“You’re going to be here forever kid. Don’t bother trying to move up the ranks or finding another job.” — typical miserable long-tenured employee.
There are all sorts of characters that you should avoid at your first job. Why? Because they can bring you down. Misery loves company. We all know this by now. We all know someone that’s totally miserable and mad at the world. Their goal is to bring you down.
Times have changed for us. Few of us will likely stay at the same job forever. Many of us will bounce around. Some of us will even work a few jobs. According to a recent article on CNN Money, many of us will work jobs that don’t even require a degree at our first job.
“Labor demand is still relatively weak, and you have increased competition for jobs with adults.” — from the article.
That means that we have to be super careful with who we associate with. We can’t let anyone bring us down at such an early age.
What are the two types of characters to avoid at your first job?
Those that have given up.
You’ve heard it before:
- Don’t bother trying to change the system.
- This is what life is.
- You’re not supposed to enjoy work.
- And so on.
Many characters have just given up. The other day an older dude was mocking me for being so passionate. He told me that it’s going to go away. Sure. He has given up. His wife left him and he lives in the basement. He’s mad at the world so he has chosen to give up.
I don’t want you to hang around those that have given up. You don’t have to be annoyingly positive like me, but there’s no benefit to hanging out with those that have already thrown in the towel.
The last thing you want to do is to give up before you even start. That would suck and I would be disappointed with you.
Those that want to bash the system.
I will always hold a part-time job. I’m just as motivated by complainers as I am by those that are strategic thinkers and have accomplished many things in life.
With that being said, I know so many characters that are just bashing the system. They blame the manager. They complain about co-workers. They want more money. They want less work. They always want something else. They always have something to bash or someone to throw under the bus.
What’s the problem with this? While it’s entertaining to listen to someone vent, it’s very toxic and it gets you nowhere. I don’t mind a good laugh by watching someone bash their employer or manager, but it’s horrible to be around because you can get sucked in easily.
Don’t bash the system. Take personal accountability for all of your actions. This is important because once you strip away the excuses you have nobody to blame but yourself. It’s dangerous, yet powerful.
Please stay clear of these three characters at your first job in your 20s. You have the rest of your life ahead of you.
“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” — Warren Buffett
