My college career counselor told me to take any job I could get after graduation. That was terrible advice.

Back in 2019 right before COVID hit, I graduated with a marketing degree from a state school. My counselor, Mrs. Davison, kept saying just get your foot in the door anywhere, even if it paid minimum wage. So I took a receptionist gig at a car dealership for 14 bucks an hour. Two years later I had zero marketing experience on my resume and I was still answering phones. I finally quit and spent 6 months hunting for an actual marketing role before I landed one. Has anyone else had a counselor give them advice that set them back?

2 comments

2 Comments

zara_hill4626d ago

The bit about "just get your foot in the door anywhere" really gets me. People forget that doors can be the wrong kind of doors. I had a counselor tell me the same thing back when I was in college, and I took a job at a call center because of it. Wasted a year learning nothing useful and had to explain that gap in interviews. Sometimes the best advice is to be picky, not desperate.

jordanl8226d ago

My counselor gave similar advice and I turned down the first two offers that felt wrong. The third one was a small firm that let me do real marketing work from day one, and that patience paid off way more than any quick job would have.