I’m 6 months in into my first job but this position feels like there’s limited growth opportunities, what should i do?

6 months in into my first job after graduation. Overall, i feel that this job has limited growth opportunities, with much of my time spent on rather ‘saikang’ work and the pay isn’t fantastic either. Sometimes i just feel like i’m stagnating...lol Should I leave now? I’ve been looking for alternatives but is 8 months (after considering the notice period) too early in the sense that it’ll leave a ‘blemish’ on my resume? Thanks!

Not all "saikang" are created equal, some help you to grow technical skills, some are low-hanging fruits to build trust and credibility, some help you to connect w/ certain people you will never have been able to connect with if not for the "saikang".

If you're fortunate enough to be in a company where everybody avoids the "saikang", you take it up and complete it in 6 months, then you automate it, and then you quantify it, and then you find a way to present it WITH documentations.

Now you have a solid case in your appraisal + you get to put all these things on your resume + you're essentially job-proofing yourself because now you can go anywhere, and deal with any kind of "saikang", because you have already done it.

If the pay is low, after you have done the above w/ the "saikang", ask for a conversation to discuss a salary increment. You ask, you might get a "no" or a "yes" or a "maybe", you don't ask, confirm is a "no". Best answer is "maybe", because "maybe" means you get to know the "how", and then you set expectations and align on goals to achieve, that would give you leverage to increase your salary. "Yes" is tricky because you tend to not know the "how", unless you're super sure that everyone knows you deserve a salary increment, in this case you will know it too, then the conversation should be straight forward.

After trying all these measures, consider whether the job fits into your long-term career path both technically and in terms of domain knowledge, your r/s with your boss and the potential ceiling for growth (just go onto linkedin and do a quick search, you will know). It's common to feel stagnant in your first job, because the rewards vs the efforts are imbalance, and it's also common to feel like things are moving slowly 6 months into any job, because you know you won't be up for a promotion any time soon. Having said that, leaving 8 months into a job will not leave a blemish, since it's your first job. It will only leave a blemish if you are facing difficulties on the job and yet have done nothing to help yourself with those difficulties, then it's gonna be challenging to explain why you are moving when you haven't tried anything