Should I be happy with my new job?

[Martin]

I graduated last month with a Comp Eng degree and some relevant experience (8 months part time, 16 months full time). I signed a job offer a few days ago for a Software Consultant position (I get to work with the company's clients and help them out with the implementation) with a smallish company (250 people). I get 58k/a and 3 weeks vacation and some benefits (health, dental, etc).

So my friends think its a good job and that I should be happy, but I'm barely satisfied. I think its OK, but I suppose I was hoping for a nicer job with more responsibilities and perhaps more money.

So, what does ATOT think?

 

[Gunslinger08]

Where is the job? Your profile says Ontario, but I'll assume that's wrong since you mentioned health insurance.

 

[LS20]

i think this thread is lame

 

[Rabidwerewolf]

I'm not up on how long it takes a new graduate to get a job and the average pay for that type of degree, but I had a friend who graduated from GaTech a few years ago, he was 30, and ended up after about 6 months finally getting a job paying about the same. If I remember, he got $60K/year, 2 weeks paid vacation, health, dental, 401k and an expense account, but he more job experience than you as he had owned his own business and decided to sell his business and go back to school.

I would say you did good, but did you have second thoughts during the interview process and learning about the company you would be working for before you accepted the position?

 

[Special K]

More money? More responsibility? Perhaps you should have chosen a different major.

 

[KillerCharlie]

That's pretty close to average starting salary.

 

[habib89]

well if you're not happy, then keep looking... don't let other people tell you that you should be happy, try to find it

i had an internship that paid $24/hr... i liked it, it was my first job.. then i had another job that paid $22/hr... i hated it.. then i had another job that paid $18/hr and that was the best job i've had and i was very happy.. then i got a job for $25/hr and wasn't all that happy after a few months.. now i work for $30.50 and i'm really happy and it's more because of the work and people than the money... so just go and find what you want and hwat makes you happy, don't worry about the money, cause that'll go away fast... really fast..

 

[SearchMaster]

Originally posted by: habib89
well if you're not happy, then keep looking... don't let other people tell you that you should be happy, try to find it

i had an internship that paid $24/hr... i liked it, it was my first job.. then i had another job that paid $22/hr... i hated it.. then i had another job that paid $18/hr and that was the best job i've had and i was very happy.. then i got a job for $25/hr and wasn't all that happy after a few months.. now i work for $30.50 and i'm really happy and it's more because of the work and people than the money... so just go and find what you want and hwat makes you happy, don't worry about the money, cause that'll go away fast... really fast..

Great advice! As for responsibility, that will come in short time if you prove yourself. You're not going to get a project manager position straight out of college, but if you're deemed worthy, you'll get more responsibilities than you'll want within a few months. I don't know about Canada (if that's where you are), but that salary is a fair bit higher than my company allows me to hire recent grad software engineers and I believe is a fair bit higher than average for most markets (other than NYC/CA).

 

[Imdmn04]

Is $58k canadian money? So that is about USD $53k, which is about average for most U.S. markets.

Link

Which school's CE program did you graduate from? What are your colleagues making? You have to know your own market value before you go out there again.

 

[Vette73]

Stick with it for 1 year and learn EVERYTHING you can. After that see what they pffer for a raise and then if you are still not happy look for a new job now that you have 1+ year of exp. after school.

 

[Mxylplyx]

You should be thrilled with that right out of college. My first programming gig out of college, after 18mos professional experience during college, was for 34K. Just change jobs every 1.5-2 years when starting out, and you'll be able to add another 20-30K to that, assuming you dont suck.

 

[rudder]

Should you be happy? Go ask the guy with a college degree running the fry machine at mcdonalds. do the job... get the money... look for something else in the meantime.

 

[jackace]

Yeah almost $60k out of college. I would be very happy to make that kind of money, but I will be lucky to get half that with my degree.

 

[imported_Imp]

That's anything but bad in terms of vacation and pay, especially for a fresh graduate. Take what you got now, stick with it for a while until you feel like you've learned all there is, then bail for new one. By then, you can boast to your new employer how you aren't a fresh graduate.

Personally, I think fresh graduates have way too high of expectations nowadays. Lot more people going to college these days, unless you finish graduate school, you're pretty much a drop in the barrel. I don't expect more than $45k (slightly below average) when I graduate next year (pray I do) with a civil engineering degree.

 

[Koing]

Yes you should be happy BUT if your not f0ck it. Go look for another job. BUT remember you have basically naff all experience. Learn what you can and prove yourself and work up the corperate ladder.

Koing

 

[SampSon]

No offense, but from my understanding of you through your posts here, you're never going to be happy.

As for the job, you got a good one so keep it. Fresh out of university you're not worth more than that.

 

[Martin]

In case some of you are wondering, this isn't some kind of stealth brag thread - its a decent job but nothing too noteworthy.

I forgot to mention this in the OP, but after a bit of thought, I think the main reason why I'm not too excited is because the company seems kinda boring, button-down and too formal - not Initech, but definitely not Google either. But I guess I'll know for sure only after I start...

As for my expectations, they might be a bit high but by no means unrealistic. During my internship the co-op that held my position before me started at the company as a FT project manager with more responsibilities than many of the poeple that had been there longer. He was very competent, reliable, etc, but by no means some kind of brilliant prodigy...

 

[jackace]

as posted above.

College grads are a dime a dozen anymore. I had to go back and finish my degree because I had reviews at my job and I was basically told I am not eligible for any promotions because I did meet the education requirements. These days a college degree is equivalent to a HS diploma 15-20 years ago (unless you are in a niche career). At least it seems that way to me.

 

[foghorn67]

Fresh out of college. Be content for a while. It's good you will have some formal surroundings to work in. You will appreciate it all that much more when you get a job with an office setup like Google or EA. (not saying EA is great, but look at the way they treat their employees. Think along the lines of the movie Grandma's Boy).
Some College grads have a hard time looking for work. Their is always a need for IT, but you get that "oh so saturated market" feeling once in a while.

 

[Willoughbyva]

Well, I just wanted to say congrats on the new job. Work it for a while and then explore other avenues.

 

[FoBoT]

sounds like a good first job, welcome to real life. you only have 50 years to get through now

 

[Jeff7181]

Get some time under your belt to go with your degree so future employers aren't hesitant to hire you with the suspician that you'll leave at the drop of a hat. Having a lot of jobs isn't a bad thing... having a lot of jobs in a short time is.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Work for a year, grab an MBA after that.