Many graduates decide to leave their first job shortly after starting due to problems such as fearing they have chosen the wrong career path.
That is according to new research commissioned by The Marketers' Forum, which involved questioning 2,000 people who have left university in the last ten years and found that, on average, such individuals stay in their first role for just 18 months.
Several factors were found to be behind this trend, with the majority – 40 per cent – citing the fact they did not feel that they had a chance to progress up the career ladder as their primary reason for departing.
In addition, 15 per cent admitted realising they had chosen the wrong professional path altogether, with 20 per cent also saying that if they could choose again, they would opt against completing a degree.
Quentin Crowe, managing director at The Marketers' Forum, said these figures should send a "stark message" to young people about to finish their A levels.
"Be absolutely certain about [your] university and degree choices and, if not, explore wider options now to avoid disappointment three years down the line," he advised.
