If there’s one
piece of advice I have on this topic, it’s that your career is a journey, not a
destination. The perfect first job
doesn’t exist, so look at your first
post-college positions as temporary stops on your career path instead of
permanent ones. There is no way you can reasonably predict how you will develop as a
person and a professional in the next 10 or 20 years – why try?
A sensible
approach is to insist on a single, intelligent first step and look for a job
that will allow you to acquire as many transferable skills (project management,
sales, marketing, client relations, etc.) as possible so that you will be
well-prepared for any career you decide to pursue in the future.
Also, don't be in such a rush to be
promoted in that first job -- you have a long career life ahead of you to
shoulder the heavy burden of being on top and thus responsible for employees’
livelihoods and the company’s bottom line.
Enjoy this time in which you don’t have to worry about anyone but
yourself and are getting paid to learn everything you can. Explore any and all opportunities that
interest you and make an effort to meet people from all walks of life, and
eventually you’ll hit upon something that feels right.
career is a journey, not a destination.
A sensible approach is to insist on a single, intelligent first step and look for a job that will allow you to acquire as many transferable skills (project management, sales, marketing, client relations, etc.) as possible so that you will be well-prepared for any career you decide to pursue in the future.
You said it all.
Posted by: MTS Converter | April 19, 2010 at 07:36 AM
I keep telling my girlfriend, who graduated last year and is not able to find a "good well paying" job, the same things you say here. But she doesn't listen. She feels someone is going to land her, her dream job someday. She also doesn't want to move around, so she passed around an opportunity that could have been useful as her first step!
Not sure how to communicate this to her.
Posted by: Sam | April 19, 2010 at 04:16 PM
@Kingsley: I have heard this about IT - thanks for confirming!
@Lydia: Thanks so much for reading, glad you found it helpful!
@SR: And it sounds like each one of your jobs has allowed you to pick up valuable skills along the way!
@Jun: Good for you, and 26 is the PERFECT age to do this.
@DCJobs: Completely agree on the stress point. My grandmother often talks about this - she says she felt little stress because she had fewer choices when she was young.
@Andrew: It's everywhere, but I think in the East it's particularly prevalent (China, Singapore, etc.)
@DIT: Work hard and learn hard and get rewarded. Thanks for the inspiring story!
@LP: But what happens if you don't have enough money to retire at 35? Few people do, even if they did work 90 hours a week.
@Mary: I agree, temping is underrated, and it's a great way to test drive a career with minimal risk.
@Jorge: Please wish your daughter luck, and I'll look for your posts!
Posted by: Alexandra Levit | April 22, 2010 at 05:40 PM
Great post!
"If there’s one piece of advice I have on this topic, it’s that your career is a journey, not a destination. The perfect first job doesn’t exist, so look at your first post-college positions as temporary stops on your career path instead of permanent ones."
This is the exact same philosophy behind my blog GenYJourey.com. It's about the journey, what you learn along the way and how you use it in your career.
I have to admit..I feel a tremendous amount of pressure to "not fail". I feel it from family, friends, my audience, my employer. It comes from everywhere! But my goal is always to develop those transferable skills that will make me better on the next stop in my "journey"
Posted by: Tyler Durbin | April 28, 2010 at 02:47 PM
Wow..where were you 10 years ago! Great advice.
Posted by: Onereason | May 02, 2010 at 09:16 PM
Very good article guys I like it alot. Thank you.
Posted by: planning jobs | July 22, 2010 at 03:42 PM