How do you get out of the vicious cycle of administrative, data entry, call center, and retail jobs?

That seems to be all that's readily available to job seekers nowadays.

How do you get out of the vicious cycle of administrative, data entry, call center, and retail jobs?
A college degree is the first step.





You might still end up in those jobs for a while, but at least that glass ceiling will be removed from above you.
Reply:I agree with the first four answers above...education can only help. In addition, what worked for me was joining the Air Force. For me it was the right decision: once I was in the Air Force, I was able to go to grad school, get a bunch of training, see a lot of the world, and meet some great people. And it broke the vicious cycle of which you speak. It's not for everyone, and these days it's a tougher business than when I joined back in the Reagan administration. But it can be a way out...
Reply:and the number one answer goes to all the people saying go back to school! if you don't like school deal with the jobs readily available. something tells me that if you like school you would of thought of that yourself, so just look up odd jobs online that have nothing to do with paper-pushing
Reply:get an education
Reply:Plenty of resturant jobs around but that sucks too. If you really enjoyed it, it wouldn't be called work now would it? I have a $40,000 culinary education that means nothing because your come out more trained and disciplined than the actual industry as a whole. There's all kind of work out there, don't be so closed minded. Just find out what your good at and go.
Reply:COLLEGE!
Reply:Get a college degree in something else.
Reply:move to Alberta Canada, their are way way more jobs then people and the wages are super high. plus no sales tax, and very low income tax. you could work in the oil fields for 50+ per hour, or weld in a city for 40 per hour, or deliver appliances for 1500 a week, drive for a courier service in Edmonton for 1500-2500 a week. employers here are desperate for workers and you can pretty much name your price take it or leave it, employers also kiss your butt so you wont leave, this has been my experience
Reply:That entirely depends upon your educational background and more importantly, what it is you want to do instead of such jobs.





The mere fact that you're asking the question implies a willingness to change %26amp; grow which is a big factor you have in your favor already. Employers love that kind of initiative. But do they know you have it?





Are you a people person? Then you might look into sales. Companies are always looking for smart, motivated, and outgoing people to hire and train as salespeople. The earning potential is unlimited, but the learning curve is steep and most fail because they are not prepared to deal with the inevitable %26amp; constant rejection as well as the long hours that it takes to become established.





That's probably 1 route you could go with little to no experience/education. But if sales doesn't intrigue you then you need to find out what does. What are you passionaste about in life? Helping others, dealing with numbers, working with your hands, writing, etc?





You can check out the link below for some resources to measure your the kinds of jobs that would fit well into your particular personality %26amp; aptitude:





http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/personalit...





Once you find the kind of work that you wish to pursue, then it comes down to designing a plan to help you achieve that goal. Here's where your background in Admin can work in your favor.





For a number of years I worked in the recruiting business and I know firsthand that companies are constatnly looking for good admin help.





Use this to your advantage in 1 of 2 ways:





1.) Join with as many temp agencies as you can and go company shopping. (note, this is much different than job shopping for you are merely using your current experience as a means for getting your foot in the door to get a feel for the corporate culture and opportunities within the company). If you find a company that you like, see what kinds of jobs are available within that company on a permanent basis within your current area of expertise.





When interviewing for the position, ask specifically about what kinds of additional training %26amp; advancement opportunities are available for hard working employees looking to grow within the company? This is an attitude all-too lacking among 99% of all job applicants. Do your assigned job duties with utmost professionalism and specifically ask to take on projects outside of your comfort zone and more in the area you wish to go.





Using this method, my oldest sister worked her way up from being a temp to becoming Vice President of a large midwestern bank.





2.) Hone in on the company(ies) you would like to work for and network like crazy. Do whatever you can to find names %26amp; telephone #s of people inside that company to talk to. Do your homework and be prepared with every bit of info you can so that when you are asked why you want to work for XYZ company you can tell them exactly how your current (presumabley administrative at this point) skills would be of benefit to THEM.





This is very important, never approach a company solely from the stance of what they can do for you. You must give to get. Even when you are asking about training, do it from the standpoint that you want to better yourself to add more value for THEM as well as yourself.





If you have found a dream company to work for (great culture, atmosphere, opportunity for training %26amp; advancement) but are still having difficulty getting in, don't be discouraged. It costs a lot of money to bring someone on, train them, only to face the good possibility that they'll be gone in 12 months anyway.





Your Hail Mary here is to be willing to work for free for a trial period so that you can prove yourself to be an asset. Go in with confidence that you can be the best admin assistant ever and are willing to back it up by working as an unpaid intern for X days/weeks and you'll knock the socks off of some hiring managers. And once you're in, use that same go-gettem spirit to educate yourself in your desired field of interest. (but keep in mind all of this study will be extra-curricular, don't expect them to pay for you to study on their time %26amp; dime).





Some may offer some tuition assistance, espeically if what you plan to study is related to their company, but even if they do not, at least you will be in a great company with much better prospects for growth and a feeling of reassurance that'll come from knowing that you are working your plan and in time will have only one direction to move!





Hope this helps
Reply:Don't listen to people who say you need a college degree to do something else, that's only true if you want to move up or seek special skill work. What is always true however, is that you will most likely have to seriously apply yourself to a career change if you really want to do something different. You might have to take trainings or courses to be fit for something else, but with a little planning and some dedication, other jobs can open up for you.


You could apply for nursing school or something like that, which is sorta like working and learning at the same time from what I gathered. Many other jobs only require a short course or will let you work and grow into your job while you learn.


The first step to all that however is just taking a conscious step towards changing your career. Once you have an idea of what you'd like to do (can be several things) check out what you'd need for these jobs (entry level) at things like the employment office or even temp agencies. They can tell you more than I can about what you'd need.





GL.
Reply:Go back to school