Career advice needed

[BaylorPRSer]

I am 24 years and have never kept a job for a year.  I have had jobs, but for various reasons (school became overwhelming, schedule conflicted with other obligations and others) I have left my past jobs before the one-year marker.  I am not making much money at my current job and feel very tempted to start looking elsewhere, but come February, I will have been there for a year.  Would you guys recommend sticking it out until then? 

[Wesley]

Why would you? Why wouldn't you? This seems to be devoid of thoughts about the advantages and disadvantages of each.

 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of changing jobs?

 

What would you gain and lose by not changing jobs? 

If you feel there are problems with changing jobs which you have done a few times, what will stop the next job from being a year or less? How can you improve the situation for the future to find a job you enjoy?

[BaylorPRSer]

• Advantages would be making more money.  Gaining new skills.  Depending on the location I might like the surrounding area more and have a better commute.  It would depend a lot on what I'm able to find.
• Disadvantages are that keeping a job for a year seems to be an important part of a good resume and is important for gaining entry into the middle class. 
• Am I correct that employers don't like hiring people that they think will leave in less than a year?

[Wesley]

Potentially, but you missed the most important question. Why do you keep finding yourself in jobs that are lasting a year or less? These things tend to repeat themselves, thus leaving may put you in a new job in another year or less. This isn't finding the source of the problem and trying to address it.

 

FYI, I do not think there is a magical point at a year where the length of time spent at a job turns from bad to good.

[Josh F]

Great man!  Quit the job, you're a young guy and experience is more important than anything else.  Most jobs suck, especially when you're young.  No use having a sense of loyality to a entry level job... and it doesn't look bad to an employer when you leave a shitty job as long as you keep working. 

[MrCapitalism]

What's your job?

[BaylorPRSer]

I'm not going to hide that hearing Stef say that the path to the middle class involves keeping a job for a year has to do with why I ask, but I also may be misapplying that message.  So it sounds like you guys don't think it's super important to hit the one year mark.  

 

I work in quotes at a travel itinerary company called Ker and Downey.  My duties include entering the service lines of the itinerary (activities, accommodations, flights, transfers etc.) finding the rates, marking them up and sending it out as a quote.  I have other duties which include invoicing and client forms.  The job is basically data entry with a little bit of math.  I'm not particularly happy.  Job involves a lot of staring at a screen and I'm not getting paid very well.  

 

My interests lie in music and writing both of which are notoriously hard to monetize.   I am taking baby steps towards a career in music but it's moving sooooo slow because I'm not getting paid enough to afford the equipment I need plus I work full-time so I don't even have all that much time to dedicate to it.  I'd love to become an entrepreneur at some point but I don't know what I'd do since the odds are against me monetizing music and writing.  

Oh and the reasons my jobs haven't lasted have been different for each job that I've left to touch on Wesley's question.  I think I viewed some of them as temporary when I started them initially, but your suspicion is correct, I have failed to find a job that I WANT to stay at for a year.  

[Wesley]

The goal should be putting effort into making goals and figuring out how to achieve them. I get bored and apathetic whenever I do not understand what the point of what I am doing is. If I work a job that is boring and doesn't pay me enough, then I wouldn't feel like I would want to stay there. If that job was getting me the money to be able to do what I really want to do in a few months and I understand that it would allow me to accomplish a goal, then I am much more likely to be ok with it and look forward toward the goal.

 

It sounds to me like you are not sure what you want. To the extent that you are sure what you want, you have no idea how to get there. This should be your goal. To figure out your goals and to figure out what you need to do to get there. This job you are currently at doesn't seem to be the problem in itself, but a symptom of the problem. This also is likely why you keep switching jobs because you want to do something different, but do not know what exactly you want to do or can do.

[BaylorPRSer]

Lots of food for thought there Wesley.  I do think a salaried position is necessary (for now) for saving money to achieve goals whether music-related or entrepreneurial.  So would having kept a job for a year make me more marketable as far as salaried positions are concerned?  Or do you think I am blowing Stef's comment out of proportion haha

[LovePrevails]

I am 24 years and have never kept a job for a year.  I have had jobs, but for various reasons (school became overwhelming, schedule conflicted with other obligations and others) I have left my past jobs before the one-year marker.  I am not making much money at my current job and feel very tempted to start looking elsewhere, but come February, I will have been there for a year.  Would you guys recommend sticking it out until then? 

 

Can you try looking for another job while still working? applying for jobs online etc.?

 

The best method for increasing your human capital is working a job to learn new skills, and once you think you've learned all the new skills you can learn in that job

start applying for other jobs that you will learn other skills on

 

remember you are never going to get all that much cash working for someone else, but a new job always has something to teach you

so choose jobs based on what they can teach you

 

if you continue this method you will be able to explain on applications you have learned a very diverse skill set from all your experiences

if they ask why you keep moving say ambition and lack of advancement opportunities so they think wow this guy wants to rise to the top he may be a good manager, etc.

 

Please feedback on my suggestions 

[BaylorPRSer]

I see a lot of value in your suggestions LovePrevails.  That will definitely be how I handle that question if/when it comes from a potential employer.  I am going to go ahead and start looking after chatting with you guys on here.  

[Sashajade]

 There's a podcast, forgot which one, its in the Sunday call in shows grouped together.

I've had the same issues, and mainly because i didn't ask enuf questions, interviewing the

employer also to find out if the chances of it being a good fit to your needs and standards.

Things that are necessary for you in a job, so u can be less likely to end up working

for an exploitive employer. Negotiating about what you u need to get out of it in order

to increase your chance of a good work environment or at least closer to a win/win.

it might be harder to come by, but it will pay off in the long run. Also, compare the jobs

you have had. What u liked and what u didnt like. what u are good at, and things that

u have an impossible time with. which factors are a top priority which things are less

important. hope this helps

[BaylorPRSer]

i was living at home for awhile and was pressured immensely to take the first thing i could find.  my dad made me apply to the TSA and didn't seem to care that I despise the organization and would be miserable working there.  luckily the TSA thing didn't pan out, but i'm still not happy at my current position.  i've moved out at this point, so thank you for reminding me that I have a little bit more room to be selective.  

[Sashajade]

 I totally understand the pressure to be forced to get a job, like just get a job, yet there's no supportive people around to take

the stress off bc nobody cares about your welfare as long as you are working. i lived in a situation where my roomate who i

thought was empathetic when i had to quit a job due to like complete burnout to the point i couldnt go there bc i was so unhappy

depressed etc. she had zero sympathy, all she could say was "well if u wouldn't have quit your damn job" and this girl was

someone i had been frends with since we were 12. All she cared about was what i contributed no matter what might be

going on with me. it was awful. the only way that i have been able to survive is creating work, which isn't eazy but the satisfaction                        u get gives u more incentive and no one micromanages u. In the meantime if u have some supportive frends, or people u

feel like u could ask for help to lean on a bit till u can get on your feet. that is what i had to do, it was hard bc i didnt have many

good frends. but sometimes the only way to get out is to ask for help. the only thing with that is, u have to really feel it out so

u dont end up with another person who isnt understanding or patient, or possibly bad for u to be around.

[BaylorPRSer]

can u give examples of things you did to create work and create value?  since then, how have salaries figured into your income?  have you had any salaried positions since then?

[Sashajade]

sorry if i kinda went of the subject a little, another thing with being at a bad job that u can't stand, is that it will have a negative impact on you're energy, positive thinking, its like it sucks the life out of u, just like being around the wrong people. so if u have to quit so that u can regain your ability to not be muddled in the ability to think clearly and recover. im not even joking from experience. i was at a bad job and couldnt even think about how to get out or wat to do for like a month after quiting ok thats all i got right now lol!

 I will a little later ive got to jet.

[BaylorPRSer]

Thanks a lot!  Quitting is not an option.  I just signed a 6-month lease!  However, I have definitely thought about the concept you just mentioned.  I will start attending therapy soon in order to help get more perspective.  

[BaylorPRSer]

So I have a business idea.  This one will take a lot of work and capital to get off the ground, so it won't see the light of day for quite some time, but I wanted to mention on here to hopefully figure out the flaws in my thinking as well as whether or not the idea is worth pursuing at all.  Here it goes:

 

I live in Houston and have noticed that the taxi industry seems stagnant.  During less convenient hours it can be hard to get a cab at all without waiting for over half an hour and they are super-expensive.  During peak hours in key locations, it's easy to get a cab, but I still see room for improvement. 

 

My idea is a transportation company with a fleet comprised exclusively of hybrid cars and cars that get obscenely good gas mileage.  I am aware that these cars are expensive, but in the long run, the decreased cost of gas would allow us to charge less and hopefully undercut the industry.  Also, there will be a phone app that I plan on putting a lot of effort into to go with it. 

 

Any advice?  Also, any Houstonians on here interested in getting involved?

[FreeThought150]

One year is considered the sweet spot for looking for new options. Companies don't want to assume the risk and cost of taking on a new employee, spending money to train them, and then having them leave for greener pastures. If you develop a pattern of doing this, your resume will look suspect to many HR Managers worth their salt.

 

That being said, if you're incredibly unhappy then you should try to find new work.

 

It's essentially a cost/risk/benefit calculation with many subjective factors. You have to decide for yourself what is most important.

[tasmlab]

Look up the taxi liscensure stuff in Houston*.  It is often famously brutal in many cities.  Starting a taxi line, indeed, even a single car, will be loaded with equipment costs (cars) and tons of insurance (think liability).  And then your job will be something like a taxi driver or a dispatcher, neither of which are fun or interesting jobs to have.  Plus it's a 24x7 business.  You'll never sleep until you are major enterprise.

 

At age 24, especially if you went to college, no employer expects you to have a quality job history.  You are essentially considered a blank slate.  You might be best off looking around and learning new things.

 

If you don't have a crystal clear idea of what you want to be, I would consider trying to get any position at a company that has lots of highly paid and highly intelligent people.  Where you start won't make a difference, because if you are identified as a good worker they will eventually bring you up to be one of the highly paid and highly intelligent workers.

 

I would go around the block a few times before starting a business.  Not sure how long.  I started mine at age 32, probably should've started at 29, and would've been a disaster to start at 24 before I learned how business works.

 

Shoot for hire than middle-class!

 

*  A quick google search shows they are not too bad!  But they may be limited, meaning you'll have to get one on auction:

http://cohapp.cityofhouston.gov/FIN_FeeSchedule/default.aspx

 

Kind of a crazy list of fees.  Yay government!

[BaylorPRSer]

 

, meaning you'll have to get one on auction:

http://cohapp.cityofhouston.gov/FIN_FeeSchedule/default.aspx

 

Get what on auction?  Thank you for the help.

[tasmlab]

Having to buy a taxi medallion on auction is a famousish libertarian terror tale in licensure.  I think Reason writes an article on it every year.

 

Here's the NYC tale:

http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/10/21/why-taxi-medallions-cost-1-million/

 

I don't know beans about what goes on in Houston.  :-)

[BaylorPRSer]

Me and a friend discussed starting off with one car only doing midtown, downtown area Friday and Saturday evenings from say 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. alternating driving.  Do you think the startup costs even for one car and no drivers/office space would be to high to start off on a part-time basis?

[Existing Alternatives]

The purpose of a job is to provide you with a steady stream of income. It’s not meat to cause happiness. Being able to keep a job for longer than a year does speak about one’s commitment and is appreciated by future employers. At the same time, it is normal to constantly search for better (paying) jobs. One inherent risk with switching jobs, however, is the unknown – you really have no idea what the future job/environment/co-workers/bosses will be. There is also a matter of disposability – you are much more likely to get laid off from a new job than from the one where you spend longer period of time. For those risks you must be sufficiently compensated.

 

Your business idea seems to require a lot of research and understanding of the market and regulations, left alone capital. Perhaps there is a reason why there are no cabs when you need them. As tasmlab pointed out in most cities getting a taxi license is an adventure that only highly connected corporations can embark on. Although, things could be easier in Houston (I mean, it is Ron Paul’s land, right?). Taxi industry in general seem to be highly regulated – beyond licenses, there is a matter of passenger rights, driving histories, insurances, etc. Cabs in some areas are apparently also controlled by mobs, so there is that.

 

My advice: evaluate your new job thoroughly, jump if it pays MUCH more. If not – stick it with the old one. In the meantime figure out your business plan. The beauty of cabs is that you can do both, work your regular job and drive on the side. You can also use it as your personal vehicle.

 

Good luck!