u/MercuryO1

Hey there! I just graduated college last week, and I’ve officially begun my job search. I’m a biology major, with about ~1500 hrs of internship. I know how bad pay is, but I wasn’t expected to be low-balled at every opportunity. The companies I’m looking to work for are paying $23.50 hourly (I live in a state where the price of living is VERY high). Meanwhile, the other job completely unrelated to my major (custodial / Janitor) is paying $29.50.
I’ve talked to my parents and they absolutely insist that I take the job related to my field. I’m going to graduate school (medical field of sorts), and while my major is kinda related, I’ll never use the skills I’ll learn at my job. In their words “I need to show the [graduate school] interviews I was able to get a job in my major.” They want me to get a letter of recommendation from my would-be employers, but I don’t imagine they would write me a letter after promising to be a career employee then leaving after 1 year. Funny thing is, I can get a letter of recommendation by shadowing someone in the graduate school field and I’m willing to not get paid! I’ll be funding my graduate school journey out of pocket, and want to prioritize money so I don’t suffer from massive amounts of student loan debt.
People of Reddit, I need your wisdom. Do I prioritize chasing the bag, or using my degree for its intended purpose? Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer: I’m pasting this from r/jobs, so I apologize for the formatting. I just really need help deciding what route to take.

Hey there! I just graduated college last week, and I’ve officially begun my job search. I’m a biology major, with about ~1500 hrs of internship. I know how bad pay is, but I wasn’t expected to be low-balled at every opportunity. The companies I’m looking to work for are paying $23.50 hourly (I live in a state where the price of living is VERY high). Meanwhile, the other job completely unrelated to my major (custodial / Janitor) is paying $29.50.
I’ve talked to my parents and they absolutely insist that I take the job related to my field. I’m going to graduate school (medical field of sorts), and while my major is kinda related, I’ll never use the skills I’ll learn at my job. In their words “I need to show the [graduate school] interviews I was able to get a job in my major.” They want me to get a letter of recommendation from my would-be employers, but I don’t imagine they would write me a letter after promising to be a career employee then leaving after 1 year. Funny thing is, I can get a letter of recommendation by shadowing someone in the graduate school field and I’m willing to not get paid! I’ll be funding my graduate school journey out of pocket, and want to prioritize money so I don’t suffer from massive amounts of student loan debt.
People of Reddit, I need your wisdom. Do I prioritize chasing the bag, or using my degree for its intended purpose? Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer: I’m pasting this from r/jobs, so I apologize for the formatting.

Hey there! I just graduated college last week, and I’ve officially begun my job search. I’m a biology major, with about ~1500 hrs of internship. I know how bad pay is, but I wasn’t expected to be low-balled at every opportunity. The companies I’m looking to work for are paying $23.50 hourly (I live in a state where the price of living is VERY high). Meanwhile, the other job completely unrelated to my major (custodial / Janitor) is paying $29.50.
I’ve talked to my parents and they absolutely insist that I take the job related to my field. I’m going to graduate school (medical field of sorts), and while my major is kinda related, I’ll never use the skills I’ll learn at my job. In their words “I need to show the [graduate school] interviews I was able to get a job in my major.” They want me to get a letter of recommendation from my would-be employers, but I don’t imagine they would write me a letter after promising to be a career employee then leaving after 1 year. Funny thing is, I can get a letter of recommendation by shadowing someone in the graduate school field and I’m willing to not get paid! I’ll be funding my graduate school journey out of pocket, and want to prioritize money so I don’t suffer from massive amounts of student loan debt.
People of Reddit, I need your wisdom. Do I prioritize chasing the bag, or using my degree for its intended purpose? Thank you for reading.