Any career advice for a young professional (24F) in first corporate job?

October 22, 2017 11:46 AM

I have been working in corporate customer service for 1.25 years now. I have an Associate's Degree in General Transfer Studies and and have decided to go back for my Bachelor's in Business, emphasis Supply Chain. My work does offer 50% tuition reimbursement, but I am not sure if I should stay there due to work culture and management issues, or leave and start getting experience in supply chain and possibly make more money while I am in school. (details inside)

So, my work and education history is as follows...

When I was 16 I got my first job at an sandwich shop. I worked there for 4.5 years, throughout the rest of high school and some college. I was a team member and then shift manager.

While in high school I participated in a program called A+ (my older sister recommended this program to me), which basically offered free community college or some tuition if you got decent grades, good attendance and did volunteer work or tutoring. After high school I didn't know what I wanted to do, so I went to community college and got my Associate's in General
Transfer Studies in 3 years, all paid for my by A+ scholarship (no debt at all from college so far! :)). During the end of my schooling there I switched jobs to work in a coffee shop. I graduated from community college in December of 2014.

I was still unsure of what I wanted to pursue for a bachelor's, so held off on school as I was scared to take out a loan when I was unsure of what I wanted to study (no assistance from parents). I considered a lot of careers, but never felt committed yet.

In the summer of 2016, I was having health problems (arthritis in hip...long story) that was preventing me from working (walking and standing) at my barista/baker job. I was falling apart also due to my crazy schedule (4AM mornings). I decided I wanted to work in an office and get experience in that type of work, and get off my feet and have a regular schedule, and searched for customer service type roles. (my hip is now better)

My sister, whom has helped me a lot in life due to negligent/unavailable parents, helped me with scoring my current job. She helped me write my resume and lent me career books and gave me tips.

In July of 2016 I got a job as a customer service assistant at an engineering/manufacturing company in the automotive industry that is very well off. There I process/enter orders, take calls and emails, and a lot of random admin support things. I work 8AM-5PM Monday through Friday. I get paid more than I thought I would for my first salary job (started at $32,000, now at $34,000). This job has allowed me to move out on my own, although I live on a tight budget. The benefits I think are good, there is profit sharing, I got 1 week vacation this year but 2 next year. They also offer 50% tuition reimbursement for approved courses at an approved school, and if the courses will help you in your current job or help you reach another position, and you have to stay a year after the company pays for courses, or else you have to pay them back.

I have decided that off all the corporate type jobs I've seen at my workplace, I would like to do supply chain. I feel it is less boring to me than accounting or engineering, and I'm not interested in marketing. This is also what my sister does for a living and she's very good at it (she's a manager now). I feel she could also mentor me like she has been about getting into the field. At my workplace, they want you to have at least a bachelor's to work in supply chain. I would need to go back to school. My dilemma is that I don't know if I should use my workplace's tuition assistance program and stay there at least another 3 years, or try and get a supply chain coordinator job that pays more, if I could.

At my current workplace, I am not sure if the culture is a 100% fit or if the management is that great. Many people at my workplace have been with the company for 15+ years (some up to 30+) which is a very good sign I hear. But I'm pretty sure I am or am close to being the youngest person there. My coworkers are in there 30's to mostly 50's or 60's. I mean working with older people is nice, I get to hear about their lives and it gives me a lot of insight and wisdom into the future I think. The company was founded in the 50's and is very old school. This all has pros and cons but it may be nice to work with more people my own age and I feel I fit more with the progressive types of people. As for my manager, well honestly I don't know if I respect her as much as I could respect a manager. She is very good with people and talking, but I feel she favors people, and she is a smoker and I feel that she is much more bonded with the people she takes smoke breaks with. She doesn't know some of the job, frequently advises wrongly with confidence, replies to emails without seeing someone already replied, doesn't care about learning unless she has to, and doesn't really care about the job. Which is totally fine, I can inspire myself but I like working for people who believe in their work too. I probably have high standards for managers... The director of our department has been there for 30+ years. He is a very nose to the grindstone and he does have pride in his work, but he can be callous and unforgiving.

I just had my 2nd review. I got all 9's and one 10. I got a 3% raise. They said that I need to smile more and work on my communication skills... My director and boss apparently were talking about me one day and he said he never sees me smile. I feel like I smile a lot, I am just shy about saying hi in the hallways, I know I need to work on it but it's hard. And my manager said that she has no problem promoting me to a customer service rep by my next review (next July). The thing is, I am doing what the reps do, processing distributor orders, and I have as much territory as some of them, but still am considered an assistant because I haven't been there as long and others are still assistants that are not getting promoted. I feel I should be considered a CSR already because I do what they do but also have a couple assistant tasks. I understand seniority, but then if I am going to remain an assistant don't give me Rep tasks and not pay me the CSR salary. My sister advised I stand up for myself in this area at my review, but my boss rushed through my review saying none of this really matters I just have to give you a review, and the review ended before I thought it was over so I didn't ask what more I could do to become a Rep now. I don't want to stay in the department long term at all. But really, I guess my workplace isn't too bad, it's just a corporate atmosphere.

The supply chain department at my company looks much more professional. I think I might like working over there. I already figured out with local colleges that it will take me 72 more credit hours to get my bachelor's in business emphasis supply chain. I am going to school in the spring. Now I am debating whether I should stay at my current job, ask for tuition assistance, and then work there for 2 years while in school and at least 1 there in supply chain after I graduate. Or, I could try and find another job in entry level supply chain that maybe pays more and would make up for the tuition assistance, and work my way up there and go to school. I have also only been at my job 1.25 years, and don't want to leave too early and have it look bad on my resume.

Any advice?

posted by anon1129 to Work & Money (5 answers total)

I worked in supply chain/logistics for a while, no degree. I bet you could find the job you want without going into any debt for additional schooling or the stress of attending school while working. Even if your job says they require it, I bet you could work out a path ahead built on experience instead of education.
posted by masquesoporfavor at 11:56 AM on October 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

I hear you about the manager you can't respect as much as you'd like. Been there, done that, left these jobs in due course. But the incompetent supervisor not withstanding it sounds as if there are a few things about that job that are quite good such as a reliable 40hr week, a non toxic environment and a general recognition that you do a good job and the possibility to get help with tuition.

So, have you investigated transferring into your company's supply chain team? Have you had lunch or grabbed a coffee with some of the supply chain people? What do they say about the job and department? Is that department looking for entry level people? Can you apply for a transfer?

By the sound of it your current job is not all that satisfying but if you were in my customer service rep team why on earth would I use my budget to pay for you to learn about supply chain? Surely the supply chain team would be more interested in doing that? So personally, that'd be what I'd explore next, before doing anything else.
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:01 PM on October 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

At my workplace, they want you to have at least a bachelor's to work in supply chain.

Do they just want any bachelor's degree, or do they care what it's in? I guess I wonder if you could get a degree a little faster if you didn't major in Business with a supply chain emphasis. Every institution is a little different, but at mine, it's typically possible for a student to graduate with 60 credit hours if they come in with an associate's degree and choose their major carefully.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 12:04 PM on October 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

As a 24 year old, you are considered an independent adult for FAFSA purposes. Depending on how much money you make, you are likely eligible for good federal financial aid. Many colleges also have specific programs for non-traditional students (that's you). Don't assume that your only options are working a job you don't like for their tuition assistance program or taking out lots of loans.
posted by hydropsyche at 12:18 PM on October 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

Best answer: They also offer 50% tuition reimbursement for approved courses at an approved school, and if the courses will help you in your current job or help you reach another position, and you have to stay a year after the company pays for courses, or else you have to pay them back.

My dilemma is that I don't know if I should use my workplace's tuition assistance program and stay there at least another 3 years, or try and get a supply chain coordinator job that pays more, if I could.

There's a lot of detail to sift through in your question, but at least going by what you've said, there is a third compromise option where you start taking courses that are reimbursed 50% by your current employer but then switch jobs partway through. Unless there's more to this policy, you could start taking classes in spring 2018, switch jobs in fall 2019, and you'd still get 50% of your first semester covered by your current employer because you'd worked >12 months from the time you finished those classes. If that's the case, I think the logical course of action is to start the coursework ASAP, but feel free to apply for jobs that would pay you enough salary for it to make financial sense to switch jobs partway through your coursework. You may find that having the program on your resume (with an expected graduation date and the coursework you've completed so far) improves your job prospects before you finish your degree. But it's totally okay to take advantage of the tuition reimbursement program now and see what happens with future job prospects later. It doesn't necessarily lock you into working there for 3+ years.
posted by deludingmyself at 1:59 PM on October 22, 2017 [1 favorite]