get out of retail

Much needed advice for a 10-year retail veteran. I have tried with no permanent success to get out of retail many times in the past. The best I did was a few months as a nanny and babysitter and a one month personal assistant gig that ended up being a 2 week one.

I can speak a few languages, I have been trained in merchandising, I have done live plant arrangements, I am very artistic and have great computer literacy & organizational skills. None of this seems to matter on my resumes. My resume style, I suspect, is holding me back from getting interviews but I don’t know how to change things and not make the resume sound like a bunch of bullshit. I have tried doing things like creating a new email address so my personal one (which may have been considered immature) was never known to employers.

I am dying to get out of retail and I’m willing to do just about anything that’s ethical and won’t violate anyone’s rights. What should I do?

The truth is, I don’t really want a major career. Just something to pay the bills that won’t drive me crazy or interfere too much with other personal projects I have going on. I cannot work weekends and late evenings anymore. It’s ruining my life.

i hate retail. i feel like a robot whom is verbally abused and unappreciated :(

I hate retail, it’s sucking my will to live!

i have alot of dreams about my career…. the dreamiest is Thriving Pretentious Successful Artist. next up is Small Business Owner, then Housewife slash Crafter, or Stay At Home Mom (i don’t have children yet). My career goals are not easily profitable, and i have a conflicting goal to be a supporter in my home and relationship. I want to be able to buy my girlfriend the things she wants, i want to take us on vacation somewhere nice….

so career option number whatever…. dental hygienist. it is a job that combines social interaction with working with your hands. i love that. i love that it would pay very well with only an associates degree. i love that the field is growing and the hours are flexible and almost never require weekends or nights.

i went to dental hygiene school for a year but failed out because i could not recruit enough patients. it was very upsetting because i put SO much effort and time into it. and because i am not used to failing…

i have heard that there is another school nearish to where i live and am going to investigate…

I got a job as an office temp. It’s still not a great way to make money, but is a hell of a lot better than working in retail. Hopefully I won’t have to resort to going back to retail EVER AGAIN. Seven years has been MORE than enough.

so, Ive gotten out of ‘retail’, but am about to find a job in cosmetology, so I may still be in a form of it. Just not as bad as an actual retail store. Maybe.
Huggs,
Marcella

TOTALLY worth it! I have been so happy since leaving retail!

Well, I am out of retail as I know it. I was actually posting on craigslist for my job, trying to hire people, when I came across an listing for an invitation specialist at a stationer store about 5 minutes from my house. The pay was a little less but still decent and the hours are such that I could get a PT job if I needed to. So I sit at a table and assemble invitations and make invitations for people. Awesome. It’s going to be stressful learning everything, but I learn pretty quickly. I am very excited. I start when I get back from my honeymoon at the end of the month.

So for the first time in 5 years, I don’t work in the mall!

GetOutofRetail.com

my boss is interviewing for a head-of-store position much closer to her house, so yay for her. this means I will interview for the open HOS position created if she gets the job. Do I really want to be an HOS? I am like 50% YES!!! Absolutely! and 50% eh, not really.

Pros:
-Run the store how I want
-More $$$
-Get to go on cool trips, conferences, and such

Cons:
-I will work all the time. At least now my boss tries to make me only work 40 hours, but w/o someone constantly checking me, I’d feel the need to be there constantly to make sure things are running o.k. It’s hard for me to let go.
-If I do get job, there is a conference I would have to go to that is sunday-thurs of the week before my wedding! This means I will get back thursday in the middle of the night, and have rehearsal friday, wedding saturday. I will be so fried.
-I’d have to recruit someone to take my place. I hate to sound gross, but my shoes are kinda hard to fill, I do a shit ton to run that place. And I am a bad trainer, I think?
-I am rather unhappy w/ current mgmt staff so I’d want to fix that, too.
-The shrink is awful and we get 0 backup from LP dept on this because we’re such a small store. It’s zany in there. To the point where we all have nightmares about people stealing the front tables.
-I honestly doubt my ability to hold people accountable and motivate them all by myself.

As we can see, the cons outweigh the pros, but I am just in a really negative mood right now is all. I am sure there are some more pros somewhere out there….?

indecision. boo. :(