An entry level job does not have to require working in a fast food restaurant or washing cars for a living. These jobs are skilled positions that can open doors to much higher paying, more substantial positions. There are many reasons that someone may consider taking an entry level job.
One reason, and one that is very common these days, is that someone has spent many years working hard for a company only to have their position eliminated or to become a victim of downsizing. These people are very talented at what they have been doing for the last ten or twenty years and now they are forced to start all over.
Starting over for them may mean taking a substantial pay cut to get hired on in jobs in entry level positions. While this does sound like a negative thing, it actually can be very positive. It all depends on the attitude with which someone takes on the new position. They can choose to be negative and not really try to do well or they can embrace the opportunity to learn something new and go at the job with dedication and commitment.
When a person takes an entry level position, they are agreeing to be taught from the ground up. They will get to know pieces of a field that they have long since forgotten or have never had the opportunity to learn. Their knowledge from their previous employment and their schooling will play an important role in their success at the company if they are willing to give it time.
An example would be someone that has worked as an underwriting Supervisor in the insurance industry for fifteen years. They are very skilled at underwriting, but how long has it been since they performed the other tasks that are involved in insurance? When they accept jobs in entry level positions they will get the opportunity to learn what their employees had been going through on a daily basis as they supervised them.
Once they prove themselves as a valuable employee in the entry level position they will have gained an important understanding of what it is like to work in jobs in entry level positions they will be able to become a better leader as positions open in the insurance company. Their previous experience as a Supervisor will make them more qualified for such a position with the new company and they will approach the leadership role with a full understanding of what it is like to do the entry level jobs.
This will make them a better leader and their team mates will appreciate their guidance and direction much better because they will know that they worked themselves up from an entry level position just like theirs. Having a team that supports them completely will make the transition back into management much easier.
Entry level jobs can also provide a good insight to college students that have not made their mind up as to which direction they would like to take their schooling. If they think they are interested in Accounting, for example, getting jobs in entry level accounting could help them decide if this is the avenue that they truly want to pursue. They may find that they really do not like this type of work and they can switch the direction of their education before they have invested too much to turn around.
They could also decide that the entry level position has made them surer of the direction they have set out in. They may decide to expand their education and work towards a higher degree so they can get a higher paying, more challenging position with the company.
There are many doors that entry level positions can open to someone that is motivated to do well. Jobs in entry level positions should be used as a stepping stool into much better positions. If you are willing to work hard and to prove yourself as a valued employee then the doors are likely to open right before your eyes and you will find that you are much happier than you have ever been before.