A few others have said it but I'll repeat: talk to your manager about this. One of a manager's many responsibilities is to be a "shit umbrella". This means tak

A few others have said it but I'll repeat: talk to your manager about this. One of a manager's many responsibilities is to be a "shit umbrella". This means taking the often direct, often unfiltered (often ill-informed and ill-considered) feedback of higher-ups and filtering down to only what you need to hear to actually help you do your job. And conversely, when these opinions are shared, another responsibility is to "manage up" and guide or reset expectations, filling in gaps. When the umbrella is absent, we all get drenched. It happens to everyone at some point. One reason this experience was so shocking is because it came entirely out of the blue. That was probably by design of your manager - they didn't share these concerns about your project because you don't need to hear them right now. Your manager knows the project is overdue, your manager knows they need you working on other things ASAP. And your manager also knows you, your strengths, and some areas that can be improved. And your manager is... managing all those variables. These aren't things you should have to worry about at this stage of your career. And chances are, what the higher-level boss says about your current project has little correlation to your security at the company. It's just brutally unfiltered (and unhelpful) feedback about the project. The only person with enough context to have that conversation is likely your manager. Talk to your manager about the conversation you got stuck in and your concerns. You'll feel a lot better after.