According to the National Center For Education, the average cost of a public four-year university hovers somewhere around $20,000 a year when you factor in tuition plus expenses. A private university is upwards of $30,000. Most students leave college weighed down by substantial debt and often struggle to keep up with student loan payments. As a result, finding a job after college becomes a matter of survival.
If you are like most people, and you most surely are, this first job is probably not going to be your ideal situation. In fact, it may suck....it may suck a lot. And you'll be thinking...those guys from Office Space were lucky.
My first job, selling computers at an electronics store, made me feel like I was selling off parts of my soul in the form of screen protectors and extended warranties. I am not a natural salesperson and felt awkward and a little ashamed trying to convince people to buy things they didn't really need. I found no joy in the work and had very little in common with my co-workers. I was miserable and wanted to scratch out my eyes for the first few weeks. Worse yet, it made me feel defeated. I was not living for my dream, I was living for a paycheck.
I hated feeling that way and it took a lot of effort to change my outlook. But when I did, I gained some knowledge I now feel will be essential to my success in the future. I conquered the dread and you can too! Here are a few tips to help you navigate the mind numbing waters of that first post-college job.
1) Always have a goal.
It doesn't matter what it is, but you should always be working towards something. This can be career orientated such as, "I'm going to keep this job while I am applying to other companies in my field." or it can be more personal, "I'm going to keep this job so that I can save up money and take a trip to Narnia!" Whatever it is, a goal will give you something positive to focus on, even if your current job is unsatisfying.
2) Always keep moving.
One of the best things you can do to make sure you are always moving towards your goal is to give yourself a cutoff date. Tell yourself, "I am going to keep this job for X weeks/months/years and if I haven't found anything else, I am going to quit and change my strategy." This will make you more proactive in reaching your goals and move you closer to your dreams. Even if at the end of X weeks/months/years, you don't feel any closer to that goal, changing crappy jobs can be just as helpful. The change will challenge you and give you a new experience different from your current one. Remember it's only temporary!
3) Always covet new skills.
This was a big help to me. Although I have no desire to be a salesperson again, there are a lot of good things I learned from that job that I can apply to the rest of my life. For instance, being a salesperson taught me confidence and gave me the ability to approach strangers and strike up a conversation. I also gained technical knowledge about computers that may be of benefit to me if I take a job requiring technical knowledge. There is always something to take away from the job, no matter how ridiculous you might think it is. Again, focusing on these things shifted me from the negative of what I was doing, to the positive of what I was learning. You'd be surprised how random things can help you later on.
4) Always challenge yourself.
Doing a mediocre job is pointless. Just because you feel that the job you are doing isn't ideal, doesn't mean you should half ass it. You'll pick up bad habits and your work ethic will suffer. Plus, you'll just get depressed. You will get more credit at your job and it will be a boost to your self confidence if you do your best work. If you are going to be a fry cook, strive to be the greatest fry cook the world has ever known! Not to mention that, should you need a recommendation from an employer, you want it to be a gleaming one. It may be the difference between getting another job as a fry cook and becoming a manager. (No joke, this happened to a friend of mine.)
5) Always Don't be a cliche
We are the Millennials. One of the main complaints about our generation is our sense of entitlement to...everything! We want what we want and we want it now! I have seen many of my peers fall pray to this malady. No job is beneath you. It may not be what you want for yourself, and that's just fine, but a job is a job. Unless we have names like Hilton or Helu, we must all take these types of jobs. It is a part of growing up and will give you a frame of reference for future success.
Remember, it's just temporary. Someday you will look back at your first jobs after college and laugh from your private Caribbean Island. Now go out there and BE SOMEBODY!
Source:
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2010/08/24/the-average-cost-of-a-us-college-education
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