Most Important Thing to Do as an Entry-Level Employee? Don't Waste Time

In the spirit of thinking about Millennials and giving advice on entering into the working world, I wanted to point out an article on LinkedIn that I came across this morning. Raj De Datta argues that in your early career you should focus on learning more about the kind of job you want, and not get swept into a large company where you have less of an opportunity to try different things.

While I agree that start-ups offer excitement, promise, and unique challenges that will surely lead to personal growth, the stress of working at a start-up can be overwhelming. In the natural ebb and flow of a start-up business, you can go from working 12 hour days to spending weeks with nothing to do. And when there's work, there's money to pay you. When the company's not generating income, you might not get paid for a long time. With the pressure of renting an apartment and paying student loans, the not getting paid for sometimes months at a time stressed me out--I was an emotional wreck and started grinding my teeth in my sleep... which has caused some serious permanent damage. Five years later, I'm still recovering from credit card debt that started when my income was so inconsistent. However, that experience was essential to where I am today. If you can find a good start-up situation, and you can financially handle the instability of the start-up world, there's a lot of opportunity.

But also don't overlook small, established businesses. In those kinds of situations, when you have a boss who trusts you and your talent, there can be equal amounts of opportunity there.

Check out De Datta's post:
 https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140727232741-15381-don-t-waste-your-20s-at-google-or-mckinsey