My old mentor told me to always take the first job offer you get, no matter what.

He said it was about getting your foot in the door and building experience fast. I followed that advice right out of school and took a low-paying office job in Portland that I hated. After six months of feeling stuck, I quit and held out for a better fit. Has anyone else been given that 'take anything' advice and regretted it?

4 comments

4 Comments

diana5121mo ago

Ugh, that's rough. What kind of work were you actually hoping to do when you graduated, and did that first job give you any skills that helped you later, or was it a total waste of time?

danielnelson1mo ago

My uncle gave me the same advice in Cleveland. Said to grab the first retail manager spot I could. It paid the bills but taught me nothing for my actual field. That "foot in the door" only works if it's the right building. Sometimes a bad first job just wastes time you could spend looking for a good one.

avery_ross1mo ago

Foot in the door" advice can really backfire.

gibson.avery1d ago

Depends on the door, I guess. Sometimes you just need any job to stop the panic spiral while you figure things out.