Low paying retail vs better contract job & career job hunt decisions
November 13, 2019 8:58 AM Subscribe
I am currently making a mid-career change. I left my previous field to get a master’s degree applicable to new field. I know that finding a new job in new field can take a few months. I can do retail immediately at low pay, wait for a better higher paying contract job or take neither and focus solely on the new field job search. I'm not sure what to do.
I’m OK on money but really don’t want to see my bank balance decrease while I search my new field job.
I was thinking that retail would have plenty of opportunities this time of the year for short-term temp work even if the pay is low. Also, I have been contacted by a few recruiters about relatively short-term contract positions related to my previous field that would pay approximately 75% more than the retail position. I’m also concerned that either of these positions could get in the way of focusing on the desired new field job.
I had an interview with a department store this on Monday and the pay was exactly what I expected it to be and much lower than I would like to make in the short-term. It was an awkward experience as when I told her I was looking to work as a seasonal employee and told me that they didn’t do that. I was also starting to feel uncomfortable thinking that taking this position would keep me from focusing on finding a job in new field. Extra Christmas money would be nice right now and also the idea of a higher paying and more professional contract job makes me think that the smart move is to hold out for the higher wage. Both the temp retail job and the contract work would interfere with my new ideal field job hunt. A career advisor from my school wants me to spend more time networking at this time and getting informational interviews and doing other activities more focused on the long-term bug picture.
Retail jobs are pretty available all year in my city, in fact, many previous retail clients of mine have been complaining about not being able to keep employees around for very long. (Working for my ex-customers is not possible for many reasons). I have a second interview this afternoon and with the understanding that I could start next week if hired. I’m really not thrilled about working retail.
The contract positions are approximately six months long with no benefits. I’m waiting to hear back about setting an interview for one next week with a potential start date being in December.
Regarding the new field open opportunities, I have resumes into two companies that I am very interested in and had been following for some time before new desireable positions opened up. I got a second informal lunch interview with one of them and was told that I was one of three candidates. After waiting a few weeks I was told that they were not going to hire any new employees until after the first of the year. They said that they would get back to me at that time if I was still available and had interest. Additionally, there are four new field jobs recently posted on their websites with other companies that I have been very interested in.
I know that I would be taking a new field job and leaving the retail or contract jobs pretty quickly if an new field opportunity arises.
Thoughts? Thank you!
I’m OK on money but really don’t want to see my bank balance decrease while I search my new field job.
I was thinking that retail would have plenty of opportunities this time of the year for short-term temp work even if the pay is low. Also, I have been contacted by a few recruiters about relatively short-term contract positions related to my previous field that would pay approximately 75% more than the retail position. I’m also concerned that either of these positions could get in the way of focusing on the desired new field job.
I had an interview with a department store this on Monday and the pay was exactly what I expected it to be and much lower than I would like to make in the short-term. It was an awkward experience as when I told her I was looking to work as a seasonal employee and told me that they didn’t do that. I was also starting to feel uncomfortable thinking that taking this position would keep me from focusing on finding a job in new field. Extra Christmas money would be nice right now and also the idea of a higher paying and more professional contract job makes me think that the smart move is to hold out for the higher wage. Both the temp retail job and the contract work would interfere with my new ideal field job hunt. A career advisor from my school wants me to spend more time networking at this time and getting informational interviews and doing other activities more focused on the long-term bug picture.
Retail jobs are pretty available all year in my city, in fact, many previous retail clients of mine have been complaining about not being able to keep employees around for very long. (Working for my ex-customers is not possible for many reasons). I have a second interview this afternoon and with the understanding that I could start next week if hired. I’m really not thrilled about working retail.
The contract positions are approximately six months long with no benefits. I’m waiting to hear back about setting an interview for one next week with a potential start date being in December.
Regarding the new field open opportunities, I have resumes into two companies that I am very interested in and had been following for some time before new desireable positions opened up. I got a second informal lunch interview with one of them and was told that I was one of three candidates. After waiting a few weeks I was told that they were not going to hire any new employees until after the first of the year. They said that they would get back to me at that time if I was still available and had interest. Additionally, there are four new field jobs recently posted on their websites with other companies that I have been very interested in.
I know that I would be taking a new field job and leaving the retail or contract jobs pretty quickly if an new field opportunity arises.
Thoughts? Thank you!
Can you take a contract or part-time job in your old field for higher-than-retail pay, while at the same time continuing to job hunt in the new field? I know you said:
taking this position would keep me from focusing on finding a job in new field.
But you could work fewer hours for higher-than-retail pay in order to focus on the new job hunt, right?
The career advisor is absolutely right that you should be networking, going to informational interviews, attending any free/low cost conferences, polishing your portfolio via freelance or volunteer projects in the new field, sending out [X] resumes every day, etc. Folks say you ought to spend as much time doing all this as you would a real fulltime 40-hours-a-week job but I've had fantastic results even doing half that.
Please please PLEASE banish any thought or concern you may feel for an employer whom you might "leave stranded" the moment you get a better job. This is capitalism in America (I assume). We all work at "at will" jobs for employers who feel no loyalty to any concept other than money, and to whom, therefore, you owe no loyalty when money is at stake. There are professional ways to end your employment with any current employer. Nobody's going to hold a grudge and penalize you for making a professional and cordial exit (.... and if they do, THEY are in the wrong).
A person who has bills to pay can't afford to work 40 hours a week with no pay... but equally, a person with the potential to earn lots of money in a new field can't afford to simply sit on their potential without pursuing better opportunities just because they're too tired trying to pay bills. Find a middle ground that works for you.
posted by MiraK at 9:22 AM on November 13, 2019 [3 favorites]
taking this position would keep me from focusing on finding a job in new field.
But you could work fewer hours for higher-than-retail pay in order to focus on the new job hunt, right?
The career advisor is absolutely right that you should be networking, going to informational interviews, attending any free/low cost conferences, polishing your portfolio via freelance or volunteer projects in the new field, sending out [X] resumes every day, etc. Folks say you ought to spend as much time doing all this as you would a real fulltime 40-hours-a-week job but I've had fantastic results even doing half that.
Please please PLEASE banish any thought or concern you may feel for an employer whom you might "leave stranded" the moment you get a better job. This is capitalism in America (I assume). We all work at "at will" jobs for employers who feel no loyalty to any concept other than money, and to whom, therefore, you owe no loyalty when money is at stake. There are professional ways to end your employment with any current employer. Nobody's going to hold a grudge and penalize you for making a professional and cordial exit (.... and if they do, THEY are in the wrong).
A person who has bills to pay can't afford to work 40 hours a week with no pay... but equally, a person with the potential to earn lots of money in a new field can't afford to simply sit on their potential without pursuing better opportunities just because they're too tired trying to pay bills. Find a middle ground that works for you.
posted by MiraK at 9:22 AM on November 13, 2019 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: I suppose that the other option is work on daily temp jobs for an agency that would leave me more time to take care of job hunt related activities.
If I don't take a low paying retail postion and instead get a much better and higher paying new field job a month or two sooner that I would be able to make up the retail or contract position short-term income lost during the holiday season.
posted by Che boludo! at 10:57 AM on November 13, 2019
If I don't take a low paying retail postion and instead get a much better and higher paying new field job a month or two sooner that I would be able to make up the retail or contract position short-term income lost during the holiday season.
posted by Che boludo! at 10:57 AM on November 13, 2019
I don't know if you've done retail recently, but it's exhausting, especially during the holiday season. Being on your feet and having to deal with holiday shoppers would leave me no mental or physical energy for a job hunt. I'd do office temp work or take a shorter contract job in a field that you're already familiar with.
posted by quince at 11:27 AM on November 13, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by quince at 11:27 AM on November 13, 2019 [3 favorites]
Do you know how demanding one of these contract jobs would be? I'd try to find a low-stress one even if the pay wasn't great, it would leave you energy to apply for jobs and/or network in the evenings. I'm just finishing up a temporary, lower-paying office job with a similar pay rate to retail; one advantage was it was during business hours and I was almost always done by 4:30 p.m. They also were pretty flexible about me taking off for job interviews.
I second the above poster about not underestimating how exhausting retail can be during the holidays, you'd probably be too tired to do anything after you get home. In my experience, there isn't a ton of active recruiting going on in December due to people being on vacation/off.
posted by greatalleycat at 7:03 PM on November 13, 2019
I second the above poster about not underestimating how exhausting retail can be during the holidays, you'd probably be too tired to do anything after you get home. In my experience, there isn't a ton of active recruiting going on in December due to people being on vacation/off.
posted by greatalleycat at 7:03 PM on November 13, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by BibiRose at 9:17 AM on November 13, 2019