The Lemon Life | online magazine offering a fresh perspective on post-grad life.

Words by: Casey Robertson

Image by: Matthew Richmond

When you’re fresh out of school, choosing between full-time versus part-time employment proves a challenge.  For some, a regular paycheck is a necessity and part-time work simply won’t cut it.  Others may be lucky enough to get by on just a part-time job. Quite often, the issue of a less-than-ideal full-time job versus an ideal part-time job comes into play. I’ve experienced both of these job situations since graduation, and have observed positive and negative aspects in each.

Fresh out of school and wanting to simply make money, I obtained a full-time job working for an outsourced company doing sales for OnStar.  Unfortunately, with the new work schedule, I ultimately found it too difficult to continue teaching music lessons – something I had enjoyed for years. I decided, regrettably, to just work at my new full-time job, which seemed to have some advantages. It was nice generating more income, and maybe even “moving up” into a better position.  However, I found that after six months, I truly began to dread every day that I went into work.  I submitted my letter of resignation (and was almost immediately escorted out of the building), but then had the freedom to pursue avenues I was actually interested in. I took this time to volunteer, and become involved in opportunities that were previously impossible during my full-time tenure, and eventually acquired a teaching position at a music school which is part-time to begin, but I feel that the potential long-term opportunities are far greater than with the previous job that I couldn’t stand.

The issue of a less-than-ideal full-time job versus an ideal part-time job is what I see as a great conflict for recent graduates in many fields.  In his recent book “Outliers”, Malcolm Gladwell claims that those who have obtained great success in their field would have been unable to do so had they held down a full-time job in an unrelated field.  This is not to say that it’s impossible, but time is valuable, and it can be used up or even wasted all too easily.  I have worked with a number of individuals who never actually broke into the field they studied and for which they had a great passion.  It’s all too easy to latch on to a full-time job of convenience, and give up on what you really want, especially since it’s so hard to even get a foot in the door.  In fact, it’s not unusual to go through multiple interviews for many unpaid, volunteer positions. It’s definitely a double-edged sword; without experience, it’s extremely hard to get anywhere, and without volunteering, or taking advantage of limited part-time work, it’s nearly impossible to get that sought after “experience” that employers seems to value so highly.

So my advice would be to analyze where you are at right now.  If you’re not content with your current path, it may be time to rethink your future.  If the opportunity you are seeking comes in the form of a part-time job it could be worth seizing, because it’s a foot in the door. Everyone has to start somewhere, and sometimes short-term sacrifices are necessary for long-term benefits.  Sometimes, you reach a point where you’re stuck in the wrong job and it’s simply time to move on.   Life’s commitments have a way of locking us into employment situations that are less than satisfying, but if the opportunity to do what we have always wanted presents itself, it may just be too good to pass up.

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