Career (or lack thereof )help

[spencer1337]

I'm turning thirty in a few months and it's making me realize that I need to get my but in gear and pick a career and start working towards it. I work in retail now, and have for about 9 years longer than I intended to. I kept saying I would go back to school and finish my degree, but I still have no idea what I want to do, and I dont see the point in going to school right now with no end goal.
I've been trying to think of what I could do with the limited training I have, and can't think of anything. I have been looking on my states job search website and there are a few administration jobs that I think I could do, but now I'm doubting myself. I have great computer skills, but I'm not sure if they will look at my work history and see all the retail and reject it. I need to get out of retail, soon.

So this is a WWPD. Go back to school and try and figure it out while your there? Keep applying for other jobs that don't require a degree and hope you get one? I know if I get an admin job somewhere it probably won't be my career, but it will get me out of where I am now and a little more time to figure out what I want.


Sorry for the wall of txt. This is more of a vent, sounding board type post.

[theseaword]

Maybe an insurance agency? They usually will start you in an admin type role and you can move on. I don't think many require a degree and they will pay for licensing and courses. There's a dearth of young people in the industry overall.

[Deleted]

I think it would be helpful to know what you want to do. However, there will be some pre req classes, and depending on the degree it might take about a year plus for those kind of classes. So you could go back to school and have about a year before you have to declare a major (if it is for a bachelors). When choosing an occupation, make sure you look up the salary and that is OK with you. And don't do the 7 year community college thing. Get in get out, and pick a somewhat high paying career. Don't overpay for a degree especially if you won't make a lot of money after. And don't do a for profit college.

I would look for jobs as well. When I got my masters, I worked 8-5 and took night classes. So something that could work with a school schedule would be helpful. There is no reason you can't be an admin and take classes. These are things you can do at the same time.

[yogini kiki]

Aug 18, 2016 11:46:03 GMT -5 spencer1337 said:

I'm turning thirty in a few months and it's making me realize that I need to get my but in gear and pick a career and start working towards it. I work in retail now, and have for about 9 years longer than I intended to. I kept saying I would go back to school and finish my degree, but I still have no idea what I want to do, and I dont see the point in going to school right now with no end goal.
I've been trying to think of what I could do with the limited training I have, and can't think of anything. I have been looking on my states job search website and there are a few administration jobs that I think I could do, but now I'm doubting myself. I have great computer skills, but I'm not sure if they will look at my work history and see all the retail and reject it. I need to get out of retail, soon.

So this is a WWPD. Go back to school and try and figure it out while your there? Keep applying for other jobs that don't require a degree and hope you get one? I know if I get an admin job somewhere it probably won't be my career, but it will get me out of where I am now and a little more time to figure out what I want.


Sorry for the wall of txt. This is more of a vent, sounding board type post.

Look at jobs that interest you and find out what steps you need to take to get the appropriate training:
www.onetonline.org/


Figure out what your interests and strengths lend themselves to career wise:
www.mynextmove.org/

[spencer1337]

Aug 18, 2016 11:52:42 GMT -5 @clarypax said:

I think it would be helpful to know what you want to do. However, there will be some pre req classes, and depending on the degree it might take about a year plus for those kind of classes. So you could go back to school and have about a year before you have to declare a major (if it is for a bachelors). When choosing an occupation, make sure you look up the salary and that is OK with you. And don't do the 7 year community college thing. Get in get out, and pick a somewhat high paying career. Don't overpay for a degree especially if you won't make a lot of money after. And don't do a for profit college.

I would look for jobs as well. When I got my masters, I worked 8-5 and took night classes. So something that could work with a school schedule would be helpful. There is no reason you can't be an admin and take classes. These are things you can do at the same time.

I actually have all(or most) of my pre rec's. My problem is that all the careers I think I would like wouldn't pay enough to be worth the schooling, at least around here. The things that would make me the most around here are either business type degrees (would hate that job) or things that reuquire a lot of post grad school. So done go for better paying, but not something I would really enjoy, or something in would enjoy but would not be financially responsible.

[Deleted]

I would not go to school without a well-researched end goal.

I would spend some time looking into jobs. I would build a good resume. I would then start applying to jobs in new areas that interest you. Also, reach out to your network of friends and family (and parents/parents' friends) about options. A lot of times, your connections can help you overcome the experience hurdle.

Don't sell your retail experience short. You've probably come away with tons of soft skills - teamwork, customer service, problem solving, multitasking - that are valuable to lots of employers.

[spencer1337]

Aug 18, 2016 11:53:10 GMT -5 yogini kiki said:

Aug 18, 2016 11:46:03 GMT -5 spencer1337 said:

I'm turning thirty in a few months and it's making me realize that I need to get my but in gear and pick a career and start working towards it. I work in retail now, and have for about 9 years longer than I intended to. I kept saying I would go back to school and finish my degree, but I still have no idea what I want to do, and I dont see the point in going to school right now with no end goal.
I've been trying to think of what I could do with the limited training I have, and can't think of anything. I have been looking on my states job search website and there are a few administration jobs that I think I could do, but now I'm doubting myself. I have great computer skills, but I'm not sure if they will look at my work history and see all the retail and reject it. I need to get out of retail, soon.

So this is a WWPD. Go back to school and try and figure it out while your there? Keep applying for other jobs that don't require a degree and hope you get one? I know if I get an admin job somewhere it probably won't be my career, but it will get me out of where I am now and a little more time to figure out what I want.


Sorry for the wall of txt. This is more of a vent, sounding board type post.

Look at jobs that interest you and find out what steps you need to take to get the appropriate training:
www.onetonline.org/


Figure out what your interests and strengths lend themselves to career wise:
www.mynextmove.org/

I have looked at a few. Most that I would like to do, require post grad or higher.

[angelashly]

Aug 18, 2016 11:48:09 GMT -5 theseaword said:

Maybe an insurance agency? They usually will start you in an admin type role and you can move on. I don't think many require a degree and they will pay for licensing and courses. There's a dearth of young people in the industry overall.

I did this. My sister worked for a District manager and had a new agent coming on board so I applied and they paid for my licensing. I then moved on to an agency that was more my speed and they paid for me to get another license and I worked there for years. It was a good job and I was good at it.

[yogini kiki]

Talk to me about what things you might enjoy but wouldn't pay enough to live on?

[Deleted]

I just don't think spending a ton of money on a career that won't pay well is a good idea. It sounds like you might agree. So you might want to see if you can switch jobs first and then see if you can move into different roles in the new company.

[yogini kiki]

The thing about those jobs that "pay" is that you have to put in lots of time and effort to get to the level that you might be thinking of. If you hate it, you will just burn out before you get there.

[Deleted]

I'm not advocating doing something you hate. Just don't spend 100K in student loans on a job that will pay 25K a year and require 7 years of schooling (for example), and I know those jobs are out there because I see them advertised. They want a PHD and 2 master degrees and pay 30K.

[spencer1337]

Aug 18, 2016 12:04:23 GMT -5 @sterling said:

Tell me more about what you like and are good at. Creative thinking? Computer skills? Human interaction? Money/math? What interests you? What are you passionate about?

I really enjoy human interaction, I love helping people, especially kids. I'm great with computers, working with a team. I'm okay at writing and can read and analyze almost anything I read. I wanted to go into a field of psychology, but there just aren't many jobs for that field around here.

[spencer1337]

Aug 18, 2016 12:06:07 GMT -5 yogini kiki said:

The thing about those jobs that "pay" is that you have to put in lots of time and effort to get to the level that you might be thinking of. If you hate it, you will just burn out before you get there.

That's what I'm saying. I dot want to do a jod that I hate, just so I can make money. On the other hand I can't do a job i.love that won't pay enough for daycare either

[spencer1337]

Aug 18, 2016 12:08:58 GMT -5 @clarypax said:

I'm not advocating doing something you hate. Just don't spend 100K in student loans on a job that will pay 25K a year and require 7 years of schooling (for example), and I know those jobs are out there because I see them advertised. They want a PHD and 2 master degrees and pay 30K.

Oh I won't. I actually probably qualify for a few hrants, but would have to do a few semesters on my own first. It still wouldn't cover everything though.

[Deleted]

What's your hourly/salary goals? You don't have to given super specifics, but it does help figure out jobs that might be worth looking into.

Have you looked into paraprofessional jobs in school districts?

[sudokufan]

I got my start in my career from my retail job; I got known as the go to person for small computer issues inside the store (like changing default printer settings and finding my manager's email inbox when she lost it), and was soon the one asked to deal with help desk on bigger issues. I made friends with the help desk people and they taught me more, and encouraged me to apply when a job came open. It's harder to do this in IT now, you need some kind of classes/certificates generally, but we just hired a guy who has a community college associates and was working retail.

[lgraceh]

Aug 18, 2016 12:18:35 GMT -5 spencer1337 said:

Aug 18, 2016 12:04:23 GMT -5 @sterling said:

Tell me more about what you like and are good at. Creative thinking? Computer skills? Human interaction? Money/math? What interests you? What are you passionate about?

I really enjoy human interaction, I love helping people, especially kids. I'm great with computers, working with a team. I'm okay at writing and can read and analyze almost anything I read. I wanted to go into a field of psychology, but there just aren't many jobs for that field around here.

Have you considered working for the government? Check out usajobs.gov often. You do not need a college degree for many entry levels, and they pay a pretty good living wage that allows you to move up quickly and the experiences gained are definitely valuable outside of the government sector as well.

For example, if you can get a job at a teleservice center for the Social Security Administration, you would be taking initial claims for people over the phone. You would also be checking the status of their payments, looking into what they qualify for, and answering general questions. From there, you can become a Claims Representative. You would help people in more of a one on one atmosphere at that point. You can then specialize in Title 16 which has another subset that works with only kids in the foster system.

This is obviously just one track you can take, and you do have to put in time working with people over the phone. But you get 3 months of highly specialized training that can help a ton with jobs in other sectors.

Edit: Wall of text

[spencer1337]

Aug 18, 2016 12:23:11 GMT -5 @bruxannie said:

What's your hourly/salary goals? You don't have to given super specifics, but it does help figure out jobs that might be worth looking into.

Have you looked into paraprofessional jobs in school districts?

I would do either salary or hourly. To be able to afford daycare I would need to be in the 30-35 K a year range. I don't expect to be making bank with s just starting out job.

[kokopelli]

Dirty lurker, but, have you thought of nursing? If you get an ADN you can usually be out in 2 years depending on what courses you have already taken. Nursing really isn't to different than retail in a customer service kind of way. It also isn't all bedside care. There are school nurses, dr office, workplace, home health, IT, HR recruiting, compliance nurse (think medicare billing and certification), compliance inspectors, medical research and so much more. A nursing degree is so versatile I really recommend taking a look at it and seeing if school would fit your life at this point.

[akafred]

I don't know where you stand on pay and benefits, but what about a temp agency? I did admin work in college, and the agency did basic skills testing (computer skills, typing, etc). Then the experience worked in my favor. Also a lot of jobs now are contract-to-hire or long term contracts, so being in good standing with a temp agency could get you longer term work.

[cadien]

I always recommend professional career counseling. There are so many things that wouldn't occur to you on your own. And they can do more objective aptitude testing.

[thatgirlrachel]

I don't know if it's feasible for you or not, but taking a PT or temp job could help get your foot in the door and add experience to your resume. Like PP said, don't sell your retail experience short. You just need to let someone help you refresh your resume adding in those skills.

If I were you, I would not go to school (& potentially get into student loan debt) with no end game. It's just too damn expensive for that.

[rach]

I wouldn't go back to school with no end goal. Most of my friends that have went back to school with kids and responsibilities have pursued some type of Associate's degree first. Do you have interest in anything medical related? You would still have lots of people interaction and you're definitely helping. Many of those jobs pay fairly well with just a 2 year degree. If you find it's truly your passion, there's lots of opportunities to further your career and your income with more schooling later on.

[spencer1337]

Aug 18, 2016 12:30:57 GMT -5 kokopelli said:

Dirty lurker, but, have you thought of nursing? If you get an ADN you can usually be out in 2 years depending on what courses you have already taken. Nursing really isn't to different than retail in a customer service kind of way. It also isn't all bedside care. There are school nurses, dr office, workplace, home health, IT, HR recruiting, compliance nurse (think medicare billing and certification), compliance inspectors, medical research and so much more. A nursing degree is so versatile I really recommend taking a look at it and seeing if school would fit your life at this point.

I actually used to be a CNA. I got certified out of high school and was gouging to do a bridge program to RN. But by the time I was done with clinicals I knew it want for me.

[kokopelli]

Aug 18, 2016 13:02:10 GMT -5 spencer1337 said:

Aug 18, 2016 12:30:57 GMT -5 kokopelli said:

Dirty lurker, but, have you thought of nursing? If you get an ADN you can usually be out in 2 years depending on what courses you have already taken. Nursing really isn't to different than retail in a customer service kind of way. It also isn't all bedside care. There are school nurses, dr office, workplace, home health, IT, HR recruiting, compliance nurse (think medicare billing and certification), compliance inspectors, medical research and so much more. A nursing degree is so versatile I really recommend taking a look at it and seeing if school would fit your life at this point.

I actually used to be a CNA. I got certified out of high school and was gouging to do a bridge program to RN. But by the time I was done with clinicals I knew it want for me.

If you don't mind me asking, what did you not like? I was a CNA too but being an RN is hugely different IMO.

[spencer1337]

Thanks ladies. I think I'm going to seek out someone to help me with my resume and find jobs that fit my skills for now. I think one I'm out of retail I can actually try and figure out what direction I want to take.

[spencer1337]

Aug 18, 2016 13:04:38 GMT -5 kokopelli said:

Aug 18, 2016 13:02:10 GMT -5 spencer1337 said:

I actually used to be a CNA. I got certified out of high school and was gouging to do a bridge program to RN. But by the time I was done with clinicals I knew it want for me.

If you don't mind me asking, what did you not like? I was a CNA too but being an RN is hugely different IMO.

Oh i know it's totally different. I have a few friends who are nurses. I just don't have the stomach for it. I'm not squeamish , but I can't handle seeing people in pain.

[kokopelli]

Aug 18, 2016 13:07:31 GMT -5 spencer1337 said:

Aug 18, 2016 13:04:38 GMT -5 kokopelli said:

If you don't mind me asking, what did you not like? I was a CNA too but being an RN is hugely different IMO.

Oh i know it's totally different. I have a few friends who are nurses. I just don't have the stomach for it. I'm not squeamish , but I can't handle seeing people in pain.

But as an RN you get to give them the good drugs!! Nothing like seeing a patient get comfortable after giving them iv narcotics. But I understand it isn't for you. Best of luck

[Unknown]

You could take a few classes at a local community college in Windows and basic administrative and then contact a staffing agency. They can help place you with a good Admin Assist. Position and you can market the skills you've learned from just a couple classes.