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Quit that internship or part-time gig, here’s why and when
Illustration: Zarif Faiaz
In today’s increasingly competitive job market, almost everyone feels the pressure to gain additional work experience and enrich their CVs through part-time jobs. Particularly for undergraduate students, spending leisure time wisely is crucial and many students spend their time away from academics participating in extracurricular activities and part-time jobs.
While it gives students some glorious opportunities to learn skills and responsibilities that come with having a job, some employers or industries choose to take advantage of these young, inexperienced workers who usually do not know better than to continue their jobs despite unfortunate odds. Students are often made to work excessive hours, not adequately compensated, and/or misbehaved with, simply because they would tend to stay at their jobs in hopes of that additional exposure.
Ahmed Mostafa, Education Sector Consultant at the World Bank, said, “The practice of students being exploited is a big concern. A very renowned person once bragged to me about how they have over 100 unpaid interns.”
“If the trend of exploiting students through unpaid or unfulfilling internships continues, students will ultimately lose interest in internships. This will have an adverse effect on the job market in terms of skilled manpower both in the short and long term,” he added.
What students can do to ensure that their time spent at an organisation is fruitful, is to plan ahead. Arijit Saha, a Senior Business Analyst at a leading IT company, advised, “Startup experts will tell you that it is crucial to have an exit strategy, which will dictate how the investors will reap the fruits of their benefits.”
“When applying for a part-time job, you need to think similarly and treat your career as the investor. Before applying for a part-time job, chalk out a plan. Ask yourself what you expect from the venture, when it would be enough, and which tradeoffs would be worth which outcomes. Sure, the road to a career can be just as volatile as the journey of a startup. You may need to adjust your plans along the way. But that does not mean you should go ahead without one.”
“A big mistake people make is to not do a cost-benefit analysis when applying for a part-time job, and an even greater mistake is to not realise when the law of diminishing marginal returns goes into negative,” added Saha.
So, when should you consider leaving a job?
You are not learning anymore.
Not learning anymore may mean you have learnt all that your current role can teach you. While practising and becoming very good at what you do is good, working such jobs can lead to demoralisation. Unless you are sure that the role is exactly what you want to be in as a full-time worker after graduation, consider expanding your horizons.
Learning enables you to expand your skill set and identify areas of interest. Knowledge about different industries can help you understand which industries you would like to work for in the future.
There are no more growth opportunities.
This is related to the previous point. More growth opportunities and challenges mean more chances to learn new things. If your organisation does not have promotional opportunities for students, staying there for a long time may clip your skills and experiences. The same goes for roles that under-utilise your skills or where you feel you are undervalued.
Also, consider whether there are chances of you landing a full-time role at that organisation after graduation.
The supervisor or the work environment is toxic.
Staying in a toxic situation can have several repercussions such as stress or burnout. Lack of employee autonomy, micromanaging supervisor, feelings of job insecurity, toxic practices in teams, etc. can be some symptoms.
The company culture could also be one that rewards burnouts. There may be unethical practices going on which require you to compromise your morals and values.
Your passion lies elsewhere.
If you find yourself longing for different jobs, or if the current job is not contributing to your career development in the field you want to work in, it may be time for you to switch jobs. Part-time jobs often help students realise which fields they are interested in after they graduate.
Ahmed Mostofa says, “It is time to look for a new job when we start seeing our learning opportunities getting diminished or when the culture is toxic. That being said, we should not quit on a fit. It is important to consider various factors like the job market, the next best alternative, etc.”
It is rare to see anyone doing cartwheels out of excitement for their jobs. However, there are still some positives people perceive that make them continue working. There are going to be some hardships at your job.
However, if one or more of the points above seem familiar, it may be time for you to reassess your priorities and take some time to think about how you want your career to develop. Your time as an undergraduate student is limited, so try to make the most of it.