Anyone ever left their profession for a retail job? (update)

[ha98ed14]

Contemplating checking out... I didn't get the job with the 90 min (or 60 min) commute. I made it to the last round; HR checked my references last week. I called today for an update and the HR guy told me that they had extended offers to those people to whom they were going to. He said people not selected (i.e., me) would be notified officially in the next week.

I have been actively looking for a year, and this is the second time since July that I have made it all the way to the second round, they go to the trouble to check my refs and then I don't get an offer. (The references were completely different people in each case; no overlap, so I no one is trying to sabotage me.) This rejection stings especially because I know they were hiring for multiple positions, so I must have been REALLY low on the finalist list.

It's painful. I trained for a career in my field, Ivy League grad school (and the debt to show for it) and dues paid. I have never worked in any other field. I've stayed current in the field during my mommy-tracked years and have even been an innovator, but not in the right ways, I guess. I'm coming up on 44, and I don't want to do this cycle of (1) apply-hear nothing; (2) apply-auto rejection; (3) apply-interview-2nd-interview-ref check-rejection... lather, rinse, repeat, for another year. And I do not want to continue in the consulting role.

I want to be done with it and go work at Target or Home Depot. I think they would hire me; it would be fairly mindless compared to what I currently do. The energy spent staying current in the field, money spent going to conferences, money spent on networking lunches, and time job searching is not paying off. I no longer enjoy it. It makes me depressed. It's emotionally painful. I want to check out of the field and not worry about professional achievement. My field is so narrow that few people even know what I do, so checking out would be fairly easy. I'm looking for permission to be done being a professional and just be a working class person.

Have you you or anyone you know checked out of being "a professional" and gone to work in the unskilled labor market? FWIW, DH supports me if that's what I want to do. We are not dependent on my income for mortgage and groceries. He sees that I have made a concerted effort and the emotional toll it isn't taking on me.
TIA for any experiences you can share.

ETA: Another option I'm looking into is volunteering for CASA or some other volunteering where you need professional skills, but not in my field. I do not want to volunteer in my field. Not even how one would do that, but I need to leave it behind if I choose to leave.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Hey, nothing wrong with being "working class". Plenty (many!!) people do it and there shouldn't be a stigma with going to work and not having a "career". Make the best of it.

My advice would be to look for smaller stores with good hours so you aren't working til midnight during the holidays.

Are there any career opportunities in the non-profit sector?

I do a ton of volunteer work and enjoy so much of it. I'm on several boards (1 is terrible and I really need to quit though!).

Take some time. Get a job that gives you something to do and just stop stressing. I give you permission to go that route.

[KpbS]

Yes, you may pursue whatever you like! Be done!

[candaceb]

I have one friend who is in HR and took 7 years off with her kids. Then when she was thinking about going back to work, she eased into it by working retail at Christmas time at the American Girl Store, when they were desperate and would take her for whatever hours she was available as long as she worked Thanksgiving weekend. She spent most of what she made using her employee discount... She then ended up working part-time retail for a while at Williams-Sonoma. She eventually got a part-time HR job that is way below what she was doing pre-kids, but she works from home and has a lot of flexibility and no responsibility outside of her work hours.

I have a master's degree in library science. I worked full time as a law librarian for 7 years after grad school, and then we started moving for my husband's career. I went to a university library and then a public library.
When we moved again and I was back in a place where I thought I could get my career on track, there were no jobs that paid enough or appealed to me.
So I re-invented myself and I'm a senior move manager and de-cluttering specialist. I charge way more per hour than I could have made at a part-time library job and it is totally flexible - when my kid has an appointment, I don't take a client.
This is just to say that retail doesn't have to be the end. It can be a detour. Or you can think outside the box for a different way to apply your skills.

[div_0305]

I think you should do what will make you happy. Maybe a part-time or temporary job in retail will give you a good mental break from this tough job search you've been having. I'm not sure how practical this is, but a loooong time ago, I read or heard from a career specialist to ask employers who turn you down for a job if they have any constructive criticism to offer about why you didn't get the job. I wonder how many would reply, because there may be rules the employer has against it or they are worried about an employment discrimination lawsuit, but seems it wouldn't hurt just to ask. The person who gave the advice said that some who had done this were later offered a job by that employer because the employer thought, "This person is truly interested and motivated to work here." In my field, I've realized that no one asks for references unless they are ready to hire you--the references are a formality. For my current job, my second interview was also just a formality. I didn't know that until an HR person said unless I came in with a clown costume, the second interview was just to doublecheck I was good to go .

[ha98ed14]

So I re-invented myself and I'm a senior move manager and de-cluttering specialist. I charge way more per hour than I could have made at a part-time library job and it is totally flexible - when my kid has an appointment, I don't take a client.
This is just to say that retail doesn't have to be the end. It can be a detour. Or you can think outside the box for a different way to apply your skills.

Congratulations on forging your own way! That actually sounds like a service I would enjoy providing. Did you train for it? Or was it just your own in-born skill set? How did you market yourself?

[ha98ed14]

I think you should do what will make you happy. Maybe a part-time or temporary job in retail will give you a good mental break from this tough job search you've been having. I'm not sure how practical this is, but a loooong time ago, I read or heard from a career specialist to ask employers who turn you down for a job if they have any constructive criticism to offer about why you didn't get the job. I wonder how many would reply, because there may be rules the employer has against it or they are worried about an employment discrimination lawsuit, but seems it wouldn't hurt just to ask. The person who gave the advice said that some who had done this were later offered a job by that employer because the employer thought, "This person is truly interested and motivated to work here." In my field, I've realized that no one asks for references unless they are ready to hire you--the references are a formality. For my current job, my second interview was also just a formality. I didn't know that until an HR person said unless I came in with a clown costume, the second interview was just to doublecheck I was good to go .

Interesting insights. I wonder how much of this is different in today's job market? I hired a career coach this past spring when, after 6 months, I had not found anything. He told me several of his clients had been brought in for 3rd and 4th interviews that lasted an entire workday and involved meeting managers in different departments, lunch with the potential team, etc. AND the candidates STILL didn't get a final offer. My sister had a similar experience with an all-day 2nd interview that yielded nothing. In her case she got an offer the next month making 30% more than she was, so it didn't sting as much.

[twowhat?]

First, I'm surprised HR gave you that "much" information considering they had not officially filled the position yet. Everywhere I've gone, they don't send out official rejection notices until the position has been successfully filled (at least reference/paperwork/signature-wise). That's because it's possible that the first choices may not accept the position, in which case usually they then make an offer to someone else who was also in the running. So you never know... But yes, it does stink that you made it that far and still lost out to others who were, for whatever reason, "better" candidates.

Second, I would totally work retail if it was a vendor/product that I believed in! I have actually often thought about switching to a working class job and doing it part-time. I think I'd be totally happy working for Costco or whatever and give my brain a break. I'm a total introvert but in retail roles I do fine and enjoy the people interaction (usually...there are always grumpy customers to deal with). I don't think there's anything wrong with it, and think that it would be a totally refreshing and energizing change. Go for it.

[jgenie]

I did it several years before we had kids. I was working crazy hours and just realized my heart wasn’t in it anymore. We took it as a trial to not having my salary when I became a SAHM. I took an entry level job in a completely unrelated field. It was great for me. Sometimes I feel bad about the money I spent getting my degree but I financed it entirely on my own so no one else gets to weigh in on it. I don’t regret my decision.

[div_0305]

Interesting insights. I wonder how much of this is different in today's job market? I hired a career coach this past spring when, after 6 months, I had not found anything. He told me several of his clients had been brought in for 3rd and 4th interviews that lasted an entire workday and involved meeting managers in different departments, lunch with the potential team, etc. AND the candidates STILL didn't get a final offer. My sister had a similar experience with an all-day 2nd interview that yielded nothing. In her case she got an offer the next month making 30% more than she was, so it didn't sting as much.

Yeah, who knows? I never tried this myself to know if it works. Good for your sister! The same thing happened to my husband many years ago. I really don't understand all that time put into interviewing candidates, when most are hired as probationary employees and at will. If you can do CASA, I think you'll find it very rewarding (emotionally draining, but rewarding when the right outcome is reached). Maybe volunteer at an animal shelter and get pets ready to be adopted.....