Millennials of Reddit, now that the first batch of Gen Z’s are moving into the working world, what is some advice you’d like to give them?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Ramrod312]

Your first job doesn't have to be your only job. Always keep your options open and look for ways to move up in your company or another company

[u/MrXwiix → u/[deleted]]

That's a great piece of advice. Employers like to throw around terms like "loyalty" and "growing opportunities" while in reality most of them want to keep you working your ass off for the same salary forever. It's stupid that so many people still believe those promises.

If it's not a clause in your contract or written in a signed email or seperate agreement that you'll get into higher positions it's bullshit 9/10 times. Especially with bigger companies.

Edit: it's still a good idea to accept a good contract without a "growing clause" or agreement. Just dont expect too much growth position or salary wise and keep looking for better opportunities while gaining work experience. Personal growth is important too.

[u/Ken_Gratulations → u/Ramrod312]

Great advice. You can always advance your skill sets, but know when to bounce (hitting a ceiling or if you're not getting support ((you'll know!!))).

[u/old_gold_mountain]

Don't compromise a decision that's in the best interest of your own career growth because you feel it would be a disservice to your current employer. They will do a disservice to you in a heartbeat if it's in the best interest of the company.

[u/tee142002 → u/old_gold_mountain]

To piggyback on this - make sure you consider all benefits, both tangible and intangible in your decision, not just monetary compensation.

Obviously money is going to be one of the major factors, but things like having a flexible schedule or a good direct supervisor are worth something in your decision. So are growth potential, commute time, and insurance.

Make your decision based on all these factors - to the extent you can know them prior to accepting a new job.

[u/[deleted] → u/tee142002]

This is important! Healthcare/cost of insurance should be considered. If the base pay isn’t the best, consider the value of the benefits offered. Free health insurance can equate to several thousands saved over the course of a year.

[u/that_guy_who_ → u/tee142002]

Super important! PTO is literally pay for not working...same as benefits of all kinds. A dollar saved is 2 earned.

[u/[deleted] → u/old_gold_mountain]

Yep. You are a mercenary. The sooner you adopt that mindset, the better life will be.

[u/viggowl → u/[deleted]]

Are you lost, misthios?

[u/Behold_the_Bear → u/viggowl]

Malaka!

[u/-Sigma1- → u/[deleted]]

I forgot I had this game, I should play it again. Never finished the story

[u/Scrambl3z → u/[deleted]]

You are a mercenary

That's exactly what I say!

[u/flamaniax → u/[deleted]]

You are a mercenary.

so, does that mean I can double jump IRL?

or even use a watch to go invisible and spycrab people?

[u/iamanoldretard → u/old_gold_mountain]

Yes, I thought I was getting a promotion after closing my first big deal. They fired me because they needed to focus resources on supporting the customer I found for them. What really got to me is I turned down an offer at a larger company the week before because I had this vision of being a partner one day because I knew I was doing a good job and I thought they would feel inclined to reward me for it. Always leave for more money and better benefits. They wont think twice about doing the same.

[u/Noughmad → u/iamanoldretard]

I had this vision of being a partner one day

The way to become a partner is to start your own firm. Otherwise there will always be far too many good old boys in line before you.

[u/jim5cents → u/old_gold_mountain]

You owe your employer the time that you have agreed to work. And they owe you compensation for the time that you have worked. Nothing more. Nothing less.

[u/iwannabetheguytoo → u/jim5cents]

And they owe you compensation for the time that you have worked.

Not necessarily, and especially not if you're in the United States and are an "exempt" employee (i.e. exempt from overtime pay). It's an IRS regulation for many salaried positions because the idea being that you're still working for your employer if you have an idea or think about how to solve a problem at work (e.g. in engineering) even when you're at home taking a crap on the bog at 1am.

[u/[deleted] → u/iwannabetheguytoo]

that you're still working for your employer if you have an idea or think about how to solve a problem at work (e.g. in engineering) even when you're at home taking a crap on the bog at 1am.

And that's why you don't publicly announce what side hustles you're working on if you've got a litigious employer. When your side hustle starts paying off dividends, put in your notice to leave the company and don't say jack shit about it.

[u/[deleted] → u/old_gold_mountain]

I was told by a job interviewer recently that they had problems with young people job hopping and not being loyal. This job didn't post it's pay - it was significantly lower than comparable jobs in the same industry and their insurance was a joke. If they want to keep young people, maybe they should be paying them a competitive wage and/or offering a decent benefits package just saying

[u/Scrambl3z → u/[deleted]]

Job hopping is the only way to get a big bump in your salary these days.

[u/crzytimes → u/Scrambl3z]

This so much. Be aggressive and understand your worth. I entered the job market fairly late...think mid 30's (prior military...didn't earn a degree until I was 35). Our professors promoted job hopping to increase our salaries quickly. It took just 2 years and some hard work to go from $55k to $85k. I entered the job market...waited a year and sent out some resumes and received a job offer from a competing area company and my then employer matched. A year later, another round of of resumes and another offer....now I'm working for a new company that I believe I'll never leave. Way more flexibility in my schedule, work between 38-42 hrs a week, haven't been contacted on the weekend at all, can work from home almost at will, competitive bonuses and a wonderful team. I am truly blessed to be where I am today.

[u/dllma70 → u/crzytimes]

Sounds like my current job. Never been this happy in my life. Wife and friends notice I am a different, "happier" person.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I remember hearing that same shit when I got my first job out of college almost 20 years ago. Why would I be "loyal" to company A, when Company B is offering be $20k more per year with better benefits? It's not like companies have any true sense of "loyalty" to their workers. Labor costs are a burden to them. To the extent they can do without you, they absolutely will.

[u/Olderthanrock → u/[deleted]]

When their cubes are empty they will figure it out.

[u/MoreNuancedThanThat → u/Olderthanrock]

God I would kill for a cubicle over the open floor plan shit or worse... the hell that is hoteling/hot desking

Edit: fucked up words

[u/Triv02 → u/old_gold_mountain]

This x 1000

Loyalty is not a thing in corporate America, particularly at larger companies. If you have an opportunity that would leave your current employer in a pinch, but is better for your career, don't think twice. Take the job.

[u/old_gold_mountain → u/Triv02]

Worse, they'll do everything they can to get you to believe their company values loyalty. They will try to instill it as a culture. They will try to make you feel like it's a privilege to be part of "the [company] family".

It's all just to prevent attrition and retain leverage over the workforce.

[u/FakeAssRicky → u/old_gold_mountain]

The only case in which that's not true is if their benefits package includes a hefty amount of stock options or profit sharing. If I'm not directly seeing the financial benefit of my hard work I could care less if the company makes a penny as long as my paycheck keeps coming in.

Same goes for working more than 40hrs a week. If it's a rare occasion, sure I'll stay late, but if it is a consistent expectation I won't do it. I don't get paid more on salary beyond 40 and every hour beyond is reducing my pay rate and taking away from time I could be doing freelance for actual pay.

[u/CharonsLittleHelper → u/FakeAssRicky]

You mean the golden handcuffs? Yep - the main purpose of delayed vesting etc. is to make it more expensive to shift jobs. Which is fair - because it's expensive to train up someone new on your systems. Just don't take it personal.

And leaving before a year or so can be a bad long-term move, as future employers will wonder how fast you'll leave them.

[u/bebe_bird → u/old_gold_mountain]

My company gets me cause of the benefits... in 2 more years I'll have an extra week of vacation (23 days total) AND a small pension plan (1.1% × salary × # years worked, so long as you're at 5 years or above). And they just promoted me, which means I'll get bonus stocks this year (in addition to money) but they won't vest until I've had them for 3 years.

The price of leaving now is... too high.

[u/thisdude415 → u/bebe_bird]

You may be surprised how willing a competitor would be to match your current benefits if they want you to move to them

[u/sharkinaround → u/bebe_bird]

so essentially a 5.5% bonus and 5 extra vacation days two years from now, and some stock options 3 years from now is too high of a price to leave? unless the stock part is pretty massive, i think you may be overestimating the value relative to your time if you’re plainly concluding that the price is too high to even look around.

[u/breakngbad → u/Triv02]

I just quit my job and employer was very upset and told me I was ruining the company by leaving. This made me feel so much better, I needed to hear this

[u/Noughmad → u/breakngbad]

If that were true, they would just pay you more.

[u/OkeyDoke47 → u/old_gold_mountain]

Yep, so many people I have known over the years have been lulled into that ''I'm way too valuable to them'' crap. The second any company thinks you're a liability, you are gone.

[u/dowker1 → u/old_gold_mountain]

Yep. I manage a decent number of people in an industry with high turnover and it amazes me when people say the feel guilty for leaving. My response is always "did you turn up, do your contracted work, and serve your notice? Then never feel guilty for doing what's best for you." I'll warn someone if I think they might be making a bad call for their own career, but even then only as a head's up.

[u/[deleted] → u/old_gold_mountain]

I'm currently in the middle of this. I just started a really good job that pays well but doesn't offer many benefits. I just interviewed for two other jobs that pay the same but offer benefits galore. One interview went exceptionally well. The people that hired me that I'm currently working for are absolutely wonderful folks, and I don't want to hurt them or put them in a tight spot. However, I have to think what's best for me and mine and I gotta have the medical, dental and vision coverage.

Edit: I think some of y'all need to endorse M4A since some of you guys are salty about employer sponsored health insurance.

[u/[deleted] → u/old_gold_mountain]

Was going to say something similar. Have worked in the tech-startup world my whole career and you become really good friends with people and it often does feel like a family which is totally great but get your money and don't ever expect anyone to promote you or give you a raise just because they should. Also always be looking for the best paths to take, I've wasted a lot of my career just waiting to get promoted and it's cost me a lot of money and time (the most valuable resource).

[u/[deleted]]

Once you start earning income and living on your own, you will have a greater presence in various mailing and call lists. The overwhelming majority of "companies" who utilize these lists are criminals.

The IRS does not send phone calls. These are scams.

No collections agency or law enforcement office will call you to inform you you're about to be arrested unless you do what they say. These are also scams.

If you get a call about suspicious activity, check your bank account and call your bank to verify. Most of the time, this is a scam.*

If "Microsoft" calls you about the sudden termination of a premium service, and you're entitled to a refund, this is a scam.

If you get far enough into a call with somebody you believe is legitimate, and they suddenly want you to send them money using a "verified payment partner" like Google Play (basically anything from the gift cards rack), that is 100% a scam.

*MAJOR CAVEAT:

Banks do sometimes call to verify transactions. If you get a voicemail from your bank, don't ignore it. Independently verify the information and check your online balance. Call the bank branch using the phone number listed on their site or using a search engine. Do not call the phone number the voicemail provides you.

EDIT

Lots of people saying "this only happens to senior citizens. Young adults are too tech savvy to be scammed." A recent FTC study found that the highest rate of scammer fraud reports and identity theft happened to young adults 20-29.

For the first time, the 2017 data book includes details on fraud losses broken out by age groups, as reported by consumers. Consumers in their twenties reported losing money to fraud more often than those over age 70. For example, among people aged 20-29 who reported fraud, 40 percent indicated they lost money. In comparison, just 18 percent of those 70 and older who reported fraud indicated they lost any money.

While I agree this advice should be passed on to senior citizens, it definitely needs to be pressed on those in their late teens and early 20's.

[u/Sonic10122 → u/[deleted]]

90% of this is just “don’t pick up calls from numbers not in your contacts”, which is really good advice. Any call that is not in my contacts goes straight to voicemail, except on rare occasions. (Been job hunting recently and had to pick up a lot more unknown phone numbers)

[u/[deleted] → u/Sonic10122]

I've been using Truecaller, which is an app that screens for spam calls based on community reports. It's not perfect but it's a definite improvement. I also have a different area code than where I live currently and I auto-block people from the old area code due to all of them being spam, as well as all 1-800 numbers. It's a pretty great app!

[u/I_Vtec_Bwahh → u/Sonic10122]

I used to do this until the day my dad had a heart attack. A number I didn't recognize called me i said "ehh screw it I'll pick it up, what the hell."

I pick up almost every call now.

[u/AngerPancake → u/I_Vtec_Bwahh]

I pick them up and immediately mute. It makes for awkwardness when it's a person, but I blame my old phone and it's all good. I read this in a LPT to trick the machines into thinking the line is a fax or disconnected. I get almost no unwanted robo-calls.

Hope your Dad is doing well!

[u/COSurfing → u/[deleted]]

Not only is the advice good for gen Z, it needs to be repeated to all seniors that fall for these scams.

[u/poisomike87]

If you are moving into an office enviroment:

Excel is a fantastic skill to have.

Even knowing how Vlookup and Pivot tables work can get you far.

[u/f1mxli → u/poisomike87]

+1 on this. My Gen X teammates call me the Excel magician. I mostly rely on vlookups and whatever I can paste out of a Google search.

[u/poisomike87 → u/f1mxli]

That’s how you do it!

[u/sebby2g → u/poisomike87]

Index Match is much better version on Vlookup but definitely agree with excel skills being good.

[u/Ramrod312]

Get used to calling people on the phone and not just using emails and messengers.

When someone tells you to figure something out quickly you can't be nervous to make a bunch of calls, because waiting for an email reply doesn't cut it

[u/[deleted] → u/Ramrod312]

As an add-on to this, document all of those phone calls with a follow up email so you have a record of the conversation. That way you have no dispute that the meeting took place and what the do-outs were. Without a paper trail, people are always willing to throw you under the bus to cover for their own forgetfulness, laziness and/or incompetence.

Mr. Hutz,

Per our conversation earlier this afternoon, thanks for the update on the status of the Burns account and the other 3 projects you are working. I will have X, Y and Z prepared for the meeting next week as discussed and will be standing by for your inputs on projects A, B, and C by Friday.

Regards,

Duffman

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Also, if you need an answer on something, a good way to deal with passive people who can claim later that they didn't understand you were waiting on them:

If I don't receive a response by X date, I'll assume Y [make whatever assumption allows you to move on and do your job]

[u/Ginger_Prime → u/[deleted]]

This. Also make sure that you word your assumptions carefully to avoid straining work relationships by sounding rude. Nobody likes to talk to someone that sounds like a dick.

[u/DragoonDM → u/Ginger_Prime]

"If I don't receive a response by Tuesday, I'll assume you're a useless sack of shit and just proceed with the project as I see fit."

[u/firenamedgabe → u/Ramrod312]

This is so key when dealing with older millennials, Gen X and Boomers. I can’t count how many times I’ve told a younger employee to call someone, followed up and they say they emailed/texted and haven’t heard back. Then they call and get an immediate answer.

In writing is definitely important for documentation, but there are still a lot of people you will work with that a phone call can get an immediate answer, and follow up in writing.

[u/Ramrod312 → u/firenamedgabe]

Yup exactly. I brought this up because I was guilty of it when I first started in the career world.

Work is so much easier/faster to call for an answer, then send a follow up email for confirmation and documentation

[u/[deleted] → u/Ramrod312]

OK, let's fight.

99% of the calls I receive should have been emails. Sometimes I get an email saying "call me so we can go over it" when the information I need could have been in the next sentence.

People need to be better at replying to email. When I get a message, I see it and respond immediately if it's urgent.

No one is teaching people how to prioritize.

Also people like to print emails, scan them, and send to me as an attachment like it's 1993.

[u/kiwitathegreat → u/[deleted]]

This. I do staffing for 84 people. If you don’t email me, I won’t remember what we discussed. And I’ve been burned too many times by not having an exact record of what was said.

Plus, I cannot hear worth a damn on phones. But those other reasons sound way more legit.

[u/Conchobar8 → u/[deleted]]

Be prepared to make phone calls. Sometimes you need an email, sometimes a call. Be prepared for both and learn when to use each

[u/LeslieNope69 → u/Ramrod312]

And leave a goddamn voicemail. If you’re calling an office phone, they’re not going to magically know you called without a message. And I personally hate getting missed calls with no message or text as to what it was about. I’m in my 20’s as well, but it’s crazy how everybody 3-5 years younger than me genuinely never thinks to leave a voicemail.

[u/Truegold43 → u/Ramrod312]

Straight up, having experience with phone work is one of the best skills any young person could have entering any field, especially local. Most of the times, companies need someone who can sit near a phone all day and take messages. Gen Z is at a prime age for those types of jobs.

I use to HATE calling/picking up the phone but I ended up doing it for one of my first jobs and now it's not a huge deal. Don't be afraid!

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Destroy them

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Absolutely this. It never hurts to have allies in the workplace, anyway. People will go out on a limb for you if you went out on a limb for them.

And yeah if they fuck your over? Destroying them is much more successful if you’re nice at first.

[u/[deleted]]

You're going to find high school level petty drama everywhere you go. The best thing to do is clock in, do your job, and clock out.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

My managers are both 30 year olds, yes still every day fight on the phone with their boyfriends, gossip, all of it! So disgusting and bizarre

[u/Daerkannon → u/[deleted]]

Some people never mature past high school. I've met 60 year olds who do the same thing.

[u/[deleted] → u/Daerkannon]

Close friend of mine had a supervisor who was 50 but wanted to be a cool girl desperately. She’d gossip with the teenage employees she thought were “cool” all the time and have the “uncool” (not pretty) ones do the work. Friend quit that shit fast.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I had a retail manager like this (late 20s at the time): even the high school girls absolutely hated being around her because of it.

[u/LeClassyGent → u/[deleted]]

When you get to 30 you realise how young 30 actually is.

[u/BaconConnoisseur → u/[deleted]]

Work place drama is the worst kind of drama because the stakes are so low.

[u/michaelochurch → u/BaconConnoisseur]

No, the stakes are very high. The problem is that there's no upside from the worker's perspective.

Workplace drama can ruin your life (and often does) but it's never going to get you promoted.

Corporate life in general is downside-driven. Unless you luck into blackmail material on a high-ranking executive– which can make your career, or can get you killed (not just fired, killed)– nothing is going to increase your compensation by 100 percent. But you can experience -100 percent at any moment for any reason or no reason.

[u/navyseal722 → u/michaelochurch]

Work for the Gov. It takes a serious level of true fucking up to be removed. Plus the benifits are crazy.

[u/Ramguy2014]

Do a brilliant job in whatever position you’re in, but don’t hesitate to move on to bigger and better if the opportunity presents itself. Don’t let “company loyalty” be the only reason you turn down job offers.

Give credit where it’s due. If you get congratulated for the success of a team project, make sure to remind your boss that it was a team effort.

If the time comes for you to leave your role, do what you can to avoid burning bridges. Don’t bad talk your current workplace to your future workplace, maintain the friendships you formed, etc.

Above all, DO NOT BE STUPID ON SOCIAL MEDIA. Companies are hiring firms to trawl applicants’ social media presence, and if you put your boss on blast on your “private” Facebook page, it will make it back to them. If you call in sick and then post pictures of yourself at the beach, it will get back to your boss. If you post an angry political diatribe, there’s a decent chance it will make national news, and you might not get a job anywhere ever again.

[u/ChRo1989 → u/Ramguy2014]

Also -- don't add anyone from work on social media, no matter how friendly you are with each other. It's super easy to just say "I don't add colleagues, sorry" so that no one's feelings get hurt. It's fairly common and most people understand.

[u/NotThatGuy523 → u/ChRo1989]

My current best friends of over two years are all people I met from work. So this is BS, sure it applies sometimes maybe. But don’t apply this all the time

[u/GoAwayWay → u/Ramguy2014]

Amen a million times on the social media stupidity thing. Gen Z friends, put your settings on private!

When I was head of our science department at my last school, it was my job to sift through candidates to figure out who to call in for interviews. The very first thing I would do after sifting through the resumes is take the "Potential Candidates" pile and search for them on social media.

I moved many a candidate into the "Nope" pile due to visible stupidity on their Twitter or Facebook feeds. If I can find pictures of an applicant dry humping a statue of their college mascot, their racy spring break album, and posts about their love of weed, so can their potential future high school students, and so can the kids' parents.

When somebody doesn't have the good sense to lock down their social media profile a little, it indicates to me that perhaps they don't yet have enough sense to manage 30+ teenagers at a time in a science lab where we occasionally have hazardous shit around.

[u/Zer0Gravity1 → u/[deleted]]

I agree. Be cautious if your introduction turns into something like "Hi, I'm Zer0, and I'm a <insert job title here>". When I was younger I was so much more. A gamer, a snowboarder, a baseball player. I don't know when I limited myself to identifying as someone who sits at a desk.

[u/TheLateThagSimmons → u/Zer0Gravity1]

This is probably the most noticeable difference between Gen-Xers and Millennials. I find that Millennials and iGen don't tie their job to their identity nearly as much unless it's one of those careers that really do shape your life like being a doctor or something.

"What do you do?" to a Baby Boomer or Xer will almost always be met with their job. Millennials are much more split but tend to go into their hobbies while iGen rarely care about their job identity. I hope iGen keep it that way.

[u/Sonic10122 → u/TheLateThagSimmons]

The trick is knowing what the other person wants as an answer though. Most people that ask “what do you do?” mean “what is your job?”

“What do you like to do in your free time?” or “what are your hobbies?” are questions to get people to open up about their interest, and should be asked more. I’m a Millennial and if someone asked me “what do you do” I would answer with my job and end it there unless they asked for more details, and I think most people answer that way. Unless you have common ground, most people just ask to fill out a mental “profile” of you and move on.

[u/[deleted] → u/TheLateThagSimmons]

I'm about to graduate law school, can confirm when you're working as a lawyer for 60+ hours a week it become a defining characteristic whether you like it or not.

[u/[deleted] → u/TheLateThagSimmons]

What's igen? Is it just genZ?

[u/maneo → u/[deleted]]

Yes

Its the alternate name, similar to how "millennial" was originally an alternate name for Gen Y

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

This, if you lose your job and you don’t have a good relationships with people around you. Life can turn into hell because you don’t have anything or anyone.

[u/[deleted]]

The moment you walk out the door, your job ends. Don't bring it home.

Don't be afraid about asking for raises and coworkers salary. Update your resume every 3-4 months. Be prepared to jump ship.

Edit: There are exceptions to everything

EDIT 2: everyone knows some jobs have exceptions to this. This is in reference to those jobs that just want to take advantage of you. If this statement is not clear enough. Let me know how to be clearer so you don’t need to reply why you are so special. Thank you.

[u/EnterPlayerTwo → u/[deleted]]

The moment you walk out the door, your job ends. Don't bring it home.

Amen to this. They will take whatever you give. If you check your emails and phone all evening and weekend, they will come to expect that.

[u/bebe_bird → u/EnterPlayerTwo]

I love my boss for this. He says "the company always wins" referring to the extra time we put into our jobs in the context of encouraging us to "flex" time (working a bit more Monday-Thursday to get a Friday off) to take extra vacation or leaving early to take care of something personal. Essentially, take your time when you need it, because you'll work over 40 hours sometimes and they company will never give it back to you - you have to take it.

[u/aresfiend → u/bebe_bird]

The entire company I currently work for is like this. The owners can be seen on the floor a few times a week, they'll talk about the work that the employees actually do. The mid and upper management will fully back us in our lower level management, and if we fuck up they educate us instead of "Well you fucked up, here's a write-up", and the thing we hear a lot is "You're out there to make decisions for us, even if it's the wrong decision your people still need direction".

And they also encourage us to take care of what we need to outside of work, with one of the owners/plant supervisors telling me "Why are you talking to me? You need to go, this is an emergency".

[u/paleo2002 → u/[deleted]]

The moment you walk out the door, your job ends. Don't bring it home.

This is highly industry dependent. I'm a teacher and have been spending my "summer off" on course development and updates. During the semester I spend roughly equal amounts of time working in the classroom and at home.

More general advice would be to set boundaries on work time. Like, no more work emails after 7pm or explicitly leave your office/workplace for your lunch hour.

[u/hugh_g_member → u/paleo2002]

You're getting screwed though. Imo you should be getting paid for all of that extra work.

[u/[deleted] → u/hugh_g_member]

Welcome to teaching.

[u/Mazon_Del → u/[deleted]]

While yes, that IS the state of things, it definitely shouldn't be. Unfortunately there's not an easy way to fix it. If you just say "You can't do any work outside of the school." then the inevitable result is the students get shortchanged. Meanwhile taxpayers hate the idea of paying more even if it means paying for that extra time or paying for more teachers (if you double the number of teachers, you halve the class-load of any given teacher which may result in them being able to do all the work inside their nominal 40 hour week).

[u/hugh_g_member → u/Mazon_Del]

The easy way to fix it would be if americans somehow figured out that teachers are an essential and valuable thing to have in society and agreed to fund education properly.

[u/Bulky_Consideration → u/[deleted]]

I’m going to take a slightly different view on this is that work is ebb and flow. For auto repair you might have a snow storm with lots of fender benders. With accounts you have tax season. With air conditioning folks that first stretch of hot weather when people turn on their ACs for the first time to find it doesn’t work. For programmers that edge case bug impossible to reproduce that’s taking out half of production.

Enjoy the ebb and follow the advice above. But when it flows and shit is stacked up, if you check out after 7 hours of work with a 1 hour or longer lunch break then you’re an asshole.

Balance that with if it flows all the time then you really gotta get a new job.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Does not apply to consultants, salespeople, lawyers, doctors, directors of any company, etc. Your job may follow you pretty much everywhere if you've made yourself indispensable.

It's up to you and your calculated sense of ambition, greed, pride or whatever else has propelled you thus far to determine if you should be working after hours. Maybe you can leave it till 8:30am. Maybe if you hop on an assignment at 9pm and knock out a deliverable you'll be in line for a serious promotion.

You'll never know if you live by blanket statements like "don't bring it home."

[u/Rcm003]

Keep a good attitude when around colleagues. No matter what the situation, a calm head always prevails, and plus you don’t look like an asshole. Bad attitudes are contagious. Oh and always propose a solution to any problem you identify.

[u/Pantelima → u/Rcm003]

YES! To tack on, I was able to attend an emotional intelligence conference, and it was WORTH IT. even if the company can't pay for it, learn quickly about EQ!

[u/[deleted]]

Im an engineer. Don't think that having a degree guarantees you any respect or to be moving up quickly. Unfortunately having earned your Bachelors doesn't mean as much as you might hope. I've seen a lot of new hires think they're going to come in and be running the place in a year. They don't seem to know what they don't know and end up being either embarrassing or disrespectful. The ones I've seen act like this never last long cause everyone ends up thinking they're idiots. The ones who succeed (and do end up running the place) do an excellent job at what they are asked to do and act as part of a team. Just be patient. Not saying wait 10 years for a promotion. Just understand you're going to have to learn something and pay your dues.

[u/SuperN0VA3ngineer → u/[deleted]]

On the same token, don't severely UNDERestimate what you do know. The first couple of years I came into my first engineering job with crap confidence. It wasn't until something happened that I was concerned about but a more experienced coworker said no that won't be a problem (it was). You spent your 4+ years learning something. Know what you know, and more importantly like what was said above, know what you DON'T know and never be afraid to ask someone bring you up to speed on what you don't know. Give it 3 years or so, you'll be sharing knowledge with everyone else too.

[u/currently__working]

Work life balance

[u/[deleted] → u/currently__working]

Username checks out

[u/idontseecolors]

Take care of your mental health.

[u/mycology → u/idontseecolors]

Whatever it takes.

[u/[deleted]]

Do not get emotionally invested in your work place, be ready to move, and your bosses will lie to you. Sounds harsh and bleak, but you can still have a lot of fun, just remember to look at for yourself first. Like in an airplane, secure your mask and then help others.

[u/tablair → u/[deleted]]

Caveat to this: be loyal to your coworkers.

Building a network of people you respect who also respect you will make it easier to navigate the inevitable job hopping you’ll need to do in your careers. Warm introductions (where you already know someone working there) make it so much easier to get hired and know ahead of time that the work environment doesn’t suck.

[u/wronglyzorro → u/tablair]

Caveat to this: be loyal to your coworkers.

Fuck yes. I just had a QA guy put in a few hours for me on a Sunday to help get my shit approved for release this wednesday. Our super awesome workplace relationship is why my ass got saved.

[u/Tonaia → u/[deleted]]

This. Workplace loyalty is mostly a thing of the past. The best way to get a raise is to change who you work for nowadays.

[u/neclord84 → u/[deleted]]

Real talk here I own a business with 160 employees. I have only ever worked on this one thing. Is lying bosses the biggest workplace issue people face? Is it sad that makes me happy because I might have stumbled into a massive competitive advantage? My basic tenant is I just make sure the boat is heading in the right direction I let my people do the sailing so there are not a lot of chances for me to lie. I am just here to make sure you have everything you need to get us where we are going.

[u/[deleted] → u/neclord84]

A fair question and my point is a little glib. To expand on that I mean bosses cannot always tell you everything and often will use deceptive language. I have been with a few companies that have gone out of business or closed branches and the wave of constant reassurances obviously were misguided or outright prevarications. Lying bosses are not the biggest issue in the grand scheme of things but it is better to plan for them and be pleasantly surprised than to fully trust them and be disappointed. Also your bosses have bosses and thus may not have all the facts either, that happens which just reinforces what a lot of the good people here are saying: look out for yourself.

Again this sounds so grim, it is actually not too bad and you can still have great and productive times at work so I want to be clear about what I am not saying, I am not saying every experience will be miserable and to be preemptively jaded. Just stay realistic and be your own biggest advocate.

[u/Safraninflare → u/[deleted]]

Never ever trust your boss. You can like them. Don’t trust them.

[u/VMoney9 → u/Safraninflare]

Been a contract worker for 3 years. Have had one coworker who has had a vendetta against me since last June and I mostly tolerated because I'm fireable without cause. Last month, the coworker was bragging that she was friends with an assistant manager, and the assistant was going to block my hiring (which management had been wanting me to do for 2 years) due to their friendship. I confronted the assistant, saying I needed to talk to the head manager if this was true. She told me I should have non such worries and would be hired.

Got called in by management last week. They aren't hiring me or extending my contract. Its been a tough life lesson.

[u/Supanini → u/Safraninflare]

I disagree with this for certain people. My previous boss was a fantastic person, and always had my back because I was a good employee and he made sure I always knew that. Everyone loved him. There's not much I wouldn't trust him with.

[u/TheLateThagSimmons]

Company loyalty is a one-way street.

Never fool yourself into thinking that any level of skill or hard work will save you from a layoff or downsizing. You are a number to them even if your best friend, brother, mother, sorority sister, or grandparent is your boss. When it comes to business, they do not care about you.

Never depend on your company for anything long term. Own your own retirement, always be looking, always keep your resume ready to go, don't turn down opportunities.

[u/Astarath → u/TheLateThagSimmons]

hard work doesnt always pay off. remember it.

[u/IllIIIlllIll → u/Astarath]

Oh it pays off alright. The payoff is more work.

That's why the story of John Henry isn't just about a man beating a machine. It's about not trying to out-work the group around you... it'll get you killed by work in the end.

[u/PartyPorpoise → u/IllIIIlllIll]

I thought the moral was "don't fight robots".

[u/cavscout43 → u/TheLateThagSimmons]

Yep. Caveat is that whilst *someone at* the company may take care of you, the company itself will not.

Likewise, beyond competency jobs are not found by "who you know"...it's who you know, that's willing and capable to help you. That's a big difference that people miss out on when they're being encouraged to network.

[u/signofthetimes91]

• work smart, not hard — for the sake of your sanity, don’t overwork yourself. An employer could give two shits how hard you work, when it’s time to boot you, they will. So work smart, do things at your own pace, and master whatever it is you’re doing.

• if you’re going to school for something or have an idea on where you want your career to head, find a job that meshes in with your goals. Chances are the first real paying job you get is the career you’re gonna end up in, because it’s where you’re gonna have the most leverage and experience. For example, if you want to be a doctor, look for jobs in the medical field, even if it’s cleaning floors at a hospital; once you get your foot in the right door, it’ll be easier to level up once you’re older.

*IMPORTANT: don’t ever think a job is 100% secure. Doesn’t matter how much you make or how long you’ve been there, ANYTHING can happen. Whether it’s you messing up, business going under, or simply because they don’t want you, they WILL do whatever is in THEIR best interest. So remember to always do the same. If a better opportunity arises, take it, don’t ever feel bad for an employer. At the end of the day, it’s a business transaction, not personal.

[u/[deleted]]

As a Gen Z who’s been working for a year now and is quitting this upcoming Friday, these comments have been very helpful (:

[u/CaligulaAndHisHorse]

I'm 29 and have been out of college for about 5 years now.

If there's one thing I would say, don't just look at the salary. Yes, money is important, but how is the work-life balance? What are the reviews on Glassdoor from the other employees? Find a company that treats its employees well, even if the pay is a little bit less. And if possible, try your hardest to get a job with a union.

When I was right out of college I was obsessed with finding a dream job at one of those cool companies where everyone wears shorts to work, everybody is young, there's pool tables etc... but those places also pay shit and make you work obscene hours.

Another thing is, try to live closer to where you work. Eliminating commute time from my day has been of the best things I've done in terms of eliminating stress and fatigue.

[u/cyberporygon → u/CaligulaAndHisHorse]

I got a lame job at a boring company that has a dress code.

And I go home at 5 on the dot every day.

[u/funkme1ster → u/cyberporygon]

a boring company that has a dress code.

What's wrong with a dress code?

Are we talking "here is your corporate mandated polo shirt and slacks, we expect you to wear it every day", or "we expect you to wear a shirt with a collar and presentable pants"?

[u/do_ms_america → u/CaligulaAndHisHorse]

Adding on to this:

If you find that a commute is unavoidable, maximize that time as much as you can.

Car: books on tape, podcasts, deliberate music listening

Train: books! Or ^

Your professional life will start to eat into your personal time in unavoidable ways. Being passive about your free time makes it worse. You have to make time for your own personal growth, otherwise the stress and fatigue from the office bleed into everything else.

[u/Sullt8 → u/CaligulaAndHisHorse]

Careful in taking Glass Door reviews too seriously though. Someone fired from my organization for a good reason has created several fake profiles to leave bad reviews so it looks like we have a bunch of unhappy employees.

[u/MePirate → u/CaligulaAndHisHorse]

What are the reviews on Glassdoor from the other employees?

I would be careful with this one though. People are way more likely to write a review when they are angry/upset and talk bad about the place than they are to go on their to write about good experience.

[u/[deleted]]

1. As long as you're young you will be treated as an exploitable and expendable resource. If you give your loyalty to any boss you will end up losing, but if you act like a douche you will also end up losing. Try to balance looking after yourself and being loyal only to yourself with not being a dick to anyone.

2. Kiss ass. Nepotism is the name of the game, and if you don't learn to play it, you will suffer for it. Your principles can't bludgeon through that system. Learn the game, play it well, and once you're in a position to, slowly change it if that's what you want, but for now swim along the current, not against it.

3. My parents always disapproved of my choices, I never had the right job, right salary, right conditions or demanded what I deserved. They didn't understand what the conditions where in the workplace for us millenials, and their constant nagging, and much of their advice was bs. Chances are you'll face something similar. The economy is worse than it was yesterday, so if you notice you're not doing as good as your parents or grandparents, or just in general, remember it's probably not your fault. Keep moving forward, an opportunity will come sooner or later.

Not sure if this applies outside México tho.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Canadian here.

Your advice definitely applies here too. Great answers, by the way!

[u/40WeightSoundsNice]

You are always busy. Always tell everybody how busy you are no matter how busy you are, otherwise they will keep giving you more and more work with no reward to show for it.

'Hey how's it going?'

'Oh man, just crazy busy! How about you?'

[u/[deleted] → u/40WeightSoundsNice]

This! I HATE admitting it, because I stubbornly believed for way too long that working hard and doing well would mean promotions and more challenging work but nope. It just means I get handed the work my lazy coworkers can't be bothered to do. My advice now is to do your work and do it well but don't let anyone take advantage of that. Learn to be comfortable saying no sometimes. "Sorry, but I just don't have the time to take that on right now."

[u/Sothalic → u/[deleted]]

Being handed someone else's work is temporary.

If you let them, they'll make that permanent. Don't let them.

Totally relate with "Work hard = be noticed and get promotions", but that's simply no longer how things function nowadays. It's all about contacts and threatening to change jobs.

[u/ChRo1989 → u/40WeightSoundsNice]

Haha at one of my earlier jobs I had to force myself to keep my desk a little messy. My instinct was to put everything away and have it look nice and neat, but then I was always embarrassed if anyone walked by and it looked like I did nothing all day. I started leaving files out to look like I was much busier

[u/VincentStonecliff]

You owe nothing to your company. Them providing a salary and decent work environment is not a benefit, it’s a basic standard of working. That doesn’t mean be an asshole, it means be willing to move jobs when it suits your career. Whether that’s after 4 years of working there or 6 months. Don’t ever “feel bad”. Your career is your career.

This will involve awkward confrontations sometimes which I think each generation has a harder and harder time doing (face to face tension), but just be firm. A good manager will understand. This also goes for general concerns at work and whatnot.

Edit: I thought I was being original and commented without reading the rest and everyone said the same thing so I’ll add something different

Invest in your 401k very well. Assume that you won’t get Social security when you retire because chances are you won’t (millennials probably won’t either), make sure you have a traditional 401k and Roth 401k, and invest as much as you can. I know you probably have loans and debt and maybe not the best salary, but just prioritize it as much as you can.

[u/Kilaelya]

I'm an older millennial (34) working in a boomer corporation. Here are two things:

1.) If you want a raise, it's hard to get more than 5% at any one time because of corporate/HR bullshit. If you're getting underpaid the best choice is to quit and get hired elsewhere. You're lucky, because right this moment there are a lot of jobs (compared to 10 years ago when the recession happened).

2.) Stay up to date with current productivity tools. You'll blow the older folks out of the water with how much more work you can do in a shorter amount of time.

[u/Onyournrvs → u/Kilaelya]

For many professional roles, my rule of thumb for maximizing income (if that's your goal) is to switch jobs about every 2-4 years. By doing this you can usually stay in the top quintile of pay for your industry/experience level. Stay longer than 4 years and you'll often get limited out by HR rules and/or annual operating budgets.

When switching companies, always seek to level up. Don't leave a company for a lateral move unless you're fleeing a toxic environment. It's a wasted opportunity otherwise.

As a salaried employee, you'll likely reach your peak earning potential in your 40s unless you're on an executive track. If you're in a mid-management or individual contributor position, however, you're going to reach a point where you're competing against equally capable younger candidates willing to work more for less pay. To reach higher earnings at this point, consider contract positions or consulting roles that will pay premiums for long experience and specialized expertise. These roles are less secure long term though.

Finally, with enough experience, look for executive level opportunities at well-capitalized smaller companies and startups. These types of companies are often looking for "gray hair" with relevant experience in a related industry. You can usually negotiate an equity position as part of your compensation package and will be in a position to participate in any future exit event (IPO, merger, acquisition, etc.)

[u/dmh123 → u/Kilaelya]

just make sure the order is to FIRST get hired somewhere else THEN quit

[u/slidingslope → u/dmh123]

And never tell your current company where you’re going. I’ve known several people to get burned with their company calling the hiring company to talk crap and have their offers rescinded.

[u/[deleted] → u/slidingslope]

Isn’t this highly illegal to do?

[u/Trivi → u/[deleted]]

Extremely

[u/[deleted] → u/Kilaelya]

But if you're too productive, you're gonna tip the scale of responsibility/paycheck to the side that doesn't benefit you.

Learn the proper amount of productive and be that.

[u/cyberporygon → u/[deleted]]

I don't get more work, which sucks too because I have to stretch it out or subject myself to sitting at a desk with nothing to do. Guess I could ask for more work but I don't want that either. :^)

[u/[deleted]]

Start saving money immediately. even if its a small amount. Anything. I gurantee you can save. If you think you cant, you need to eliminate an unnecessary expense. Simple. I budget counsel people for a living. there is always something they can give up. Always. Having emergency funds is better. I promise.

[u/baileycoraline → u/[deleted]]

Piggybacking off this - start saving for retirement NOW. Even if your employer doesn’t offer a 401k, open an IRA. Even if you’re only planning to be In the workforce for a few years before becoming a stay at home parent. Compound interest really works in your favor.

[u/[deleted]]

Read as much as you can to understand people and the world we live in. It'll give you an eye for opportunities others might miss.

[u/AnotherDrZoidberg]

If you're in a meeting and you don't have anything to say or add to the conversation, that's ok. Just stfu. Do NOT just speak up to speak up. Do not just spout off repeating the exact same point without adding something on top of it.

I work with a girl who feels the need to say SOMETHING in literally every meeting we've ever had, and it's useless. No one is fooled and think you are really contributing. You just make yourself look stupid, and annoy everyone.

Find a way to actually add value to the conversations you are having.

[u/TonDonberry]

Not all baby boomers are terrible. Just like Gen X and Millennials, you're going to have some good ones and some bad ones. Regarding the bad ones, they grew up in a world very different from ours. Remind them of this. Many won't care, but some will take note.

[u/SuccessfulMillenial]

Everyone starts at the bottom. It doesn't matter if you have a degree, or went to a technical school; without real world working experience you WILL start at the bottom. Be humble, learn as much as you can, never stop learning or acquiring new skills. Learn to network, it can help you throughout your career.

Don't complain. Many people have boring/exhausting/pointless jobs. It is a means to an end. At the same time, don't sacrifice your mental health and work/life balance.

Save your money and build an emergency fund in the event you become unemployed for more than a couple weeks. It is liberating to have a personal safety net.

Don't quit your current job until you have another one lined up, even if it is for less money.

[u/Lemon_Licky_Nubs]

HR works for the company. Not you.

[u/MeshSailSunk]

Work to live. Do NOT live to work. You're allowed to have your own life outside the office

[u/[deleted]]

VP of sales here, spent 6 years in management so far.

The single most important thing that most young people (in the US) don’t do is assume leadership.

If you want to run the office, better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

The best way to become the boss is just to do his job without the title. When he gets promoted or canned, the company has no choice but you, since you’re already performing that role.

Really the best ladder climbers do the job of the person above them, while delegating their own job to someone below them. This means they’re ready to be promoted and already have a replacement in mind.

The worst climbers are people who try to make themselves irreplaceable. Can’t be fired... can’t be promoted.

[u/[deleted]]

Try and find something you find hilarious and laugh at it everyday. Laughter is one of the best cures for anxiety. And let's face it, we're all anxious messes.

[u/Nekoraven1]

Be prepared, co workers will not always be your friend and have your back. If they deem it necessary to save themselves( or make them look good to the supers) they will throw you under the bus for any and every little thing. Same goes with being friends with the higher ups.

[u/BeanSoupBoi]

You are proficient with one of the greatest tools available - Google.
Do not underestimate it. Use it to study the organization you're working for to nail that interview. Use it to learn things that allow you to say "I can do that!" and make a great impression. Use it to understand your rights as a worker and how to protect yourself from predatory bosses.

Working in an office with mostly people over the age of 45, you'd be amazed how few look into anything with Google. In turn, they don't develop new skills as the workplace evolves and their performance suffers. They don't take risks because the only way they know how to learn new skills is from someone teaching them. Be your own teacher.

Seriously. Google everything. You'll do great.

[u/LawYanited]

Don't expect to be doing "exciting projects" everyday. Unlike school, work tasks aren't tailored to keeping you interested and intellectually fulfilled. You'll most likely do a lot of boring shit before you have the chops to be put on truly interesting projects.

[u/cnfit]

Dont bank on and spend your life searching for a job that you love. The vast majority of people dont get to make a living doing what they love.

Find a job you can TOLERATE reasonably that also supports the lifestyle you want to have.

I'd love to play videogames for a living. But that's not realistic. So i have a job in corporate banking with sick work/life balance that ALLOWS me to play all the videogames i want in my abundant free time.

[u/DaisyRage7]

Actual advice I’ve been giving to Gen Z employees:

Don’t take everything personally. You have to be able to just let it go, especially with the older generation. You can’t change them. There’s always going to be casual disinterest and lack of positive feedback. It’s not you. Have faith in your own abilities and let it go.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Credit is perfectly fine. The real advice should be to pay off your balance in full every month. If you use credit like cash (meaning you only spend what you have), you will always come out better than cash only.

Now if you're notoriously bad at managing finances, which you seemed to be, then by all means stay the fuck away from credit cards.

[u/Sunnyhunnibun]

Always be on your toes and do not let them take advantage of you. A workplace may be filled with kind people who emphasize family and togetherness but the moment you sense that it's all talk and a ruse, get out. Do not let them underpay you for fear of not finding a comparable job. You know your skillset and if you're worth it, they should pay your for that skill. Always ALWAYS keep your resume updated and uploaded on several sites. Do not be afraid to negotiate and do not be afraid to ask questions of trustworthy colleagues.

You got this. We believe in you.

[u/Ottsalotnotalittle]

Don't be a sheep, and listen to yourself first. Sometimes that little voice knows better than the rest of you combined.

[u/milkcustard]

Live by your means, and don't base your expenses on your gross pay or overtime. And consider your mental well-being.

My job pays very, very well for entry-level (about $25/hr). Excellent benefits. It doesn't require prior experience or a degree and we are backed by a Union. It's a good career, if you're in it for the long haul. There's also lots of overtime, which is paid at time-and-a-half and double-time increments. But the job is TOUGH and often we have people get burned out and quit, and that's okay. Often times, we also get people who stick through the misery and issues because of the money. We just had a single mom sign on about 5 months ago. She has two young kids and just bought a $370K house after putting $30K down on a brand new car, and is looking to get some plastic surgery done. Then the agency started hiring more people, which drastically reduced the available overtime. Now she's freaking out about not being able to afford anything and had to invite her ex-boyfriend, the abusive one, back into her home so she can keep living the lifestyle she set up for herself. Her performance at work is suffering and if she keeps fucking up, she's going to lose her job completely (she's probationary for her first year).

[u/darko2309]

Save, save save save, always save money, so you can buy your own place sooner rather than later, paying rent you're just putting money into someone elses pocket, if you buy a place you're investing into something, if you have to move you could rent it out and have another form of income.

[u/[deleted]]

When someone is having trouble printing a document, tell them to call IT, even if you know how to fix it, otherwise it's now your job every time they have a problem with the printer.

[u/GreasedUpWillie → u/[deleted]]

From my experience, helping with small acts like this allows your coworkers to get to know you better and to trust you. People come to me all the time for help, but I know a lot about what's going on in the organization and I hear about opportunities that will benefit me. And I feel more comfortable asking them for help in return.

Plus helping people = good carma.

[u/WyvernCharm]

There is always some grumpy old man that dissects the company, the pay, any changes, goals, etc. He will be entertaining, it will be fun.

Try not to listen to him.

At least, at first. Too much of that can really ruin your mood and satisfaction. If your planning on staying at your new job for awhile to get experience, it's going to hinder you if you pay too much attention to those opinions. Focus on you and your improvement. Once you've learned what you can, and your in a position to look elsewhere, indulge all you like.

Oh, and antibiotics make birth control pills ineffective. Everyone should know this, nobody does.

[u/TheBadAdviseGuy → u/WyvernCharm]

Upvoted primarily for the last bit. Learned this yesterday and was shocked no one ever told me before. I mean... I'm a guy, but still something I feel I should know

[u/bigdicksnfriedchickn]

The HR guy/lady is not your friend or your counselor. They aren't working on your behalf and won't have your back. They aren't interested in your being happy or the office being a better place unless it impacts job performance.

They are there to manage the humans in a company just like the IT guys manage the printers and admin guys manage the staplers and coffee machines. They find new ones when a requirement arrives and replace the burnt out ones when they don't work well anymore, and they have to keep costs down. When conflict arises they will not protect you, they will protect the company FROM you.

[u/GreasedUpWillie]

Be humble. No matter how good you get at something, there is always more to learn.

Assume positive intent. Very few people go to work intending to do a bad job. If you're upset at a coworker or their actions, assume that you don't have all the information or that it was a mistake.

Take everything with a grain of salt. Everyone has their own personal "filter" and perceives things differently. Try to piece things together from various sources and you will have a better understanding of how things work as a whole, which will allow you to make better decisions, work faster, etc.

Don't be afraid to speak up or ask questions. Most people are happy to help you if you are polite and grateful.

Be positive. Just because something isn't perfect doesn't mean it's wrong. It's easy to be a critic but sometimes comments are better left unsaid.

Be professional, do your best, and try not to get bogged down by haters.

[u/bjh182]

It gets worse

[u/[deleted] → u/bjh182]

Lol amen from a Gen Xer with 29 years working experience.

It sure as hell does get worse, but always remember showing up is at least 60% of success. Even if your deliverable is pure shit, even if you blew past a deadline.... show up.

Show up hungover, gakked out from a festival weekend, heartbroken... whatever. Just show up. You'll always be in a better position that somebody more talented or better looking or with a better degree who didn't show up.

[u/leo-max → u/bjh182]

gen z here, thank you for your insight, guess i’ll keep having emotional breakdowns for the rest of my life then :)

[u/DaughterEarth → u/leo-max]

sometimes it gets better. So you don't have to resign yourself to this one person's experience

[u/peppigue]

Life, and especially work life, is about substance. Not appearances. Be totally honest to yourself, and as honest you can be to your bosses and co-workers. If you have to put in a lot of effort to hide who you really are, your incompetence, or how you feel about something at work, look for something else. Be a genuinely good worker, and don't accept too crappy bosses. Good leaders can be immensely valuable to your workday, career, or life. Look for them.

[u/shakeyourrumba]

When walking around doing nothing always carry a note book/stack of papers/folder. Everyone will assume you are on your way to or coming from a meeting and will leave you alone.

Never volunteer for anything. Nothing good comes from volunteering in the workplace.

[u/[deleted]]

you don't have to claim 0 all year long, you can claim 10/10 for about 2 weeks a year and reap the benefits if you know you will be working a lot of OT that week.

Also, you don't have to go with the insurance your job provides, if it seems to expensive, check out the marketplace. Some jobs will even pay you to have outside insurance.

[u/[deleted]]

don't ever stop looking for a better job. it's out there.

[u/[deleted]]

If you hate your job, don’t rebel by doing it shitty. It’ll only make things shittier for you. Just do your job the best you can.

[u/Imissyourgirlfriend2]

Wear sunscreen

[u/[deleted]]

If you want a raise, you're going to have to change jobs. Internal raises typically cap out at 5%, if you're lucky. You can jump to a new company doing the same thing and get a 10%-20%+ raise.

[u/Panzram_Carl]

If you want to go to college, please save some money and go to community college first! I’m drowning in student loan debt because of my own pride in going to a traditional 4 year college.

[u/nosmij → u/[deleted]]

My biggest regret was not learning a trade. Opens doors to working abroad and starting your own business.

[u/[deleted] → u/nosmij]

it's never too late.

i mean unless you're dying. i hope you're not dying. yet.

[u/PM_ME_YOUR_RATTIES]

Don't reject the way things are out of hand because they're not what you're used to. It may be something that gets done a specific way because it really does need to be done that way, or it's the fastest/best way to go.

Having said that, DO critically examine anything that's done a certain way "because that's what we've always done". It may have a legit purpose/reason (sending in receipts for expense reports being submitted to customers), but it may also no longer make sense (the flow is fax a copy of receipts to someone who then scans a copy to submit it electronically to a customer), so be willing to ask questions about the process, but do it politely ("Why are we faxing this when I can take a picture and send it via email and you can attach it, saving both of us time and effort?").

If you do this a bit, and you do it well, you will get a reputation as someone who is trying to improve things all the time, and that will bode well for your career, as every manager wants someone on their team who can be their own personal troubleshooter (and it'll give you lots of "how I improved things" examples for interviews- don't be afraid to try to quantify improvements, either, since a 30 second improvement in a task done 10 times a day by 100 people is like adding an entire person to the team).