Taking a job at your alma mater after graduation can feel like the ultimate soft landing—or a trap. For Kate Purdum, it was both.
After graduating in 2022 from a theater program disrupted by COVID, she took an admin role in the same department she’d loved as a student. On paper it was ideal: better pay than commercial theater admin work, flexibility to freelance, and the comfort of a place she already knew. In reality, it let her finish the college experience the pandemic had stolen.
She produced plays, mentored students, and grew more confident. She also felt the daily sting of watching new students get the trips, classes, and full campus life she never fully had. Every graduating class pushed her further from her own student days. Pride mixed with envy. She was stuck in a version of the past while everyone else moved on.
It took four years—and a restructuring that eliminated her job—for the decision to be made for her. The relief was immediate. She had finally outgrown the place that taught her the most. Leaving felt like a second graduation, only this time she was ready.
The real lesson for your career
Staying somewhere familiar after graduation isn’t always avoidance. Sometimes it’s unfinished business. But comfort has an expiration date. The moment your skills and confidence outpace the role, the job stops serving you—even if you still love the place.
Don’t wait for a layoff to force the exit. Ask yourself regularly:
Am I still growing here, or just protecting what I’ve already built?
When the answer shifts, treat it like graduation. Take what you learned, keep the fondness, and go.