Q. Too Cool for Retail?: I graduated from college last year at age 27 after several years of putting it off to be a caretaker to my dying father. My aunt and uncle (surrogate parents to me now) were ecstatic, and very encouraging when it was harder for me to find a job than I had expected it to be. After three months of looking at entry-level corporate jobs and not getting past the second interviews, I went back to work for a department store that I’d worked at previously, and I absolutely love my job. I own my house and pay all of my bills on time, don’t have any debt, and have started saving for the future. My concern is about my family, who blatantly comment that I “can’t be working retail forever,” and that I “need a real job.” I feel hurt by this—I work hard at my job!—but more importantly, I worry that maybe they’re right, because there aren’t too many avenues up the ladder in a retail setting from where I sit. What should I say to my family, and should I plan on changing careers in the future? I’ve worked in my industry for a decade now.
A: There’s something amiss with family members who don’t think that a source of employment for millions is a “real job.” Let’s lay things out. You love your job! How many people can say that? Your job has allowed you to be financially independent. Yes, jobs are supposed to accomplish this, but not all do, alas. Let me add, that as a person who shops retail—as virtually everyone does, even in this time of virtual shopping—it is always delightful to encounter an employee who loves what she does, is helpful, and makes the whole experience useful and successful. So brava to you! The only glitch I see here is that you say you see no ladder up. That means there’s some mismatch between your skills and your employer’s recognition of your talents, or that you need to take your skills to a retail outlet at which there are greater prospects for moving up in management—if that’s what you want to do. If you would like to ascend, find some sources who can give you advice on getting on a management track. But otherwise, as much as you may love your aunt and uncle, they sound like terrible snobs who on this subject should be ignored. http://www.slate.com/articles/life/dear_prudence/2015/09/dear_prudence_should_i_take_scholarship_money_from_a_confederate_organization.2.html
