We all start somewhere. Our entry level jobs are often our gateway into our respective industries. They’re an experience that will forever mark your humble beginnings; memories that will last your whole career. That’s if we’re lucky. Entry level jobs can also be a crap experience! Whether it be the pay, potential or environment, we find ourselves questioning our career choices. Regardless of which situation resonates with you, it’s a question nearly all new employees ask themselves: “How long should I stay at my entry level job?”. In this article, we’re going to try and help you answer that question by asking some questions ourselves!
Is Your Entry Level Job In Your Desired Field?
Whether or not an entry-level job is everything you ever hoped for, it’s worth taking a step back and looking at the big picture.
If you’re working in the field you plan to pursue a career in, it’s important to work in as relevant of a position as possible, even at an entry-level.
Entry level jobs are what set you up for your next position. The longer we work outside of our field of choice, the harder it will be to make the transition later.
If your entry level job IS in your desired field, check out the next section.
If your job is not in your field of choice, the time to leave is most likely now, or within the next few months. Even if you are in the wrong field, though, it’s worth looking at the sections below.
Have You Decided On A Desired Field Or Career Path?
If wondering whether or not you should stay at your entry level, it’s important to know what you’re really looking for.
If you’ve already decided on the career path for you – great! That’s not always an easy task.
Having said that, you should still determine whether or not your current entry level position is going to suit you moving forward. Check out the next sections for more!
If you’re still unsure as to which field you actually want to purse, it still makes sense to sit tight for now and not leave your entry level job.
As much as you may want to leave – either because you just don’t like it or because you don’t want to continue in that field – it’s best to figure out what you DO want before you leave.
The amount of time this takes is ultimately up to you, but when trying to figure out your future, it doesn’t hurt to have a paycheck coming in.
How Does Your Future Path Look? Will You Receive Promotions & Raises?
No matter how much you love your entry level job, you must consider whether or not you truly have a future in that organization.
If you’ve got some room for upward mobility and you’re working in your desired field, it makes sense to stay put for 1-2 years.
Worst case, you’ll gain desired experience in a position directly related to your profession. Even if you stay for a year or two and don’t get a promotion, there’s not much actually lost – you’ll have the experience and skills necessary to move forward elsewhere.
If the quality and caliber of work you’re doing is worth more than you’re getting paid, I would recommend first asking for a raise, then staying no more than 6 months in order to get that raise.
Entry level employees are at a stage where managers can ‘exploit’ them to do lots of work for little gain. Some managers will say you “need to prove yourself” before a raise can be given. That’s fine and fair, but can’t go on forever. In these instances, limit yourself to 6 more months before starting to move on.
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Will You Work In A Higher Position At Another Organization?
Job markets are competitive – the best employment ‘deals’ we can find [i.e. raises] are when we move from one organization to another.
What’s the catch? We usually need to be getting a promotion when we switch companies. We must be moving up the ladder. How do we do that if we don’t have experience?
It’s essential that we know exactly what the next step in our career looks like. For example, are we Assistant Project Managers looking to be promoted to Project Manager?
If so, what do other organizations require of their Project Managers. The going standard seems to be seven years of relevant experience for P.M. job listings. If you’re an Assistant P.M. with two years of experience, you probably won’t be getting promoted at any organization.
Once you know what a promotion with another organization will require, you can plot your next move.
If you can make a lateral move that sets you up nicely in the near future, the time to do so is now.
If you still need several more years of experience before you get a promotion anywhere else, it’s not the worst thing to just stay put. Unless the pay is garbage or the company is terrible to work for, you sort of need to bide your time.
In the interim, do what you can do improve your skills. Take on a new responsibility or purse training outside of work.
How’s The Job Market Looking?
I debated putting this section first, but the other information above will be more helpful in making a conscious, long-term decision rather than a short-term decision based in fear. Anyways…
When deciding how long you should stay at your entry level job, it’s vital that you know how the job market is looking.
If there’s an abundance of jobs, you’ve got freedom. If there aren’t any jobs, you’ve got to buckle down and stay for a bit.
I don’t want to take all the romance out of it, but an OK job that pays today is better than a perfect job that’s nowhere in sight. If the job market is terrible, it’s best to stay put and wait it out. No bad job market lasts forever.
A wild card option is to consider moving to a location where there ARE jobs. Depending on your family and personal situation, a cross-country move is often the quickest way to a better job. You must decide which is worth it to you.
In Summary
If you’re wondering “How long should I stay at my entry level job?”, I feel for you. It’s a tough position to be in. After considering the sections outlined in this article, you’ll know exactly what the next step should be for you. I hope this has been helpful – thanks a lot for reading!
