It's believed that a bad job is worse than no job at all. I'm not convinced, but here's the argument anyway. Researchers at the Australian National University in Canberra compared the mental health of more than 7,000 working age Australians. They found that those with jobs had an average score of 75 in a test of mental well-being. Jobless people averaged 68.5. If you remained unemployed a long term it lowered your mental health score by 1.1 points. But getting a poor quality job lowered your score ever further - by 5.6 points.          The results suggest that having a bad job may be worse for your mental health than having no job at all.          So what is a bad job? According to the study it's one where you have little control over decision-making; the job makes heavy demands on you; there's no job security; and you feel underpaid.          My advice would be that if a reasonable offer of employment comes along, seize it. If you discover that you don't like the work, that's OK. You've given it your best shot and discovered that this type of work isn't for you.          In my own case my first job was as a trainee social worker. I very quickly learned that I was too young, too inexperienced and innocent to become a social worker. I cut my losses and tried something else. I worked as an economic researcher - and was miserable.          These experiences taught me that I was a person. But from my short time as a trainee social worker I had discovered an ability for interviewing people and writing reports. That led finally to journalism. So take up that first job offer and find out about the world of work. If you realize the job isn't what you expected, that's OK. Look around for something else.          So I disagree that a bad job is worse than no work at all. Remember, it's always easier to find a job if you are already in work. What could be the best title of the text?
Hang on to that bad job for now A bad job lowers mental score A miserable economic researcher Good jobs make heavy demands