Best Course of Action for New Job?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hi Everyone! I’ve been reading the forums for quite awhile now and thought it was time to join. I’m having difficulty making a decision at the moment, and was hoping some of you could offer some advice.

I’m currently 18 and have just started a new job at a local department store. I originally applied figuring I could use it to fill some time during the summer before my first semester of college. I truly have no interest in working in the food industry, so I figured retail must not be a bad choice. I had one other job in the past, however it was seasonal.

Now a little over a month in, I am coming to find the job quite uninspiring. The majority of the time I work in the shoe department, meaning I spend literally hours rearranging shoe boxes. I assist maybe three guests a day, which I do enjoy, but that also means a pretty lonely work day. I don’t ever leave feeling really accomplished, or in a higher spirit than when I started. And this is all for basically minimum wage.

I have also began taking summer courses at the local community college, which I immensely enjoy. Academics have always been important to me, and honestly I think I’d rather spend time studying than working. Additionally, I do run a small online business refurbishing older appliances, which provides some but very inconsistent income.

While I’m tempted to resign from the department store, I am also worried of the consciences. Scholarships will pay for most my college education, and while I don’t necessarily need the money, it seems like I should stick with some sort of consistent income for savings and security. Yet at the same time, I feel like academics should be my primary focus, and extra time to spend with my family and hobbies would be fantastic.

What do you think is the best course of action? Should I stick with, IMHO, a dull job, or shift my focus elsewhere? If I do quit, what would be the consequences with finding another job in the future? One month is a pretty short period, and I’d hate to look irresponsible or inconsistent.

Thanks!

2

Most jobs available to students are going to suck. Nature of the beast. The money you earn either outweighs the suckitude, or it doesn’t. Your call.

3

If you plan to eventually work in anything vaguely office-y (and most jobs are along those lines) I’d suggest trying to get an office job of some sort. It can be equally soil sucking, but it’s valuable to be able to demonstrate you have basic office skills.

4

From one who worked at home online, freelancing for two years, I can aim you in some good directions. I still work at home, but for the past four years I have worked in a remote call center environment, i.e. my desk in my room, taking insurance claims.

Here’s an article a friend just posted regarding the company formerly known as oDesk, now Upwork. Getting started working at home can be overwhelming, but I’d be happy to help you find your way.

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Working-9-to-5-becoming-a-less-popular-way-to-6303917.php

5

Once in college for a few years, you might be able to get an internship in your field of study. If you are lucky, it might even be a paying internship that could lead to a job after college.

Speaking of after college, what are you going to study? If you don’t pick wisely, you may well be back to some uninspiring job after you graduate. If it’s fun to study, chances are that the job market for it is saturated. There’s just so many jobs as a History Major for example. My kids are a mechanical engineer, certified public accountant, and a high school science teacher. Not the most fun fields of study, but they all make a very good living.

6

The three rules for any job are:

  1. Get along with everybody
  2. Be there on time
  3. Do the work well

More people get fired for violating the first two rules. In any job, you have to get along with people and be there when scheduled.

You are learning three skills, which will be important in any job you ever have. Someone has to rearrange shoe boxes. You have little say in what an employer tells you to do.

7

Second this. It’s very unlikely that an eighteen-year-old is going to find an exciting, fulfilling job. Presumably the summer classes don’t occupy the entire week, so you have the time to continue with the job and go to school. Perhaps eventually the department store will move you to a role as a cashier or some other job. (And then you can see just how much working with the public all day long can suck.) And you can continue to look for jobs elsewhere. But I wouldn’t give up the income, however small, if I were you.

8

Can you answer a phone? Write legibly? Are you organized? Try a receptionist job.

9

3X

A little personal income is nice and you may hit a patch in college where you’ll want to retreat to a mindless job to have some structure and stay sane. Also you’re building a resume as a longer-term, reliable worker. But keep aware of other opportunities and internships which could look even better on a resume. The unemployed straight-A college graduate is usually NOT a person that gets hired.

10

If you can tolerate it, I would stay at the soul crushing job and look for a new one that can advance your career, even if it’s an unpaid internship. I would stay mostly for the reasons you mentioned. Because it would give you additional income and it does look better on your resume the more work experience you have.

I would quit if you have the following issues:

  1. If you find that you’re not looking for a new job because this one takes up too much of your time and energy, then I would quite. The goal is to use this job for advancement, not stagnation.

  2. If it becomes too depressing and you start to experience psychological issues. If, for example, you start drinking just to get through the day, then I would quit.

11

Think of it this way. A shitty, soul-crushing job is motivation to stay in school and do well so that you’re not doing the same sort of shitty, soul-crushing work when you’re older.

12

A summer job is just that, a summer job. You do it for the summer, while spending your free time enjoying yourself or studying and attending summer classes. It teaches you (and demonstrates to future potential employers) that you can show up on time every day and do the work you are assigned. It doesn’t need to be inspiring or fun. At the end of the summer you can quit, with some extra savings in the bank, some good discipline, and a better idea of what type of job will be best for you.

My early summer job history included:

Cafeteria worker
McDonald’s
File clerk at law firm

None of them was fun, or inspiring (the law firm job is one reason why I am not a lawyer today). But they earned me some cash and taught me about the working world. Looking back, I have no regrets, and I take pride in the fact that I had the determination to work even if it was sometimes dull and difficult.

13

If you’re like me, then you’re going to have so much extra time in the first few years of college that you will need a job just to stay sane. You go to school 2 or 3 hours a day. With that schedule you can hold down a job and still have time to study and party.

It’s nice not to worry about having enough money to go out to dinner or buy some groceries.

14

The summer jobs you have during college are hardly ever inspiring. Mine went from totally boring (doing filing) to delivering mail (got to be outside) to being a messenger in Manhattan before bicycles were used. (Got to see lots of the city.) good motivator for doing well in college.

Why only three customers? Is that who come in or is that who the full times will let you serve? Much of any job involves communication. You can put on a happy face, try to upsell them, and see which strategies work best.
Or, look for things which can be done more efficiently and suggest ways of improvement. Many jobs are boring, but if you find something in them they can be better.

15

Thank you all for your responses and insights. I guess I’ll see how things go. It’s an interesting time filled with change at the moment, and I’m still trying to figure out how to navigate through it all. Thanks again!

16

There’s nothing like having a sucky job to make you appreciate a better one. I did my share, now I get to sit down! There’s air conditioning! And they pay me!

17

It’s a summer job, not a career choice. Not only that, but it sounds like it’s a part-time job. Stick it out until the fall semester, give two weeks notice, and ask your supervisor to be a reference when you look for your next job.