Guest Author - Sandra Eggers

You just started a new job and it’s not what you thought it would be. The environment is not user-friendly and you don’t want to get out of bed in the morning to face the day. After being on the job only 3 months, do you hang in there so it looks good on the resume, or is it time to get out of Dodge?

New graduates and job seekers entering the high-tech job market usually bring a lot of enthusiasm to their work. But, when the honeymoon is over and the new job starts to be a drag, the added stress can sometimes be overwhelming.

In addition to the pressures of trying to impress your boss and learn new skills, if you’re not happy doing the work, or it’s not what they promised when you were hired, no amount of money will buy your happiness unless something changes.

New employees who’ve made a bad career decision are faced with a dilemna – stay at a job where you’re miserable for an “acceptable” amount of time, or “job-hop” to something new and be prepared to explain the short employment for the rest of your career. The good news in both these scenarios is that high-tech workers don’t often stay at a job long term anyway because there are so many opportunities out there. Job-hopping has become fairly standard in the IT industry, as a way for workers to gain valuable experience and automatic salary increases.

If you find yourself in a position where the work environment makes you uncomfortable, or you’re not doing the job you were hired to do and are unhappy, you need to make a decision. You can try to work things out with your supervisor or HR, or you can look for another job. Remember that the company has a job to do too, and it may be that the most important thing you can do is to support the company by doing whatever it takes. This may not be in line with your long-term career goals, but experience and seniority are important factors in this equation. Having been on the job only a few months, you may still be considered a “newbie”, depending on how much experience you have, and it might just be bad timing.

On the other hand, if you know this is a bad situation and you can’t stand to be in it another day longer, you should find another job. The first thing to do is make you’re your resume is updated, and start looking for current openings. It’s sometimes easier to find a new job while you still have your old job so potential employers don’t wonder why you’re unemployed. Attend job fairs and open houses, search the internet and company web pages for openings.

Another option that may be a compromise is to stay with your current employer, but move to another department or different job function. This will save you from having to go through the stress of interviewing for a new position, while building up some time on the job, and after a few months, things might improve.


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