30 is indeed a lucky number in many ways! I’ve seen milestones assigned to be accomplished before turning 30, not before turning 20 or 40! For some reason 3o is the golden age to get it all figured out and have multiple chunks of your life fall into place. And what else will make a greater milestone but your career? Your career maybe “making a living” for some, but it is also “a reason for living” for others. There are jobs that sound very interesting for some time but then “interesting’ is no longer the name of the game! As you approach your thirties, you are more likely to look at a steady income, reasonable working conditions, fixed schedule and a working environment that supports work/life balance. So, have you ever asked yourself the question of the hour: “Which jobs should I quit before turning 30?”
1- Ushering: It may be cool for a while and sounds like a fun job to do specially during college years! Well, you access concerts, meet celebrities backstage and also get lots of free stuff like tickets,merchandise and meals from events sponsors. Then what? At some point in time, you will need to work in different working conditions that have opportunities for growth and promotions.
2- Banking Teller: Aside from the urban legend that people working in banks are rich, how long can you be a teller? You sit there, counting money, verifying authorized signatories, giving money, taking money and putting money in a deposit box. How much more money can you handle? What do you really learn handling money? Being a teller is a good way into a bank but not for long as you may get stuck within the teller area and move into a cash leader, a universal teller or an ATM machine!
3- Outdoor sales agent: Working in outdoor sales as your career kicks off is a good way to put you in touch with the outside business world while generating inside knowledge on the product or service you are selling. It helps you move around visiting places and meeting people that you would have never been able to meet if you hadn’t worked in this career. However, on the long term, this job is very demanding given its ongoing physical and mental effort. This is a job that you can probably do for 2-3 years and then a move up the ladder would really help you in using this industry specific knowledge in working with your organization on perhaps R&D ideas or ways with which you can explore new markets.
4- Call center agent: Working as a call center agent is a great way to kick off your career. Despite the irregular working schedule and the changing vacation schedule, you learn a lot! You deal with a diverse customer database on daily basis, which really sharpens your communication skills and by practice, you become more able to work under stress. Sounds good so far, right? Then what? You can only do this job for a couple of years because, despite the advantages it will enrich your personal skills set with, it may start getting on your nerves after a while. There may be a point in time in which you cannot take another angry customer or another day-off that you could not take because of the ever-changing work schedule.
5- Shop sales: For someone in college and during summer time, it would be a great idea to have a summer internship working as a shop sales agent in Zara or Virgin Megastores. You really get to know the nature of the product, the clientele for whom this product is manufactured and how to approach and handle these clients. Unfortunately, given the nature of our society, some families or undergrads may feel that this job is not worth their time or their skill set, but I beg to differ! This job will teach so much and will teach a fresh grad prior to graduation how to be flexible, how to respond in unplanned situations and how to provide alternatives to make sure that the customer goes home satisfied. But as years go by, there will be more accomplishments that can be fulfilled by a candidate. Let’s take for instance handling meetings, managing corporate events, speaking in public during business dinners, etc. There is so much more that can be taught and learned and that’s why at some point in time this job will no longer be a sufficient or reliable learning resource.
It is important to have an honest conversation with yourself first before you implement a serious decision like leaving your job. Consider the below reasons and see if any or a couple of them apply to your mindset on why you want to leave your job:
- Work nature is not fulfilling: The feeling that you are only utilizing a very small portion of your brain on the job is a very disappointing feeling. If you feel that there is a large part of your abilities or qualifications that are not being used at the job, then you are better off finding another career.
- Unreasonable work schedule: If the working hours are overwhelming and you have other commitments that you need to be able to meet, then maybe you need to search for another job. Perhaps you need more hours during the day to study or spend quality time with family members or friends.
- Geographical proximity: Maybe work is too far from home and it takes you hours going back and forth every day which consumes a lot of time and puts you in a lot of physical stress on daily basis. You need your health and time! You are better off playing tennis in the time you waste commuting daily.
- Insufficient money: This is a very reasonable cause to quit a job. In a fast-paced economy like ours in which the dollar goes up daily and there are no controls on inflation, keeping a good steady increasing income is a must, not to get rich God forbid but to guarantee a minimum level of financial stability!
- Lack of Benefits: Medical insurance, life insurance, education assistance, spouse and dependent benefits? These are all factors to consider specially if you are starting a family and the range of benefits does not only apply to you but also to your spouse and child/ren.
- Learning curve: when was the last time you learned something new on the job? Does this job challenge your mental abilities and encourage you to think outside of the box? If not, and you feel that you are a person who possesses some creative abilities and has a good brain, then I would advise you to find a job that is more fulfilling to your mental capabilities.
As you come close to turning 30, there seems to be many decisions out there that you should have taken. These are just of the many good reasons that a person may have for quitting a job. Everyone’s circumstances are different, and you have to make the choice that’s right for you. The last thing you want to do is decide to leave your job and realize that you’ve made a mistake. Weigh your options carefully so that you can be certain that the decision you are making is in your best interest.
Regina Inani, PHR Talent Management and Acquisition Specialist
Twitter: @GinaInani