Totally agree, as have said before, that one never knows the direction their career will take. So focusing on finding the “perfect job” right out of school can be an impractical expense of energy.
I’ve told the story before, but older son really likes small companies (where he feels he is making a difference) and startups, and he understood the risks when he pursued them. So he turned down some bigger job opportunities right out of college and instead took a job with a small company. (He was fortunate to have a few choices).
Unfortunately, it was a tough time for the economy and after about a year and a half the company didn’t survive. He ended up getting job #2 with a big company back in the metro area of our home town, doing something in his field but extremely boring. But it was a job. He stayed with it for about a year or so, met his now wife, and ended up following her when she relocated with her career. He took job #3 with a start up that had been a customer of his job #2 company. He was quickly promoted to new product development at job#3, but not long after, the company postured for a buyout and, surprise, they got rid of and laid off everybody in new product development. But it turns out the boring job he had at job #2 not only gave him the connection for job #3, but it gave him the exact skill that was needed for the position that he got for job #4. Job #4 at the time was a relatively new/small company, but one that he was extremely interested in and excited about from its inception, having no clue that he would ever have the opportunity to work there!
So the boring, yucky job #2 was exactly the skill base he needed for job #4. And it was fortuitous that job #2 not only led to job #4, but is how he met his now wife! And as an aside, remember, he liked small companies/startups. Well, job #4 was with a company that got bought by a FAANG. So, despite 2 job losses - he’s doing just fine. Sure, there were some bumps in the road and some interruptions and having to cobble together some self-employment opportunities between the jobs when the companies folded or sold, but overall the steppingstones worked well for him. You just never know how things will turn out.