<human>: Summarize the given text in a few sentences.

Hey everyone - long time lurker, first time poster.

I've been at my current job for about nine months. It's 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 don't love my job, but I don't hate it either. For the most part, I like the people I work with and the load isn't 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).

I'm fairly confident that in order to get the type of salary bump that I want/need, I'll need to get a new job. There's 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 I've been at my job for less than a year and I'm not sure how long I *have* to stay to not risk appearing like I'm jumping ship too often. I also am not really sure what the next option for me is. I don't think I want to stay in the non-profit world, but I don't want to head back to sales either.

I know the advice in this sub skews toward minimizing expenses -- and I'm all about that -- but with the area I live in, I'm just not making enough money. My rent alone is about 48% of my monthly take home, and I'm getting a HUGE bargain compared to market value (my friend owns the condo and we are JUST covering his mortgage). The advice I'm really looking for is how to move forward in the job arena, so that I can increase my earnings to a manageable level.
<bot>: Not making enough money and interested in seeking a new job, but I don't know if I've been with my current employer long enough. I also have no clue what to look for.