midget1500

hi kids,

well, i'm just finishing my final year exams at uni so need a graduate job. i'm not sure what to do regarding the following;

job 1 : worked there for a year out. they have been stalling for 6 months and tell me i'll know by end of june. (company is 12 miles away from home, money about 19k, software developer).
job 2 : waiting for 3rd and final interview, will know by august. (job is mainland UK - i live in N.I. money is 20k - manchester - software developement).
job 3 : the application is in for this friday so will know soon. (IT support, maybe a bit low level and money wise, well, no ideas but doubt more than 15k but the company is only a few miles away from home).

i may not get any of these jobs, but me being optimistic fear i may get offered job 3 first. then i would still have to wait a few months to hear about 1 and 2. i would prefer job 1 but may not get it. so, do i hold on and wait or if i get job 3 do i take it and don't tell companies 1 & 2 and see what happens?

i don't want to take job 3 then leave it 1-2 months later, i'd feel like a right **** for wasting their time, but then again if i hold out i could be f**ked.

the money isn't too different between jobs, i.e. job 1 = 19k but driving and parking = 4k a year so 15k. job 2 is manchester and 20k but couldn't live at home so would need to rent which i'm sure will be 6k a year. then job 3 is maybe 15k a year (maybe less) but no real transport costs.

so, any thoughts guys 'n gals?

cheers
steven

goodnight

At this stage of your life I would say do what is best for your future job prospects, dont be short sighted and only look at what is the easy option. I would think that you did not go to Uni for years to than take the easy option in life, do the one that suits where you want to be in five years time best.

midget1500

goodnite - yeah, but the IT market (esp. in NI is in a total drought at the moment ).

i guess my main question is, how much of a **** would i be to take a job that i may only be in for 1-2 months? or would i be better just to sit at home and wait?

dnb

I've been a graduate for just under 2 years now. (Will shortly be finishing my company's graduate training scheme) I did Elec. eng, so some of the institutions will be different...

Don't base too many calculations on the first salary, as a good company should offer accredited training (With BCS, IEE etc.) so that I can get to CEng status with something like 6 month pay reviews for the first couple of years. And have an idea of a career plan - where you can go (or want to go) in that company or other companies. You'll be surprised how your expectations and interests change when you start full time work. I lasted a year in the department I started in.

I see that you are taking travel and living expenses into account - that's important as well. I saved money by taking an effective £8k pay drop. (I moved out of London - one of my better decisions.)

A warning though - I signed an employment contract with a company in December 2000 (no conditions on my degree grade) to start work on the 1st september 2001 and was made redundant without warning in the second week of August 2001!!!
I had not applied to other jobs between December and August due to having a contract, and had turned down other jobs. This was, needless to say, rather upsetting... Have a backup plan & good luck!

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

SUN Microsystems have current vacancies for a graduate. Take a look at http://uk.sun.com/jobs/.

Regards

Steve

[Edited by Wurzel - 5/19/2003 12:08:34 PM]

Rob D

Steven, If I were you and get offered job 3 take it. The last thing you want to do is hold out for other jobs only to find you don't get any. Ok they might be better jobs however it's much easier looking for a job when you’re employed.
After I left school I spent 5 years studying Electronic engineering and took a job only paying £5000 per year . At the time I was also waiting for much better jobs to get back to me, one did and I joined them 6 weeks after starting the first. I had no regrets in leaving and have moved on to bigger and better things.
At the end of the day look after number 1, there are fewer and fewer companies that treat their staff with respect these days, so don't be afraid to move on regardless of how long you have been with a company.

Good luck!

MarkO

Take job 3, and if you get the other jobs and decide they're better for you, leave and take those. There's absolutely no reason to feel guilty about leaving a company having worked there for 2 months, for several reasons.

Firstly, you won't have got involved in the projects enough in that time that you'll be stitching up the company.

Secondly, you can be absolutely sure that if the company wanted to ditch you after 1-2 months, they would do it. There wouldn't be any guilt. Loyalty towards employees is rare (despite the fact that many employees feel loyalty towards their company).

When I was offered my first contract, I left a job I'd been in for just 4 weeks. It wasn't a nice thing to do (particularly as during the 4 weeks I'd received my company car and smashed it up ) but in this day & age you have to fend for yourself - nobody else is going to be looking after your interests.

dnb

My 1st post rather proves what MarkO says! I did screw them for redundancy money and relocation expenses

midget1500

thanks guys. that's what i wanted to hear. i'll try and get whatever job i can as it will leave me in a stronger position. i just feel bad potentially taking a job that i have no real interest in keeping.

oh well, c'est la vie. i'll probably not get any of the 3 anyways!