Getting out of Retail/Manual Labor Jobs

[Pantha-kun]

So I'm 26 years old , and I'm currently in persuing a masters degree in Computer Information Systems. I decided to go back to school because I got my undergraduate degree in a useless liberal arts area in 2013 and for the last 3.5 years I've only been able to land extremely low quality jobs that even high schoolers are qualified for (ex. Cart Pusher, Cashier , Stocker, Maintenance, now truck unloader/stocker) and I've just gotten sick of it . I'm definitely not blaming anyone but myself from not really taking the time out to think about my major while in undergrad or at least do well enough in the program to do a continuation of that degree area (ex.masters/phD). It took me a while but i found an accredited online program that accepted me and decided on Information Systems after quite a bit of thinking/soul searching about what I really want to do with a career. 

The only thing that sucks is I may finish this program in May 2019 , but I'm guessing to actually get all the skills/certifications I need it may take up to 3-4 years to actually get IT job.   I just wish there was a way for me to work some sort of normalish desk/office job in the mean time . Being on your feet all day long stocking and unloading mountains of material while you have 10 different managers yelling at you to go faster and trying to deal with customers at the same time is both mentally and physically taking a toll on my health. Its becoming increasingly difficult to take my mind off work even when I'm not actually there because all the stress/exhaustion seems to spill over into my off days and personal life as well. And being part time/no benifits/low pay means I'm constantly living to the next paycheck and cant really ever afford to do anything enjoyable in my off time.  

I think its kind of funny that people seem to critisize typical 9-5 office job where you are off on weekends, but for me that sounds like a dream life. I've never had  a job where i get to actually sit down most of the time and be able to hide away in office somewhere away from hundreds of customers/coworkers/vendors/everyone else on the planet besides the select few that work with you in an office somewhere.  You dont really know what your missing until you have to work late shifts through every weekend, there's no events and no one wants to do anything on a Monday or Tuesday , so it also kills your social life as well. 

I think I've already fallen into the trap of only having low level retail working experience , so I'm just not qualified for a "normal" job. Does this mean I just have to keep grinding through this for however many years it takes for me to get all my certifications  and finish my graduate degree? Or is there some sort of way for me to get an office job that I have simply no experience in? Every one of them I've ever applied to always require multiple years of experience in the field (even really basic receptionist/secretarial jobs) I have no idea how someone actually gets started in these jobs unless you know people already in there that are putting in a word for you to get your foot in the door. 

[Doyle]

I got my career started in customer service answering the phone for a mid sized local company in Charlotte.  It was a typical 9-5 M-F job that eventually led to a job in sales.  I've changed companies a few times but 20 years later I'm still in that same career.  Unless you just have a really bad personality anyone can get hired for a low level office position.  

[Anybodyhome]

Couple things here, pal. 

I have a very difficult time taking a Masters candidate seriously when you're challenged by spelling the word "pursuing." And I'm not making that point to flame your ass, but to explain that, as a hiring manager, misspelling and poor grammatical structure gets your cover letter and resume tossed in the sh!tcan.

Second, you need to evaluate your own skill set and decide what you can or can't do versus what you will or won't do. It sounds as though you're not too keen on personal interaction with people or customers, so retail or sales is probably not good fit, unless you think you'd be okay with it depending on the product. If you're headed into tech, would you work in retail if it was, for example, in an Apple Store? See where I'm going? 

[Pantha-kun]

44 minutes ago, Anybodyhome said:

Couple things here, pal. 

I have a very difficult time taking a Masters candidate seriously when you're challenged by spelling the word "pursuing." And I'm not making that point to flame your ass, but to explain that, as a hiring manager, misspelling and poor grammatical structure gets your cover letter and resume tossed in the sh!tcan.

Second, you need to evaluate your own skill set and decide what you can or can't do versus what you will or won't do. It sounds as though you're not too keen on personal interaction with people or customers, so retail or sales is probably not good fit, unless you think you'd be okay with it depending on the product. If you're headed into tech, would you work in retail if it was, for example, in an Apple Store? See where I'm going? 

I'm really not worried about my grammar skill typing on my phone on a football forum but I understand you . 

Yeah working at an apple store would be more of the same retail atmosphere , but it sounds like a much better job than my current one .  I understand I'll probably need one or two tech jobs in retail before I get a normal one just from employers looking at my work history . 

[Pantha-kun]

53 minutes ago, Doyle said:

I got my career started in customer service answering the phone for a mid sized local company in Charlotte.  It was a typical 9-5 M-F job that eventually led to a job in sales.  I've changed companies a few times but 20 years later I'm still in that same career.  Unless you just have a really bad personality anyone can get hired for a low level office position.  

I'm not sure about the anyone bit haha. I've never even obtained an interview to one for them to determine what my personality was like. 

I have a cousin that works in a call center and it seems stressful , but having a normal schedule I probably wouldn't care too much  about how hectic the job was If I always got off at a normal time and off on weekends .

[Ja Rhule]

53 minutes ago, Anybodyhome said:

Couple things here, pal. 

I have a very difficult time taking a Masters candidate seriously when you're challenged by spelling the word "pursuing." And I'm not making that point to flame your ass, but to explain that, as a hiring manager, misspelling and poor grammatical structure gets your cover letter and resume tossed in the sh!tcan.

Second, you need to evaluate your own skill set and decide what you can or can't do versus what you will or won't do. It sounds as though you're not too keen on personal interaction with people or customers, so retail or sales is probably not good fit, unless you think you'd be okay with it depending on the product. If you're headed into tech, would you work in retail if it was, for example, in an Apple Store? See where I'm going? 

Damn...  I'm screwed in life.

[Dex]

Same thing happened to me. Then I got a job working in a warehouse a couple of years ago. They quickly saw I didn't belong in there and move me into the office doing customer service and inside sales. Then in December they moved me to the engineering office where I do CAD drawings and PIM. I work 730am - 4pm Mon-Friday but am going back to school and they may pay for it. (working on it)

 

Moral of the story? Get a 9-5 job in customer service. They're in office and entry level. Work your ass off and if they see potential there's room to grow.

[Dex]

33 minutes ago, Pantha-kun said:

I'm not sure about the anyone bit haha. I've never even obtained an interview to one for them to determine what my personality was like. 

Did you follow up? Simply putting in a resume most of the time doesn't do it. You need to stick out. Did you write a cover letter?

[thefuzz]

Few things real quick.

 

Do you have friends or family with any connections to local businesses?  Knowing someone is a lot better than the very best resume's.

Are you in Fayetteville as your profile states?  That could be half your problem...look at moving to a locale with better job offerings.

[Anybodyhome]

18 minutes ago, thefuzz said:

Are you in Fayetteville as your profile states?  That could be half your problem...look at moving to a locale with better job offerings.

This. You gotta go where the jobs are.

We lived in Martinsville, VA (population 16,000) for 13 years and the highest unemployment in the state (20+%) for most of those 13 years. I can't tell you how many kids I watched grow up, go off to Va Tech, come back to a small town with high unemployment and wonder why they can't get a job.  

[Raskle]

3 hours ago, ARSEN said:

Damn...  I'm screwed in life.

Well, you're an Arsenal fan, so you should have known that by now anyways...

[Inimicus]

Depending on the segment of IT you're heading towards there are a couple of things a totally green resource can do.

 

If you want to head for systems admin check out the bodyshops that run contract to perm gigs.  They have the in on larger companies that need help desk bodies to read from scripts.  With a little luck and perseverance you can jump an escalation level. Its not  glamorous but its a toe in the door.  Once you get a little ways into your studies start looking for internships or small (<20 empl) where you can cut your teeth.If you've got any ability now I would pester the hell out of the Best Buy manager to get on the Geek Squad. 

 

If your looking to get into programming get yourself a github and start coding and publishing your projects.  Hang out on StackOverflow answering what you can and as you learn more answer more.  In short start building a library of work you can reference on your resume. 

 

Certs and your degree can help but to some extent are irrelevant after you get your first job.  Best DBA I ever employed held an Creative Writing degree and the best Network Admin I ever employed had zero certs and a degree in Math.  They work for a massive software company and Google respectively now.

 

I'm not gonna lie, you've got a tough row to hoe but if you're actually committed to a tech career (as opposed to one of those folks that thinks its an easy way to a professional career) you're going to have to do more than go to school.

 

Source:20+ years in IT and 15+ in a position to hire both sides of the industry.

[Scrumtrilescent]

Someone say octocat?

[Davidson Deac II]

Find a temp agency that provides contract IT workers, and go there.  Doing so will provide you with experience and in IT, experience is just as important as education.  In fact, it might be more important.   And you might get a taste of the different types of IT jobs that are available.  It could also lead into a full time position if you contract with a company and they like what they see.  

The only problem with this approach is that you work assignments might not be steady.  You might need to get a part time job to supplement your income.