Author Topic: Career options/advice?  (Read 3066 times)

poorjoy

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Career options/advice?
« on: November 02, 2014, 05:22:32 PM »
Hello mustachians, I'm looking for some insight or advice on my situation.
I posted a while back that I'm 26 without any real career prospects but I now want to change that.

About 8 months ago I started an entry level call center job at £13,000 a year after a history of working awful service industry positions (kitchen porter and fast food).
At the call center I was promoted 3 times on a temporary agreement after giving everything I had to do a good job. I moved from being a contact center agent to team manager to floor manager to quality assurance with the client, there was only a 10% pay rise and the secondment has now ended and I am back to a tier 1 advisor.
There has been talk of me getting promoted right back up when the contract we are working for picks up again in March on a permanent basis but even then the pay is still £15,000 a year and it's not guaranteed.

The experience of being responsible for over 300 staff has matured me greatly and I now feel confident in roles of high responsibility, I've had do do everything from shift planning and asset budgeting to staff dismissal on a day to day basis staying at the office consistently 2 hours late for less than I made 10 years ago sweeping floors.

What career paths can I take?
What options are realistically open for a mid 20's without a degree that have a decent income?

I fear that the contract I work in will be lost and it's a real possibility from what I've seen and I have concerns that this step down may lower my prospects than if I were to move somewhere else now.

My stash has grown nicely but I only have 3 months no income sustainability at this early stage.
Thanks for reading!

deborah

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Re: Career options/advice?
« Reply #1 on: November 02, 2014, 05:45:34 PM »
I fear that the contract I work in will be lost and it's a real possibility from what I've seen and I have concerns that this step down may lower my prospects than if I were to move somewhere else now.
It depends upon how you treat the step down. Many people lose their edge when they step down from a secondment, and this definitely lowers their prospects - especially if they develop into a complainypants. You should have a talk to your current manager about where he sees you going, and what your prospects are - what you do well, what you could improve, and what he would advise you doing to have future prospects. He may have some great ideas. If you have been jumped up twice, someone must value you and be prepared to have this type of talk with you. They may even suggest that you get some experience elsewhere, and suggest the type of elsewhere most suited to your talents.

poorjoy

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Re: Career options/advice?
« Reply #2 on: November 02, 2014, 06:33:59 PM »
I think you're right, the best action is to just do my best until there's more concrete information and build more stash.

Meanwhile I'll try applying for any job I think I could have a chance at with £25k or above because I think it's worth the risk to start a job at this salary.

lpep

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Re: Career options/advice?
« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2014, 05:00:23 AM »
Would you consider moving abroad? There are tons of jobs in southeast Asia for native English speakers in teaching, no degree required. In Hanoi you can earn $20-$25 per hour, and the cost of living is extremely low - you could easily save $1000/month on a $1600/month income. It's not for the faint of heart, but teaching cute little kids 20 hours per week is certainly a better lifestyle than working full time plus in a call center! Any questions, let me know.

mining_melancholy

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Re: Career options/advice?
« Reply #4 on: November 03, 2014, 06:44:15 AM »
This comes more from advice I've been given than from successes of my own, but:

Since you're experience has been in management, a big aspect of advancing your career is likely going to be networking. I've found that resumes and payscales really only outweigh networking in certain fields. If what you're selling in yourself is your experience at dealing with things, dealing with people, and dealing with problems, you're only going to get that talent across in person. So, network. And that includes both inside and outside your company. Talk to supervisors, bosses, admins, whatever, and attend conferences if possible (I know from experience this one can be hard if you're on a tight purse string already).

Point is, once you're into management and admin, your career starts coming from you, not your resume. Hope that helps a little.