You took that first science job after graduating because times are tough and you got tired of your friends kidding you about still living with your parents.
So now you’re gainfully employed and the job’s not what you expected. You’re anxious to leave, but the economy seems to be getting worse. Besides, you’ve got school loans to pay off and you like that steady paycheck. So how long should you stay without looking like you’re an impulsive job hopper? Some suggestions:
6 months, but don’t make it a habit. If you can hang in there for at least 6 months, future HR managers and employers will cut you some slack, since you’re fresh out of college and were eager to take anything that came along to pay off bills. Just don’t make a habit of job-hopping every 6 months. Do some research about the next job and make sure it’s pretty close to what you want, and that you’ll commit to it for two years or longer.
If you’re miserable, it will show. Most entry-level science jobs are repetitive and procedural. If you can’t stand the tedium and don’t want to “pay your dues,” it’s better to leave early than descend into a place that robs you of motivation and performance. Working with a negative mind set will ultimately get you bad reviews and impact your ability to get that next job.
Bite the bullet. Sometimes there’s a big disconnect between work and school. In school, you’re, for the most part, judged as an individual. Term papers, tests, reports, dissertations—they’re uniquely and solely yours. At work, there’s no “i” in Team. And teamwork is king. You have to get along and work with people you may not like or agree with, but there are tasks to be done, projects with deadlines to complete. And you have to depend on other people to complete them. It’s a different performance paradigm and you have to adjust. If this is what’s bugging you, suck it up and get with the program.
If you have any thoughts on when to leave that first job out of college, feel free to share them in the comments section.
Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients. Please see more of his blogs and view additional job postings on Nexxt.
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