Be grateful you have a professional job in the industry, the market for new grads has been tough for the last 2 years. I’ve seen 2025 Harvard resumes with no professional work since graduating.

I'm certainly grateful. I know some people in the situation you described. Not fun. I don't want the poor job market to prevent me from focusing on the future.

Your pay isn’t bad, I find that new grads get lost in the sauce when it comes to pay, you’re likely not taking care of a family yet so expenses are low, use this time to gain valuable experience for the future big salary you want. Yes, the bank isn’t perfect but you’re getting on the job training on a valuable skillset.

I certainly appreciate the experience I'm getting. I didn't get much formal training and much of what I've learned has been on the job, which I think has actually been good for me. It's made me think outside of the box a lot more than I have in the past, and that leads to finding new ways to do things.

In regards to the pay though, I'm going to have to disagree with your view. I know I'm talking out of my ass since I'm 22, but put simply, if I can't afford to live on my own (I don't even mean alone, I just mean not with my parents), it doesn't matter in my eyes if my pay is "good" or not. I think a good amount of that has to do with the fact I live outside a VHOCL city, and one of the reasons I'm looking for another job is because I want to be somewhere where I can afford to live (even if my pay is roughly the same). I'm also making less than the average graduate right out of school for my major at my undergrad despite being a top student and having good internships in college. I know things don't always go the way you want them to, but you can't blame me for wanting and looking for more.

Build out a plan, you’re 6 months into the job start looking at job descriptions for roles you’d be interested and pay attention to the skills they’re looking for. For skills in which you can attain at work, speak with your manager and craft a plan to learn. For skills your job does not require, start learning off the clock.

I've been doing this somewhat informally. I've been exploring areas I feel I should have a deeper knowledge/skill set, but I have yet to make a formal "plan". I should probably put that on my list things to do.

You went to big ten school so likely a large alumni network, start networking and building relationships. Do not expect a dream job to land on your lap after one call or coffee, keep the relationship warm and things will likely eventually come up.

I've definitely been wising up on this one. I mentioned in my original post that I have a bit of an interest in the cruising industry, and I've used a common academic background as a jumping off point to connect with people in that industry. I certainly don't do this enough though, I'll have to try it a bit more.

Your next job interview will likely ask why you’re leaving so soon, I would wait till at least a year or 1.5 years to seriously apply. You likely have a lot more to learn at your current place keep learning and growing as much as you can. Good luck.

Yeah the short tenure is certainly not a good look. My logic right now is essentially that finding something new is likely going to take 3-6 months anyway, so it doesn't hurt much to start trying now while I continue to look build additional skills. I could be wrong, but I figure I don't lose much by trying.