What To Remember When Choosing Your First Job

For some, picking what to wear for the day is easy—you just put on the shirt you had already decided on the night before. It’s as simple as that. But for others, it’s much more complicated. Before you know it, your bed is full of clothes you tried on, but just didn’t feel right wearing that day. The same goes for choosing your career path.

Graduation is fast approaching and already you feel the pressure of picking the perfect first job. You want to make sure you choose the right one that will lead you to the road to success. You want to pick the right one and stick to it, and climb the corporate ladder from there. But that’s the ideal way of looking at it.

Yes, picking your first job is a crucial and significant moment in your life, but don’t be fooled—your first job does not dictate whether or not you will be successful in life. The truth is, the path to success isn’t always linear. It’s more of an exciting roller coaster ride, really. There can be a lot of hits and misses, trials and errors before you arrive at the career path that is right for you. Take it from the people who didn’t have the ideal first job but eventually came out on top.

Amancio Ortega, for example, was a helper and delivery boy for a shirt maker at 16 years old. He learned a lot during his time here, as well as with his work with other stores and tailors. It was through his experience that he learned what the people wanted and how best to give it to them. At the age of 39, Amancio Ortega opened his first retail store Zara—one of the most well-loved and successful fashion brands today. With the success of Zara and the rest of the Inditex clothing company started by Ortega, he is now currently number four in Forbes’ World’s Billionaires list.

Although your story may not be a rags-to-riches story as Amancio Ortega’s was, the point really is that you may not necessarily have to start out in the most ideal of situations. Yes, it is important for you to choose a good first job, but it will not dictate if you will end up in a great one in the future. It really is all up to you and how you let yourself learn in every task that is given to you, every problem that you solve and overcome, and every opportunity that is handed to you. Be wise in choosing your first job, but know that not everything is set in stone after you sign that contract. You have the power to change the course of your own story. With the right mix of good choices, a job or jobs that will enable you to grow as a professional and individual, then you’ll make it. Don’t worry. The fun is just about to start. Welcome to the real world!

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