When can a job become a career?

December 2, 2009 – 10:20 am – No Comment

Coming out of college, many people may be facing the same dilemma. Not only can they not find work, but the jobs that they are able to find simply don’t suit them or won’t pay the student loan bill. So, when is it okay to take a lower paying job and hope that it turns into a career?

Well, this is where it comes time to start talking to your coworkers. If you’re working at a retail store and aren’t making too much, start asking around to see:

What other people are making

How long they’ve been there

What kind of education they have

While this may seem to be a bit personal to ask some people these questions, the people who are equal to you are more likely to answer the questions and you’ll quickly discover if your job is a dead end job or if this job can become a career.

Today I came across a girl around my age, who graduated with a marketing degree from the same college I did in 2007 and can’t find work either. She has been working at the retail store for over a year and a half however, she is earning $1 an hour less than I am.

After talking to her and some of the people around the store who are a bit less educated than I am, I have discovered that this is likely a dead end job where the people who work higher up in the store rarely leave and corporate typically will look over this store when they begin looking for new hires in their offices.

It’s easy to tell when your job is a dead end job after you’ve asked around, but what if it’s a career? Well, you’ll likely hear that people are promoted more often than not and you’ve heard of at least a couple of people who have been moved into corporate or at least a regional position after being at the store for a few years.