 60% is who you report to — how they communicate, whether they fight for you when raises or promotions come up, whether they even notice what you're doing.

kinda wish someone had told me this before i just assumed "hard work always gets seen" is universally true no matter who's above you.

anyone else run into this? what's the thing that surprised you most once you actually started working full time?