Update 1: Getting a “Tide-Over” job

“The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. At least until you hop over there and get your shit stuck on the fence and have a horrible time. Just pick one side of the fence and stick to it.”

-Me, just now

And we’re back. Today I will be discussing an interesting subject, and one that is in the forefront of my mind because it has recently happened to me: getting a job that isn’t in your field but you do it so you aren’t poor while you look for a job. While that may be a sound breakdown of what I’ve done, it also deserves some explained rationale and a pro/con analysis.

Let’s begin.

First; my rationale. So I was sitting at my desk and it came to my attention that I am dangerously low on funds. So low on funds in-fact, that I began scrounging around my bedroom looking for extra cash I’d set down or forgotten about somewhere. Spoiler: I came up empty handed. I also realized that my motivation for the job search was taking a severe beating due to my sedentary lifestyle. I’d wake up, get some food, handle some chores, head to my desk, goof off for a few hours, look at a job or two, eat, goof off, go to bed, then rinse and repeat. As you might be thinking by this point, I am not the best at this whole job hunt thing. So in an attempt to “switch things up” or “sprinkle in some pepper” I decided to look around in my area for some opportunities beyond my desired field. As of earlier this week one could say I have become employed in one of these extra-job-searchular roles and am therefore somewhat qualified to discuss why they may and may not be a good idea.

On to the pros/cons. I’ll keep this list on the briefer side of things.

Pros:

• Money. Absolutely one of the big factors that pushed me to look outside of my field while finding something within it.
• A reason to leave my house. Another big one that sometimes I find myself begrudgingly putting up with. Honestly however, being away from my home so often now makes me really value the time I do have at home. I find myself making more precise plans now which is a plus.
• I’m meeting new people. I’ve been told time and time again that knowing people and making connections is “the most important thing”. This is a concept I struggle with due to my belief that merit and ability should be the biggest influences in someone being hired, but I can drone on about that later.
• Learning something new. Now I’m not going to delve too deeply into what my “tide-over” job is, but it is in a field I have never been exposed to, which is actually really cool. I feel if I had chosen something that I was more familiar with it would have easily become tedious by now or at least by next week.
• Being a contributing member of society. Before joining the workforce I was a stay-at-home new grad looking for ways to make a quick buck while I was looking for jobs. Sure it worked for a while. I was designing some sites for people for cash, doing some work here and there. Not a steady flow of income. Then once I started dedicating myself to the job hunt I treated it as my full-time job. Bad move, don’t do that. At least not for over a month. Really, don’t do it.

Cons:

• Disorganization in the company. As you may have inferred, I am working at an organization that is a little less established at the moment. This means I have no schedule yet, and the forecast for my future is determined on a weekly basis. This forecast is divined onto a large mutual calendar hanging somewhere I am still unfamiliar with, and apparently I have yet to even appear on it. Quite interesting seeing as how I am expected to work next week…
• Disassociated with my current skill set. I know, I know, the whole “but you’ve only been working there for a week! How do you know you’ll never get to build a website ever again?”. Look, here’s the thing. As I mentioned in the previous “Intro Post.” I am a new grad who has not been fooling around for (the entirety of) the last four years. I’m hot off the presses and I should capitalize on what I know before it starts to slip, or before the industry evolves and leaves my degree less valuable than I sure hope it is currently.
• Wrench in the interview process. While I was sitting at work today I actually received an email from a prospective employer asking if I had time for a phone interview next week. Luckily I believe I will be able to schedule around it at my job (seeing as how I have no schedule), however this made me realize that if I were ever to have an influx (wishful thinking, I know) of interviews in a short span of time, my current employer would be irate with my number of needed absences. I bet there’s a way to get around this that keeps everyone happy. Don’t worry I’ll update you when I find out.
• The need for an exit strategy. The more and more I learn and get involved with this company, the harder it will be for me to move on. Due to the small scale of this business I think that if I linger too long I will become a staple character in their processes. Someone necessary to how things work. I don’t want that, and the thought of getting there is quite unpleasant. Especially due to the:
• Low pay. Beggars can’t be choosers, but this job will absolutely not sustain me forever. I doubt even moving up within the company could get me to where I want to be in the near future.

That’s what I’ve got for now, but I guarantee I’ll find more soon enough.

I’d say that given what I know currently, even after only one week at my temporary job, that I do recommend it. If you’re a fresh grad, or even someone with more experience who has found their way into the abyss between jobs, it doesn’t hurt to expand out from the field for a little bit. Just make sure you don’t sell yourself short.

And hey, you might just discover a new passion out there somewhere.