<prompt> Human: Hey everyone - long time lurker, first time poster.Ive been at my current job for about nine months. Its my first real gig after college -- I graduated in 2011 and spent about three years same company in retail management B2B sales, before moving to my current position doing events and marketing for a non-profit.I dont love my job, but I dont hate it either. For the most part, I like the people I work with and the load isnt too strenuous. That said, I live in the DC metro area and am really struggling to make ends meet, much less get ahead. My current salary is 36,500 and I am supporting myself and my SO who is a full-time college student.Im fairly confident that in order to get the type of salary bump that I wantneed, Ill need to get a new job. Theres no room for growth in my current position and there is only a 3000 raise coming my way in March based on my coworkers experience.The concern I have is that Ive been at my job for less than a year and Im not sure how long I have to stay to not risk appearing like Im jumping ship too often. I also am not really sure what the next option for me is. I dont think I want to stay in the non-profit world, but I dont want to head back to sales either.I know the advice in this sub skews toward minimizing expenses -- and Im all about that -- but with the area I live in, Im just not making enough money. My rent alone is about 48 of my monthly take home, and Im getting a HUGE bargain compared to market value my friend owns the condo and we are JUST covering his mortgage. The advice Im really looking for is how to move forward in the job arena, so that I can increase my earnings to a manageable level.Tl;dr - Not making enough money and interested in seeking a new job, but I dont know if Ive been with my current employer long enough. I also have no clue what to look for.  <response>: I just recently was in the same exact situation - I had planned on waiting a year to start applying to different companies within the same industry which would have been Feb 2015 but an opportunity came up this month and I took it. The new company didnt think I looked like a job hopper when I was honest with them and just said not many opportunities were arising at my current company. My old company actually offered me a promotion when I told them I was leaving, but that still would have paid less than what the new company offered. So yes, Id start looking now. If you have the luxury for waiting for the perfect opportunity make sure the company has interest in your growth. 