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Career change

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  • 17-10-2016 1:54pm
    #1
    Hennochi
    Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭


    Hey y'all, I work in a phone shop. I hate it and the money is crap, so I want to leave.
    My problem is I've no qualifications just experience working in various phone shops which I hate. Every time I apply for a new job I fail to get it. I can't afford to go into fulltime education because I am the bread winner.
    I don't know what to do. I feel stuck here.
    Any advise is welcome.


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    #2
    5rtytry56
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,828 ✭✭✭5rtytry56


    Where do you live? Provincial Town or City? I don't know.
    Maybe checkout a college near you by googling it online and seeing if they run evening courses - some of these provided some decent qualifications.
    I know I am generalizing here a little bit.


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    #3
    RedXIV
    Registered Users Posts: 8,438 ✭✭✭RedXIV


    Got an interest in any other industries/careers? Something you could leverage to make money?


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    #4
    Hennochi
    Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭Hennochi


    Nothing I've ever been able to make money with. I've 2 small kids, that killed all my hobby time.
    I was a mediocre archer in my day, but I had to sell all that stuff because rent.


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    #5
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 5,121 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    What is your network like? Are there family, friends, school mates, teammates doing jobs you would be interested in?
    Speak to them about what they are like, if there are opportunities, what you could do to make the move, opportunities for shadowing.

    Requirements for some jobs night not be obvious - needing hazardous materials certs for certain factory jobs for example.


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    #6
    Hennochi
    Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭Hennochi


    It's crap really. Most of my mates have moved to Canada or Australia. One of my mates tried to get me a job in the bank he works in. Nothing ever came of it.


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    #7
    Mrs OBumble
    Registered Users Posts: 25,970 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    What do you hate about the phone shop? Presumably you'll want to avoid the same thing in other jobs too.

    What would you like to be doing? (And do just say "anything" - that means nothing. Give us some specific clues that we could use to make suggestions.


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    #8
    Haithabu
    Registered Users Posts: 180 ✭✭Haithabu


    Hennochi wrote: »
    Every time I apply for a new job I fail to get it.
    You would need to be well prepared for any job interview and you need to be mindful of what you say and what you want. A bad example of why you leave your current job is this :
    Hennochi wrote: »
    I work in a phone shop. I hate it and the money is crap, so I want to leave.
    Who do you expect to hire you with that attitude ?

    While qualifications play a big part in most jobs, there are also entry positions that do not require qualifications. Obviously you would first need to know what you really want to do, then work on whatever you need to get you there. Even your present employer might be able to support you with qualifications as long there is a gain in it for him. See if anything overlaps with your desired role and your present role, then evaluate if there is a chance of funding part time courses which would then be work-related.


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    #9
    Hennochi
    Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭Hennochi


    Yeah sorry, I was just getting a bit down.
    I don't really care what I do to be honest, an income bump is what I really want.

    I know I need to up skill.
    What's a good place to start? How do I know there's jobs at the end of the course?
    I'm not looking to start on €60,000 a year, just something that I can afford a bouncy castle for the kids or if something breaks I'm not financially screwed for a month or 2.
    Is my question. I suppose.


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    #10
    Haithabu
    Registered Users Posts: 180 ✭✭Haithabu


    Hennochi wrote: »
    Yeah sorry, I was just getting a bit down.
    I don't really care what I do to be honest, an income bump is what I really want.

    I know I need to up skill.
    What's a good place to start? How do I know there's jobs at the end of the course?
    I'm not looking to start on €60,000 a year, just something that I can afford a bouncy castle for the kids or if something breaks I'm not financially screwed for a month or 2.
    Is my question. I suppose.
    The bad news for you is that no employer will give you an income bump because you want a bouncy castle for your kids.

    A good place to start is to find out what you want to do. As long you don't really care you can be assured that there is no job at the end of the course, regardless of how qualified you are then.


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    #11
    Senna
    Registered Users Posts: 8,800 ✭✭✭Senna


    Hennochi wrote: »
    I don't really care what I do to be honest

    And this is the problem, you don't end up in a good job by not caring and you won't advance or get a "pay bump" if you don't have an interest in the work.
    In interviews it's very easy to tell the person that is interested and motivated, against the person who applied for the job because of the wage.
    So read up on different career areas, maybe do a few online free courses, then find something that will "might" interest you.


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    #12
    Hennochi
    Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭Hennochi


    OK. Well thanks for your insight everyone.


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    #13
    5rtytry56
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,828 ✭✭✭5rtytry56


    Mrs OBumble wrote: »
    What do you hate about the phone shop? Presumably you'll want to avoid the same thing in other jobs too.

    What would you like to be doing? (And do just say "anything" - that means nothing. Give us some specific clues that we could use to make suggestions.

    It's better than working in a fast food restaurant (I know that there can be bawling kids in phone shops as well, this happened when I bought my current android smartphone)


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    #14
    TheDoc
    Registered Users Posts: 23,137 ✭✭✭✭TheDoc


    While you have worked in phoneshops all the time, I'd say you have worked in retail all the time.

    There can be good opportunities in retail, I worked in retail for a number of years and was pleasantly surprised how some of the skillset you learn there stood me in IT and professional life. Mainly about dealing with end users, and my communication is something that is always praised to the point of "that guy is scary good at comms" but for me that all came from retail.

    You know the way you deal with a customer freaking their **** over a 700 phone, and you calm them down, resolve their issue and they leave happy? That is a pretty good skill to have. Some offices have people called reoslution managers or incidents managers, and that is all they do. They just stop people losing their **** over issues.

    So my point is don't pidgeon yourself into the category of retail. You have retail experience. Try maybe a different type of retail, have a dab at a management position, or see if your companies HO are hiring. I know my company, who are a retail operation, promote internally to beat the band.


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    #15
    GalwayGrrrrrl
    Registered Users Posts: 1,519 ✭✭✭GalwayGrrrrrl


    If you can work in a phone shop here are jobs that might suit - retail (Aldi and Lidl manager trainee), IT - if you are good with gadgets could you do basic IT help desk roles? Communication - call centre role for phones, sky tv etc. You wouldn't need extra qualifications for any of those roles if you have a good positive attitude and maybe some contacts to get your foot in the door.


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