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Help me find a new job.
LifeVirusZERO
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Here's the deal. I'm 19 years old, and for the last year I've been working about 20 hours a week at the customer service counter of a department store. I gift-wrap, help out customers with their issues, help out CO-WORKERS with their issues, manage the layaways, answer the store phone, etc. However, I hate every single minute of it. I am in a bit of a financial...... situation. I am currently not in college so the only thing backing me up is my HS diploma and my job experience (which is this plus 4 months at a grocery store's produce section).
Since I started working here, I've accumulated a bit of debt and now I don't make enough money to cover it all without using MORE credit which... isn't going to be able to last a whole lot longer. I have a lot of credit but it is all good. I've never been late on anything and I always make more than the minimum payments. I'm just starting to run out of it. In fact, I've determined that at my current rate of pay (7.75 per hour), I would have to work at least 48 hours per week just to cover all of my expenses without going "in the hole" any more any more than I already am. Factoring in food and gas and all of my bills, I spend about $1100.00 per month. That doesn't work out very well when I only make like $550.00 per month. I need to find a new job. Something that I don't despise. Here's a list of the things I hate about my job:
- 75% of customers are stupid
- I hate answering phones
- I don't like standing all day. It hurts
- My company does a lot of stupid things
- My co-workers do a lot of stupid things
- I don't like not knowing what a customer is going to want since I'm pretty much there to help the customers with whatever they have problems with. A lot of times a customer will come up to me and tell me of some ridiculous problem that they are having and I always just want to say "Ok, what do you want me to do about it?" I'm a generally nervous person as it is, that's also the reason I don't like answering phones. I don't really like not knowing what I am about to deal with. It would be different if my company prepared us for every possible situation, but that's not exactly an easy thing to do.
Bottom line: I need to get out of retail. I am looking for job recommendations. Looking online seems to be going nowhere because all I can seem to find are manager positions, as well as other things I'm not qualified to do. That and those fake job ads that say you can make $80,000,000.00 per month without doing anything or by being a secret shopper or other ridiculous things. And yes, I do plan on going to college once I get things settled in the money department.
One last thing, I'm great with computers, but I have no professional experience to back me up. I'm good at maintaining a professional appearance, etc.
Since I started working here, I've accumulated a bit of debt and now I don't make enough money to cover it all without using MORE credit which... isn't going to be able to last a whole lot longer. I have a lot of credit but it is all good. I've never been late on anything and I always make more than the minimum payments. I'm just starting to run out of it. In fact, I've determined that at my current rate of pay (7.75 per hour), I would have to work at least 48 hours per week just to cover all of my expenses without going "in the hole" any more any more than I already am. Factoring in food and gas and all of my bills, I spend about $1100.00 per month. That doesn't work out very well when I only make like $550.00 per month. I need to find a new job. Something that I don't despise. Here's a list of the things I hate about my job:
- 75% of customers are stupid
- I hate answering phones
- I don't like standing all day. It hurts
- My company does a lot of stupid things
- My co-workers do a lot of stupid things
- I don't like not knowing what a customer is going to want since I'm pretty much there to help the customers with whatever they have problems with. A lot of times a customer will come up to me and tell me of some ridiculous problem that they are having and I always just want to say "Ok, what do you want me to do about it?" I'm a generally nervous person as it is, that's also the reason I don't like answering phones. I don't really like not knowing what I am about to deal with. It would be different if my company prepared us for every possible situation, but that's not exactly an easy thing to do.
Bottom line: I need to get out of retail. I am looking for job recommendations. Looking online seems to be going nowhere because all I can seem to find are manager positions, as well as other things I'm not qualified to do. That and those fake job ads that say you can make $80,000,000.00 per month without doing anything or by being a secret shopper or other ridiculous things. And yes, I do plan on going to college once I get things settled in the money department.
One last thing, I'm great with computers, but I have no professional experience to back me up. I'm good at maintaining a professional appearance, etc.
LifeVirusZERO on
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As far as food goes, don't eat out, and don't buy junk. A big bag of rice goes a long way. In fact, there was a thread in D&D not too long ago talking about how feasible it is to eat on $21 worth of groceries per week. That's under $100 per month.
Gas? If you're just driving around town, you shouldn't need that much. Better yet, if you live in an area with a functioning mass transit system, get a monthly bus pass. Cheaper than driving, and it saves wear and tear on your car.
I know this isn't the advice that you asked for, but at the moment, it seems to me that it's more important for you to start living within your means than for you to find a job that makes you sing with delight in the shower every morning at the thought of being allowed to go in to work at your favourite place in the world.
Why have you only been working 20 hours a week for a year, while doing nothing else? Get another part-time job, if your current place won't give you more hours. Work at another grocery store if you have to, or try to get into an (incoming) call center. Cut your living expenses, increase your income, and start *saving* money rather than spending it on credit. Once you have a bit of money tucked away in the bank, it will be a lot easier for you to deal with your job situation by taking college classes, getting the actual credentials, etc. For now, though, if you're sinking into debt by $500 every month... well, it doesn't damned well *matter* how much your feet hurt after standing behind a counter for 20 hours a week. Buy some gel inserts, grit your teeth, and deal with the bigger problems.
Start looking at what you are spending on that you really don't need and figure out what you can cut. Not to be harsh or anything, but you should def be making more than that. I remember when I was at Wal-Mart back in the day I was making atleast 8.50 or so. And it seems like those numbers just keep going up. But, enough with what you're doing wrong. Here are some ideas on how you can start posting in the green.
Does your work have any sort of "Senior-****" position? Like senior computer guru or senior customer service rep. Typically working into a position like that will earn you some sort of pay raise and should also come with increased hours.
Start working more hours. If you are out of school and not in college then there is no reason why you should not be working 40 hours every single week. What else are you going to do with your time? Besides spend money you don't have I mean.
If you can't get more hours, then start job hunting. Typically 19 yr olds are going to be working jobs with a pretty consistant turnover rate, so you should be able to find something pretty quickly.
Decide which is more important to you. Working at a job that you like, or being debt free. Here's a hint: The answer is not option A.
Sometimes you've got to work a shit job to make ends meet, that way you can afford time to find the job that you DO want and switch over.
Addressing your concerns about your current employ:
- 75% of customers are stupid
If I found a job where only 75% of my clients were stupid I'd be in heaven. Currently my customers routinely compete with rocks in the IQ dept.
- I hate answering phones
The beauty with phones? You get to use speakerphone and mute. Share their stupidity with your friends.
- I don't like standing all day. It hurts
Standing all day sucks less than being hungry all day.
- My company does a lot of stupid things
Sounds like all the companies I've worked for/with
- My co-workers do a lot of stupid things
Yeah, that's about right.
Try looking at a job with a big-box retailer like Bestbuy or Circuit city. They should have some kind of computer specialist job that may be a solution to some of your problems, and would atleast let you work using your mind instead of making you dumber. Another job that's actually pretty chill (if you can deal with STUPID customers) is retail sales for a cell phone company. It's easy work, and you can pretty much master it after a month or so. But you do have to deal with the same issues day in and day out.
Either way, good luck.
I hate to break it to you, but with only a HS diploma, you kinda have slim pickings. Throw in all your prerequisites and there really aren't many jobs that I can think of that you would like. How about right now, you focus on trying to find a job that will allow you to get out of debt, whether you like it or not? Customers are going to be idiots wherever you go, and standing on your feet all day isn't THAT bad. I got used to it after a few months when I worked at Gamestop.
Right now, at least get another part time job or ask for more hours/raise.
Downside, it's a lot of driving, and you do deal with idiots on their home turf.
On the plus side, you don't spend much time on the phone (scheduling installs mostly) as most of this is set up by the call center chimps. You're not on your feet 8 hours a day, because you're driving to and from installs. While you do interact with idiots, they're idiots who need you to give them TV and are often grateful for that (not always though). It's likely to pay more then part time at Retailer X. You should be able to get in with a high school education, any electronics skills are a bonus.
It should pay at least 1100 a month if you're working full time. Granted, you're current position would do that if you where working full time as well so...
Thanks, that's a really good idea.
This fails to make sense. What kind of bills are you paying for? Without unnecessary expenses I don't see how you can have a deficit of nearly $500/month in terms of cashflow.
Also, find a second bs job. Maybe you'll find it pays more, and eventually you can just start working full time at it, but for the mean time work both jobs.
water spirals the wrong way out the sink
Our Mom worked as a loan officer and when a good credit card deal came she would always tell us about it. I was scared of credit myself so no matter what temptation was there I had to resist. ZERO's debt was for the most part out of necessity (I don't remember what for). I'm pretty sure that a big chunk of that his bank loan that he has as well. He's not really one for frivolous spending, now anyway...
Phone bill of $70 - I'm assuming that's a cell phone. Assuming that's the case, can you either A) find a cheaper plan or
Car payment of $228 - how much is left owing on this? What type of car? Do you really need said car - can you sell it and clear the loan? I'm well aware there are places where you need a car because the transit system is horrible etc.
As for the job thing - that's been pretty well covered above. No matter what sort of job you get, you're going to be dealing with idiots - fact of working life unfortunately