It’s April… for a lot of you seniors out there, your graduation robes are ordered, your classes are wrapping up, your starting to worry about your tan more than that final that’s in 3 hours, and some of you may already have a few job offers under your belt (congrats!).

But whether you have a few options for your first job, or you’re still interviewing and praying for that first offer, I guarantee a lot of you are thinking the same thing… ‘this isn’t my perfect first job.’ Well guess what; according to Alexandra Levit, the perfect first job doesn’t exist.

This May will be my one-year mark from graduating from college and I remember looking at position after position thinking that it wasn’t the ideal first step in my career path (not that I was sure what exactly I wanted my career path to be). For all of you thinking the same thing, I share with you these wise words from Alexandra Levit:

The perfect first job doesn’t exist… A sensible approach is to insist on a single, intelligent first step and look for a job that will allow you to acquire as many transferable skills (project management, sales, marketing, client relations, etc.) as possible so that you will be well-prepared for any career you decide to pursue in the future…

I couldn’t agree more. Experience is experience. Heck, if you want to be a pharmacist but are currently working as a waiter, whether you know it or not you are gaining valuable experience in customer service and an attention to detail work environment.

So take some pressure off of yourself during an already very hectic time in your life, and concentrate on the experience you will get from these first jobs, instead of the actual job title. Take this opportunity to learn as much as you can from everyone you encounter. And remember, you don’t have to be one promotion away from CEO at the age of 25; treasure the time where your minimal responsibilities allow you to focus on excelling in all aspects of the position:

…Don't be in such a rush to be promoted in that first job -- you have a long career life ahead of you to shoulder the heavy burden of being on top…Enjoy this time in which you don’t have to worry about anyone but yourself and are getting paid to learn everything you can.

"My Cubicle" courtesy Scott ISH via Flickr Creative Commons