From Ivy League to dead-end job

I can see the cultural advantages of obtaining an ivy league education, but I’ve known students who have graduated from these schools who were in lousy jobs. One has to consider what any ba/bs suggests about an individual’s employability; an ivy league confers a certain amount of social capital but going there without previous connections might limit you. And being a graduate student now, I attended a semi-selective university in New York City for undergrad. I don’t think anyone with less than a masters/doctorate these days will be taken seriously and the quality of schools today is undermined by too many students lazilly pursuing advanced degrees for their class cachet as opposed to having the requisite skills to survive in the office place, where most bohemian artsy-fartsy (not to condescend legitimate art)people will end up anyway. Humanities professors are seriously out of touch with the “real world,” which they themselves never have to face. There is a serious disconnect between the exegesis of Moliere’s plays and having to type to alphabitize the filing cabinet. I think you should suck up your McJob until you’ve gleaned some serious skills, and not expect to be adored/adulated by your peers/colleagues on account of your school’s status. Ack, I want to rub your face in mud and pull you by your pig-tails.

The job hopper is a non-issue. 6 out of 10 people leave their job every year now for one reason or another. The boomers who were raised up and pushed forward by the global wave have no clue what they are talking about.

Face time won’t help you gain anything of value and they will cut you in a second for no reason just to make the stocks look good. They will also use you as cheap labor without promoting you since you are young. Wages are not rising in the US unless you count the super wealthy on top, which hold up the numbers. The old timers can afford to suck it up because their wages and momentum were pre-2001.

Now if they are training you and you are learning something stay, otherwise don’t waste your time in a job that doesn’t pay the bills and doesn’t invest in you. If you can find another job it doesn’t matter, you can always leave this one off your resume. No one will care.

If you want, think of it this way. If you are a business you only operate if you are making a profit or have a real chance at making a profit. If you see no chance in making a profit you must change direction. If your job isn’t going to afford the costs of maintaining your labor then you are working in insolvency. You must move up or move out! You cannot stay there, as it will emotionally crush you. The old timers live in a different world, you don’t have the opportunities they did.

With globalization you don’t have time to wait. It’s a massive run for the top before you are stuck on the bottom. Think of it as a large wave and we are on the back end attempting to claw our way over the top of it right now. The boomers were in the right place and right time riding it down like a surfer. The next wave won’t come from America, but outside from the ashes of a worldwide underclass. You must move quickly or you will be left behind and stuck on the bottom.

Good luck. All the GenX and beyond need it.

Annie,

It takes longer than 3 months in a large corporation with the changes that occur daily to know the key players. What some MBA new grads possibly do not realize is that if you do not make it to VP level by 35 you are not taken seriously. It is a whole new game of making “A’s” and new hires should look at this way.

I think the previous poster made a great point. I work with lots of brilliant younger people who don’t meet deadlines, catch typos, or work quickly enough for the client - ESPECIALLY when they are doing routine work. Missing the details and “easy lay-ups” puts a huge cloud over the creativity and innovation you can offer. If you are giving the impression that you haven’t mastered or are too bored for the routine basics, you’ll be stalled in your career indefinitley. People who have buckled down and moved up the ladder before you aren’t going to let you skip steps - its human nature no matter where you go. But the fact that you are concerned and conscientious enough to ask for an outside opinion probably means you will do very well in the long run. And if you have mastered the basics, just give it a little more time, it will be noticed. Good luck!

What you have achieved in college will count. That may not be now. I graduated two years ago, now at my second position in the same company. Companies do not want job-hoppers, but there’s nothing wrong with mastering certain skills quicker and “hopping” to the next. However, you bear the risk and responsibility to express that loud and clear on your resume and to interviewers. But first, to your current manager. Maybe there were bigger things in your current tasks that he/she wanted you to get out of, but yet, most of us 20-somethings can’t see. Ask for his/her help! Not asking for better tasks. Those seemingly better tasks are better because someone made them so before we joined. Most likely, those are the people working at them now.

Although us Gen Y’s classify ourselves as the innovative, tech savvy and fast-pace bunch, patience and attention to detail are rudimentary skills most of us lack. Master those. Then our true strength will speak for itself. We would have an easier time switching out of the college mode to a real life mode, if our boss explained the “why” behind the boring tasks. Can’t blame him/her for not explaining when we didn’t ask the question either.

In my view, the key issue you are facing is not if you should change positions. It’s more of how to adapt to a different type of learning required of beginners for life. Talk to your boss, talk to your co-workers…Everyone knows the best is not to complain. But if you don’t know how to say it in a positive tone, complain. Why not! You are learning. A good boss will understand and will show you how to express in more positive tones over time. If it backfired at you, that would be a darn good reason to quit! Quit bad managers, but don’t quit jobs…when those jobs are better than when you joined, you’re ready to take on more tasks.

The problem with starting in a bottom-of-the-barrel job, no matter how large the company, is that your salary and position will always be limited. You can’t “work your way up from the mailroom” anymore… at least not at large companies. It might be possible if you get in with a small company that soon experiences rapid growth, but in most companies, the chances of an employee who was hired at $25,000 becoming a six-digit-plus employee at the same company are infinitesimally small.

The Boomer generation prides itself on working up from the mailroom, because in their day that was possible. My own uncle LITERALLY started in the mailroom and wound up an executive (with no college degree, by the way). Yes, hard work and company loyalty was rewarded there for a while, but look where it got the Boomers once the Information Age began… downsizing, layoffs, and busted retirement plans from the end of pensions and now-worthless company stocks. These days, the best a mailroom clerk can hope for is to become mailroom supervisor. That’s it. He/she is never going to get anywhere near executive.

Long story short, it’s a new era, and if a job is beneath your education, ability, and experience, you have every right to seek out better. You have every right NOT to settle. The only person who is 100% invested in your career is YOU.

Do not listen to these people!

Most of the people telling you to suck it up are working low paying, high stress, and/or boring jobs that mean little or nothing to the company. These people are one stock plunge away from being jobless. If you want to get that awesome job, you are going to have to quit working at the company that you are working for.

You did not graduate from an Ivy League school just to be doing the same job as the dufus who went to State U and graduated with a 2.2 GPA. You are elite. You are better than those that went to lesser schools. You deserve special treatment, a generous salary, sexy co-workers, and stimulating work. If a company cannot satisfy you, cut all ties now and move to a company where the big dogs roam.

The older generation says get what you can and be happy with it. Forget that. Risk everything that you have so that you can acheive optimal success in life. Do not play it safe and complain like the other posters here. They do not like what they do but at the same time, they do not want other people, especially younger people, to achieve greatness rapidly. These people are jealous of the young, rich, sexy, and successful in life. They think that you should have to wait until you are 80 years old to be rich.

Get rich now. The money is waiting for you.

When did this start that older people assumed younger people were all spoon fed whiners? As a supposed spoon fed whiner myself I echo some of the same sentiments as our lacrosse playing friend. However, three months isn’t much time to be given meaningful work. What I would tell this guy is to ask if what he is contributing toward is meaningful, or is it just more documents and paper. If its the latter, BAIL. If the former, stick it out.

Also, as an aside, young people have no compunction about leaving a job after a short stint. They grew up watching their parents get downsized, pensions taken, and generally dragged through the mud to support their families by these very same companies.

In my eyes, having a random “office job” is a 21st century version of being factory worker. Mind numbing and meaningless. A bachelor’s degree is the HS diploma of yesteryear, and the graduate degree is the new measuring stick.

While I don’t think that this “job hopper” thing will hold on for a long time, what with unsatisfied employees moving a lot, I do think that you should take some initiative.

If your initiative is quelled, walk out or hop out. A career is more important than what some recruiter might think. If your initiative is rewarded, there you go, that’s what was lacking…

My advice to the recent Ivy League grad is to begin looking elsewhere.

Anne Fisher’s comments were on the money. And yes, should try to stick it out for at least a year.

But there is a flip side. If a company lacks the wisdom to properly train and orient an employee and allows a bright and enthusiastic new hire to languish (and under utilize someone who can add value to the company), they are undervaluing the new hire.

Ultimately, you can’t leave it to others to dictate your fate. If your current employer doesn’t value your skill set, you owe it to yourself to find a company that does.

Annie had good views.

In 3 months you dont even learn the name of the person sitting three desks over.

Give it a while longer. you are already in a F500 company make it happen.

Network and learn what makes your company and department tick.

Grades from school get you in the door and after that they count for little.

Usually the larger the company, the slower the climb up and the more overstaffed the company. I went to a top-ranked university and started at a gigantic company where people were possessive of even their routine tasks! Going to a smaller company or startup is one way to get more interesting work. HOWEVER, a lot of the startups like to see experience at a Fortune 500 company since those are the companies they seek to emulate. From that perspective it might be worthwhile to stick it out for 2 years, use the brand name of your company to network, and find a better position in a smaller company. Other avenues to more interesting work might be consulting (earliest you can set up is probably late 20s to early 30s), starting your own business, and of course academics.

Don’t worry about the people who are calling you a whiner. But do take some time to realize that creativity and innovation are a very small part of the real world. Even in creative fields like advertising, repetition and consistency make up the majority of the jobs. The world can only change so fast–so much for thinking outside the box! ALSO, you are learning a lot in a far less conscious manner than you were used to in school, so don’t feel like you’re wasting your time.

Hi. Innovate your current job, make things faster, easier, better. Ask for more to do. Hook up with a mentor within the company. Show ambition, enthusiasm, and leave the Ivy home. Show interest in the company, your coworkers and superiors. Treat everyone well, even the janitor. Never complain. Put a sock in your desk drawer to remind yourself to stuff it when you want to complain. Smile, help anyone who needs it, and enjoy your job. Give it a year, and if you truly do not see a light, talk to a counselor before you make a move.

This is telling of our current economy, people between 35-up (old folks) and 34-younger (new kid on the block) are two totally different animals.

The old folks think that you have to forgo a life and satisfaction to get ahead (there definition of success). This new kid definition is work that fulfills him. Most big companies are not geared toward that mentality, the new kids careers are not to shoot up like a rocket to the moon and suffer the extra g’s, but ride the waves on a sail boat and enjoy the ride. I am 41 and I am in computers and I was on that rocket, and it seldom gets to the attended destination.

I just wish I was smart as the new kids today and enjoyed the ride more.

So, quit the job and take the next boat. It may be the best ride of your life.

You are definitely getting a lot of advice on this topic, and not everyone agrees. That is not surprising since everyone’s advice will be from his or her perspective and experience. So you will get different advice from a young entrepreneur versus a corporate executive versus an older low-level manager. All of these viewpoints are important, and they all give you insight into the challenges you face in your career.

Based on your question, I’m going to assume your career goals include becoming a corporate executive. If that is not the case, then you should leave this job and pursue one that will get you on the right track. If my assumption is correct, then you should stay. Your in. You have a job at a company that you wanted to work for. That’s half the battle. Now you just have to navigate your way through the organization to get to where you want to go.

I will share with you two examples. I started out of college working for one of the largest companies in the world. I was on a training program. My division was installing new distribution centers and needed everyone in the program to help. We spent months working in the warehouse. Dirty, backbreaking work. A co-worker complained about the work he was doing. “I went to college to do this?” he would say. Months later when the company had to reorganize and downsize, he was let go. Because of that past warehouse experience, I was later promoted to manage one of the DCs, which then kicked off a series of promotions. I now have a great six-figure position running my own district and a work history I am proud of.

My second example involves another person on the same training program I was on. He was disciplined and driven. He also had to do his fair share in the warehouse and other non-exciting work. But he found mentors quickly in his career. People who were on the “fast-track”, but not top executives yet. He learned a great deal from them. He delivered on every assignment. He was willing to move anywhere in the world for assignments that would help him grow. Now he is a Division President, and a future CEO (in my opinion). Yet, he started at the bottom with the rest of us.

Bottom line: There is a fast-track in every organization, it’s up to you to get yourself on it. With hard work, good mentors, successful assignments, and a little luck, you can find that track in your current organization. Best of luck on your quest.

Job hopping DOES matter. As a long time recruiter I can tell you that there was a time that it was accepted but that day has passed. Companies are vary wary of someone with ‘5 jobs in two years’ like a previous poster. It WILL eventually catch up to them. I am conducting a current search for a junior level person and the company told me not to bother sending anyone who didn’t stay 2 years on their first job. That said, the first few years of your career can be the jumping off point for a great start or for mediocrity for quite a while. The advice already given regarding taking on more work, etc is very good. MAKE it happen, don’t wait for it to happen to you - you could wait forever. On the other hand, some patience is required. 3 months is NOT long enough to give up on a large company.

Uncle Sam could use your help. There are never enough Ivy Leaguers in the US Military. Call your nearest Recruiting Station!

Serve your country!

As a young person, I heard this same criticism from my parents. While finishing my senior year at a top ranked school, I turned down several offers, and then left my first company after 6 months and the second after a year. With that experience, I found the right location, job, personal life balance, etc…and now I’m making almost $30,000 more a year and have a clear path towards my professional goals. You CAN leave a job if you have the right reasons, are prepared to address questions fairly and honestly, and take everything you have learned and apply it. My experiences have built on each other and I have much more knowledge, maturity, and credibility than most of my similar-aged peers. It is certainly possible to learn it all at one great company, but not impossible to learn it at a few.

I’m 24 and quite frankly I’m sick of the way my generation has acted as they storm the workforce. I feel like every day I read stories about people crying when their boss doesn’t like their work (Learn spell check! Check formulas!) and walking around in flip flops with their iPods on (Dress for the job you want, not the one you have! Leave the damn iPod on your desk!). Please stop whining about your “dead end” job and get off your rear and do something about it. You “always found ways to stand out from the crowd” before so why stop now? What does being the captain of the lacrosse team mean now? It means that you should be able to take the strategy you used on the field to figure out a way around the other players to the goal. I’ve held two jobs since graduating three years ago. In my first job I did some pretty mind-numbing work creating the same reports day after day. Not much of a way to make an impact right? Wrong. I took the only asset I had and found a way to improve it. I changed the format to make the reports easier for the client to read. I learned some advanced Excel skills to automate the reports so that I spent an hour a day doing them instead of nine. The results? My client loved my boss for providing better reports and my boss loved me for making her look good. I had more time to help out on other tasks, further alleviating my boss’s workload. She loved me even more. Soon those tasks were my responsibility as well. All that extra responsibility? To my boss and her superiors that equaled a promotion. Sure it took a year and a half (six months shorter than it took most people, by the way), but a year and a half after that I took that senior position and used it and my experience to get an even more senior position at another company. So where am I three years later? I’m managing people like you – my own peers – who are creating the same mind-numbing reports, but who can’t see where it will ever get them. Start small. Make a difference where you can. Make your boss’s job easier for them! Stop complaining about how your job doesn’t meet expectations (and maybe reread the job description and readjust those expectations to be more accurate). And please, stop making our generation look so damn pathetic!

Annie’s advice was great - the best being: Ask for more to do.

Here’s some more advice from a young Ivy League graduate (myself) who is now a corporate exec:

- The fact that you were an ivy league graduate means 0 once you start a job. It helps you land a job, but that’s it.
- Good grades and smarts aren’t enough for you to excel. You need to work your tail off, network, and be very personable.
- You need to hold a job for at least 2 years. I don’t even look at candidates if they are fresh out of school and changing jobs within 2 years.
- Look for ways to make a name for yourself. Stay late, study what your group/company does, become an expert.
- Network with other groups. In your spare time, help other departments/groups with their work. Eventually, if your manager refuses to give you meatier tasks, use your contacts to switch groups/roles.
- Don’t take success for granted. I see this happen over and over with Ivy League graduates. They just expect to succeed, but don’t go out of their way to do so. I firmly believe that this is why CEO positions have few Ivy Leaguers … people who have to work hard to succeed take nothing for granted, and continue to push even when they’ve attained a measure of success.

My very first job out of school sounds exactly like yours - I literally would be sent to get coffee and make copies, and my most challenging task was typing up notes. However, I stayed until 9pm every night studying what others were doing, and always asked for more. Within 3 months, I had put together a series of business solutions that saved the company over $30 Million, and soon had plum roles being offered to me throughout the organization.

Two years down the road, if you still aren’t progressing, go to B-school or some other advanced degree.

Even at an Ivy league school 1+1=2. It is all about your drive and dedication. If you want something that bad, go for it. You could be wasting your time doing tasks you do not like, while you could be at a job you love. Go find it. Given your education you are bound to find something quick if your search lasts longer than expected. In 2 years, I’ve had about 5 positions, all similiar fields, just more responsibility and money. When asked about it on your resume, I responded how anyone would, I lied. I’m here now doing what I love. Just stick with it and have heart. (of course, backup money works well too)

I’ve been there done that. Don’t expect to get the best jobs right away. It doesn’t matter if you went to an Ivy League school or The Community College. You have to put in your dues. Some lines of work take longer than others. If you want work that gives you the chance to move up quickly then you might want to look into retail. Target, Costco, Home Depot etc. If you are into the regular Corp work environment then you’ll have to be patient. Still yet running your own business is an option as well!

Re Paul in NH comments.

While I believe he offered sage, well directed advice to the original letter writer, which alas, I did not — it doesn’t mean we are all “frustrated, career-stifled whiners.” (I make 6 figures working where I choose any given day with a flexible schedule.)

It was the whining of the original letter writer so aggravated me that I took time to comment less constructively. As several people have pointed out, you must to “own” your career, treating yourself as a product. Defined paths are rare and change is constant, even @ senior levels.

But ownership involves persistance and the ability to make tough choices to get where you want, not whining. The pharma example someone gave was perfect…

Yes, every generation thinks the one that followed them has/wants it too easy. But I think there is a real difference here, driven by “helicopter parents” where the sense of entitlement is so pervasive.

Could we do a better job of listening to 20-somethings ideas? Absolutely. Should we? Not always. Is it our job to lead and inspire? Yes. Is it our responsibility to keep them happy? Not really. Are the last 2 questions different concepts? If you don’t get that, I can guess your approximate age.

How do you get a Harvard graduate off your porch.

Pay him for the pizza.

My suggestion to you is to quit the job and go to grad school and get a PHd. You have more talents that the guy from University of Kentucky with 2.3 GPA,This is the only way that you are going to differentiate yourself from that ‘Mister’ and no one will ask you to mop the floor if you are a Dr. I’ve been to eighteen large companies as a consultant, trust me, if you do not have a good position, these companies will kill you for your type of talent. Most of Ivy kids are among the top 5%, why settle for less? Don’t stay in that kind of environment. Go get a professional graduate degree.

It seems that quite a few older people show signs of ageism aginst younger people entering the work force.

I don’t know how some of you get off trying to shoot down young ambition. Just because they are twenty and your fourty really does not mean much. You have experinced more maybe. Have you learned more though?

I am 22 and have been helping engineer ofice chairs for four years. I would assume I know more about office chairs then most fourty year olds.

Three months is really a short amount of time to jump ship.
As mentioned in the article, that’s one quarter. You can’t figure someone out in one quarter, let alone a year.
And the same is for the individual. You will certainly not know enough about the company in three months to get huge assignments.
I’ve been in my current job for almost three years. It wasn’t until the middle of the second year that I got more and more “relevant” assignments.
Big companies move at glacial speed. Stick it out, get in the stock purchase plan, get the 401k match and see where it takes you in a year!
I’m glad I’ve stuck it out thus far!

If you quit your job after 3 months you can probably leave it off your resume. If you hate the job look for another one and leave. If you run into similar problems elsewhere you know it was not the job. Don’t settle.

Meaningless tripe and drivel. No one is impressed by a resume, they all know it is a crock of hype. Can you do the job is what matters. All this emphasis on what kind of mindless robot you are is totally contraty to the American way. This country and this ecconomy was formed by independent, adventurous individuals, not corporate zombies. Follow your heart and leave the rest to God. You could die in a year and then what good did sticking it out do you? Can I see your life guarentee? My brother in law was sitting on a lot of money waiting for the market to drop so he could buy a better house for less, unfortunately, his life was requried, and he died suddenly of a massive heart attack. The moral of this story is, that this is the nature of life. You are living today and not tomorrow. Each day has enough cares of its own. Our society has degenerated by placing too much emphasis on a future that doesn’t exist. Plan, save and hope that someday you will be happy. This is a crock. If you don’t like it, quit. Jobs are a dime a dozen.

well, I use my sister as an example. She graduated from an Ivy League..got hired at a big name pharmautical company, but low salary. Got complaints from parents saying why low when you came out of any ivy league.. She was upset but didn’t care and went on with life. So work there on jobs which are menial for like 2 months to a point she actually cried at home. So she went to talk to her supervisor, whom then gave her stuff to do. And if no one wants to volunteer, she actually say I’ll do it. As 3 years went by she got more responibility.. and at the same time, she hunt down what she really wants to do via research and informational interviews with workers in the same company. Salary increases over time. Finally after she knows what she wants, she start planning step by step.. using her current company as a stepping stone. Within 1 year, she got a new position within the same company..It’s not what she wants but it’s a stepping stone. Then 2 years later, she applies the job she want in the number 1 pharmautical company in the Nation and got in the position she wants.. All this took place in 6-7 years.. from the first day after graduation. Now she’s in her 4th year with this new number 1 pharmautical company, and is in a respectable and high position. Her current salary is like almost 5 times her starting salary just after grad.

If she let her current company “spoon fed” her, she will never get where she is right now. So you have to get want you want.. and not spoon fed.

There is a different mind set you need between college and “real world” work. Typically, in college, you are given exams, given everything to test your ability to work, think, and deliver on time.

In work, there is no substitute for a great idea or innovation. Let’s face it, you are not taught to innovate in college, yet great ideas, innovative ways of doing things, seeing things, or uncovering opportunities will set your career on fire.

Early mundane tasks are boring, but you also have a great opportunity to try things and float ideas without wrecking a company or losing a fortune. Take advantage of it.

And in the end, get over the fact that from now on, every step of the way, when arriving in a new situation, you really do need to establish yourself and build trust in your colleagues at each step.

As a person who left his first job in just under four months, I believe that there are appropriate times to jump ship that quickly. However, it is important to weigh the long term effects (such as the possibility of being labeled as a job-hopper) before making such a decision. There’s no right or wrong answer to whether you can or should jump; you have to do what’s right for you in the given situation. Having said that, I would advise that if you leave a first job in less than a year, be prepared to stick with your next position for awhile even if you like it even less.

Work and school present different environments. During the first few weeks or months in any job, it is likely that the work will be less engaging than you expected coming out of school. Your focus should be on familiarizing yourself with the position and the company rather than getting on the most exciting projects. Embrace the learning curve.

Well I’m in my mid 30’s and I started my first job at a large growing company. The job was ridiculous, as were my incredibly un-happy bosses and co-workers. I realized what a pathetic place it was to work after 3 or 4 days. However, since I had moved to another state for this job, I forced myself to stick it out for a year, and 13 years later, I still don’t think it was anymore beneficial than if I had left immediately.

I agree that the generation just entering the work place has a sense of entitlement, but I also realize that today’s workplace often has no corporate ladder, no challenge, and no incentives to do your best. I finally got so fed up with the corporate world that I left it and started my own damn company, and I think we’ll see many young people doing the same. And guess who they will, and will not be hiring…

Part of the problem is these kids have been spoon fed for the last 22 years and they think the world owes them something. I say welcome to the real world it’s time to prove yourself.

Don’t listen to the comments below - these were obviously written by frustrated, career-stifled whiners. Your best bet is to figure out exactly what you want to do, stay in the same company and start talking to anyone and everyone about where you want to be in five years. Oh, and don’t forget to keep hitting it out of the park every day - even if the tasks you’re given are mind-numbing. A good manager in another department will see your enthusiasm, hear about your interest and scoop you; you’ll be shocked at how fast that will happen once you’ve established a good reputation in the company. Good luck.

Young people today are too much into quick satisfaction.Most places you are not going to move up in 3 months.Also just because someone went to an ivy league school doesnt make you a big shot.Everyone starts at the bottom.Get over it.

Annie, there’s nothing wrong with moving to a new job after a year. that’s enough time to give the employer a fair shot of living up to what they sold to you and for the employee to give the job a fair shot. There’s a huge trend in this whole process and the trend is to move every 1.5-2 years. The younger generation is more greedy than the previous ones and they also require more stimulation in the form of a fresh new projects and people to work with.

So many 20-somethings come into the workplace with vastly unrealistic views of what their work life will be like. You don’t start advising the CEO regarding corporate strategy the day you start — no matter how successful you were as a student.

We all had to start somewhere — and do our time doing things that were somewhat less interesting. It drives me nuts when 20-somethings I’ve hired think they’re “above” the entry level jobs they accepted when they bring little or no real-world experience to the position.

Ambition is not a bad thing, but work for your opportunities — don’t expect a fascinating job handed to you on a silver platter.

It’s a funny thing — I’m in my early 40s — and most people around my age I know have totally observed and been frustrated with this same problem. However — they don’t recognize that they raised their own kids to have exactly that same attitude of entitlement. Ironic….

Depends on the pay. Sometimes sticking it out is easier said than done.

Sorry kid. The years of parental coddling and pats on the back just for being alive are over. In the real world you pay your dues and do your time and nobody cares if you able to lead a herd of charging jocks downfield to victory. If you want to make vice prez by age 25, why not get your broker’s license? That’s about the only industry where people with no experience start out with a lofty title.

Yeah, welcome to the real world kid.
You may have been at the front of the line in college, but now you have just joined the end of a very, very long line.

Nobody at your new job cares that you went to an Ivy. Nobody cares what your SAT scores were, or how many times you made Dean’s list, or that you learned to read when you were three years old. In fact, I bet they’re probably sick of hearing about it from you.

You know what they call a guy who graduates with a BS from Harvard with a 4.0? They call him “Mister.”

Know what they call a guy who graduates with a BS from University of Kentucky with a 2.3? They call him “Mister” too.

Here’s your mop and your bucket, Mister. Stop whining, and get back to work.