Leaving an outside, labor career for desk work; Thoughts?

December 26, 2015 5:51 PM

Have you transitioned from working an outdoors, hands-on job to a desk job successfully/happily?

I have worked for about a decade now in my field in hands-on, outdoors positions. For the most part, I enjoy the work and value the physical aspect of it. I've recently been offered a position as an inside sales rep. This would require making/receiving calls and generally sitting behind a desk. The pay increase and hours are highly appealing; otherwise, the job doesn't necessarily thrill me.

Have you made the transition from outside to inside successfully? Can you offer any tips to ease the move? Would you recommend or question the move?

Thanks

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (7 answers total)

I'd question it partly over the indoor-outdoor switch, but more so over the switch to sales. If you've got a background in it or passion for it go for it, but sales can be depressing and not for everyone. You can always leverage your off time to get lots of outdoor time, money talks bs walks, but be wary of commission-heavy sales positions, they freak me out.
posted by vrakatar at 6:10 PM on December 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

I never worked outdoors as a professional, but I worked in a lab for many years before transitioning to an office job. The transition was hard. It was hard to sit at a desk all day and look at a computer all day. Even with frequent breaks to have half a cup of coffee outside it still took me 4-5 months to really adjust. I almost quit a few times but in the end I'm glad I stuck it out.

My tips are to eat lunch outside every day that you can. Even if you don't have a lot of time, 10 minutes outside scarfing down a sandwich really is better than doing it at your desk. Try to take a short walk a couple of times a day. I called them vitamin D breaks. Prioritize exercise and outdoor time whenever you aren't working. Hiking on the weekends, a quick morning walk around the block, or hitting the gym (work out near a window) are all helpful.
posted by tealcake at 6:11 PM on December 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

I used to build carwashes. Outside, working with my hands and my head. The boss was absolutely insane, and I finally left for desk jobs. I still miss it.
posted by notsnot at 7:57 PM on December 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

Be SURE you can do something on your evenings and weekends to maintain fitness. Desk jobs can really add pounds, especially if you're used to higher levels of activity.

As a veteran of pure sales jobs who still has that in his job around the edges, I'd say run from any job where a lot of your pay is commission and/or based on goals, unless you have first-hand knowledge from people you really know well that the company is reasonable and fair. Very few managers seem to be able to resist turning sales commission structures into something like a cross between The Hunger Games and Lucy pulling the football away. A few companies do it right, so I'm not dismissing it out of hand, just saying to be VERY careful.
posted by randomkeystrike at 9:02 PM on December 26, 2015 [4 favorites]

Know exactly why you're doing it and what the additional money is for. Like, my indoor job pays for my kid. A day job is great if you want to work to live - just make sure you're doing awesome stuff outside of work that makes it worth it.
posted by jrobin276 at 1:33 AM on December 27, 2015

How many calls will you be making? An inside sales job that requires you to crank out 100 calls a day is miserable enough when you are experienced in sales - could be downright demoralizing if it turns out sales isn't your thing.

If you have a good relationship with the boss you might see if you can structure it as a 90 day trial. It would suck to leave a job you like only to get fired 90 days later when it turns out you can't sell widgets (or whatever) over the phone.
posted by COD at 6:29 AM on December 27, 2015

Have you worked inside before? That would be a good litmus for how you'll handle it now. I can't say anything for going inside after outside, but I did go inside to outside. I think, sometimes, about going back when it's rainy and gross and I'm working on something boring or I'm stuck with a particularly racist butthole, but those days are much fewer and farther between than the "I hate this what am I doing with my life" days I had at my desk job. However I'm also only in my mid-late 20s and two years into the trade. I hear from many of the old timers that I'll feel differently when my body starts to feel it.

My partner went from outdoors to indoors and haaates it. He's happier with lots of exercise and outdoors time, and does admit he likes the additional energy he has to put towards hobbies. He also seeks out projects where he gets visual confirmation of a job well done.
posted by teslacoilswoah at 10:07 AM on December 27, 2015