Work!

This is the one that didn't post on Wednesday. Obviously, operator error. :-)

A topic that comes up in the mind of any job seeker is whether to hold out for the job you really want, or to take a job, any job, if only to tide you over. And the answer is, of course, why, yes, that's exactly what you should do!

Wise cracks aside, everyone has to decide as an individual which way to go. Like having children, there is no manual for how to deal with a job search. But maybe if I list some of the pros and cons it will help somebody make up their mind. Imagine, if you will, that this is a "Ben Franklin" sort of situation, where you list the pros on one side of the page, and the cons on the other. Ben said that doing so helped him make tough decisions. There are worse people you could copy, you know.

THE PROS:

• You are employed, with all of the good stuff that implies. No need to make excuses when somebody asks you what you do for a living.
  
• You get money. Maybe not as much as you like, but for anyone but a very select few (Gates, Buffet) that is also true, so it isn't relevant. As I said, you get paid!
• You have something to do, somewhere to be, in the morning. That's a wonderful way to keep your self esteem up.
• You may be able to use your current position to help you network for one that you really want. It's happened, a lot.
• You might find that you like the business you go in "temporarily" better than the one you were aiming at. In that case, you win, don't you?

THE CONS:

• You have less time to devote to your job search. In effect, you're working two jobs for one salary.
• You may be making little enough money that you are still dipping into savings. This can not, of course, go on forever.
• You may be performing duties you consider demeaning or unnecessary. No work truly is either of those things, but if you feel that way, it will hurt, one way or another.
• You may have trouble landing this job because you are seriously overqualified.

That's my list. You'll have to make up your own to make up your mind. I'd go ahead and do it. You might surprise yourself when you discover that, yes, a job, even a McJob, is the way to go. Or, you may surprise yourself when you notice that working full-time at finding employment is definitely the thing to do.

Either way, you win!

Steve