Question: How can i get out of retail?!?

i am 26, i did not have money to study when i was finished with school so i got a job in retail. I am a store manager for a fast moving consumer goods retail company in south africa. I have excellent retail experience and refrences. I am very good at what i do. But the problem is that i hate retail. I want to do a trade or so. The only other thing on my cv besides school is AutoCAD with 3months drafting experience in cutpath designing. How can i go over to something els without a pay cut? Is it even possible? Retail just feels like such a trap!

Answer:

Go to the temporary agency. This may be the right time to make your move. There has been an expansion in Unemployment Benefits in your area. Check out this link:

http://www.southafrica.info/services/gov…

The insurance may cover you while you are working part-time and for lay offs due to your assignment ending at the agency. An agency will pay perhaps twice as much as you are earning now, so that you can work half of the month, while looking for something outside of the retail industry. You can not quit your job though. This will make you not eligible to receive the benefit. And, an agency will want your total commitment. The Auto CAD and drafting can get you something really hot. Go to the agency and do their test to see what skills you may need to develop to market that talent you have. Don't settle for that low wage job, when you have the ability to keep growing. Keep growing and my prays will definitely be with you.

Well, here in America, your only solution would be to go back to school, or try to use your management and customer service experience to get into other industries that need it, such as banking.