Starting out in 2nd, if indeed it is a 3 on the column, is going to drastically accelerate the wear on an organic clutch. Something is wrong, but if you learn to slowly let off the gas and quickly move from to 1st to 2nd, your gears will be closer to being synchronized and the synchronizers won't have to work so hard. I would rather grind gears than slip a clutch. I never use the clutch except for untracking on anything. With practice, you can feel when the gears are synchronized and you don't need a clutch.
