by Ted Sherman

Created on: July 18, 2010

What entry-level job starts with the pay of $334 a week? Additionally, your employer tosses in food, housing, recreation and clothing for free? However, that housing may be a barracks or shipboard bunk, and the clothing is all uniforms. That entry-level job is the military, of course.

And, did I mention you may also get free transportation to some of the most interesting parts of the world, such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Seriously, the military isn’t for everybody, but it should be a consideration for new high school grads who aren’t quite ready to decide on a career. Or, after a two- or three-year enlistment, the military could become a well-considered permanent career choice.

Some of the less exciting entry-level jobs include those in restaurants, fast food, retail and the medical fields. They may not pay as well at the start, but civilian jobs don’t require the commitment, restrictions and other serious considerations of an enlistment.

According to a Forbes Magazine survey, the average fast-food or retail store entry-level pay for a 40-hour week starts at $200, about 40 percent less than a military recruit earns.

The advantage of beginning a work career in the restaurant or retail field is, other than the fact that it requires no previous experience, that it gives young first-time workers valuable real-life experiences. They learn how to meet work schedules, living on a budget, responsibility in handling money transactions and ways to manage their personal bank accounts.      

Entry-level jobs in the medical field, including hospitals, clinics, retirement centers and nursing homes are also typically low pay with few opportunities for advancement. They usually involve fulfilling basic patient needs, such as janitorial and housekeeping duties. Pathways for meaningful careers in the medical fields depend on the employee’s ambitions to seek professional education and qualifying for higher-level designations.

For example, an employee who earns an LPN (licensed practical nurse) degree after two years of college, may continue studies for two more years to earn a bachelor’s degree as an RN (registered nurse). Ultimately, RNs who continue their studies and acquire significant management experience can earn doctorates in nursing.

Ultimately, the best fields for entry-level jobs are those that initially provide employment for young, just-out-of-high-school applicants. Then, along with the opportunity to earn a basic living, many of those jobs will allow the most ambitions of those young employees to earn or study their way upward to meaningful careers.

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