What's the Best 1st Job For You - Or Your Kid?
December 06, 2013
First jobs - I'm talking about your first job after college, not you throwing newspapers in the neighborhood - although that completely rocked.
First jobs (or early jobs - doesn't necessarily have to be the first one, you just have to get to it quickly) have the potential of transforming your career. Some of your who are early career or even in college should be focused on this - and parents of young professionals should be as well.
What's type of job can you get right out of college that will transform your career? It's pretty simple:
Get the type of job that's going to give you 5-10 of experience in 2 years. Bonus points if you get the chance to do work that someone with 10 years of experience should be doing.
That's all you need to know. That type of job is what makes you more valuable than your peers for the rest of your career - because that experience and what you learn in that type of job makes your better than your peers for the REST OF YOUR CAREER.
Where do you find these types of jobs? Look hard enough and you can find them, but beware! They're not always jobs that make you comfortable. In fact, the type of job that I'm talking about almost never makes you comfortable.
I know - that's incredibly general. That's why on my podcast (you didn't know I had a podcast? What the....) called The CYA Report, Tim Sackett and I talk to Chicago HR pro John Hudson (who's worked for a bunch of great companies, including the Oprah Winfrey holding company) about first jobs that can change your career. John had that type of first job at a recruiting firm called Aerotek, and it changed the rest of his career. He uses what he learns every day and thinks about everything he got out of that first job often.
The podcast is embedded below (email subscribers, click through), just click the play button. Listen to it on the way home - just throw on your earbuds and stay mentally alert on that drive or commute.
All episodes available on iTunes [click for archives]
First, I would say, "if you can get a great boss in a field you are interested in, DO THAT".
That being said, if I had it to do over again, my first job would be in customer support (especially technical support) working for a company that really values great service.
Five reasons:
1. There is nothing that will sharpen your critical thinking skills like getting multiple, diverse problems thrown at you every day. You think you're good at solving problems? Wait until you've done almost nothing but that every day for two years.
2. You sharpen your soft skills through communication with many (often distressed) people and learn that making people happy is more than just solving a particular problem they have.
3. You see how customers are REALLY using the product your company you make. You find out if your documentation is good or terrible. You find out what features it's missing or are particularly valuable. You hear tales of how your competitors do it better or worse. This experience will make you a better Developer, Marketer, or Salesperson. Also, important people in your company will want to hear about what customers have told you about your product(s).
4. You learn to deal with A-holes. You learn this or die. You develop a thicker skin. You learn to not take things personally. When you are in customer support, you know in advance this is part of your job. Suddenly it's easier to take. You learn how to GET better customer support by understanding the position of support people. This experience (along with #1 and #2) translates to your life outside of work.
5. There is tremendous satisfaction in making people happy (even the A-holes), and you get to do that every day.
Bonus: People do some dumb things (even smart people). You get great stories from being in customer support.
CAVEAT: Don't go into customer support if you don't like working with people. Do yourself and the rest of us a favor. I'm guessing readers of this blog have nothing to worry about in that area.
--Matt
Posted by: MattL | December 12, 2013 at 09:43 AM