Many of you reading this are done with college and now hunting for that first job.
I was born in 1987 and our graduating class has either just finished college or is already in the workforce. This is an interesting time because you just don’t know what’s going to happen next.
What’s the first job that you should accept after college? I wanted to break this article down into two different sections for finding work after school:
- When you have massive amounts of student debt.
- When your debt is pretty low.
What should you do for work when you have a serious amount of debt?
If you don’t come out of college with a guaranteed job and you owe tons of money, you have to be ready to work. Find any job that pays you. You need to have money coming in. You’re in a tight spot and you’re only solution for getting out is a little hard work and consistency.
If I was in this boat I would find the first job I can, make my student loan payments, and then find more work to focus on crushing that student loan debt. My only goal would be to clear off all of my debts from college.
What about finding a career when you have massive amounts of debt? By this point you’re going to argue that working a low-end job isn’t worth it when on the career hunt. I have to disagree with that notion. You can’t be picky. I believe that you should focus on becoming debt free so that you can live a better life as you get older.
What should you do if you feel that you can be picky? Let’s look at the flip side of the coin for those that managed to squeak by college without insane debt.
If you worked your butt off or had parents that helped you out huge, you’ll be in a unique position. You don’t have to accept the first gig that pays you more than $10/hour that comes your way.
This is the best scenario to be involved in. I would suggest that you put your energy into a project that you’re passionate about. I put my energy into writing about personal finance and traveling. You’re only young once. As long as your bills are paid, this is the best time to take some risks and see what life has to offer.
What’s scary isn’t the idea of trying and failing. The real horrifying possibility is to keep on going on with the same old stuff. You can take some chances and see what happens. The worst case scenario is that you go back on the job hunt.
What’s the first job that you found after college? How long did it take you?
