I was a student for many years (5 years of undergrad, 2.5 years of grad school), and I became very comfortable with always being able to look at the syllabus and my grade and know what I needed to do and how well I was performing. Work isn’t like that. Like I think is normal, I get a performance review once a year. I find this unsettling, because even though I come in and do decent work, I still often feel like I’m doing something “wrong” and worry that I’m secretly on the cusp of being fired. Folks who have maybe been working for longer than I have, how do you feel and stay confident in your work?
Your boss is screwing up.
They should make it very clear what you are expected to do, what the parameters of your job are, and whether you are meeting them. You can’t improve if you don’t know what your weaknesses are.
What can you do about it? I’d look at your last performance review. If there are suggestions for improvement, I’d start by working on those. If there aren’t, tell your boss you’re interested in doing better, and you’re looking for suggestions.