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I talked to my boss about wanting to move up in the company. I think the only reason it's taken this long to get around to that is I didn't want this to be my career, but unfortunately, at 31 years and 11 months old, with 10 years at this company and 4 extra in this field under my belt, I think I'm pretty locked in. And it's time. I have more experience than the last two managers I've worked under, and a deep desire to own my own home within the next 4-5 years, and help take care of my parents as they age. The career plan we discussed would take less than 2 years to get me to a place where I could easily afford a decent, inexpensive home, and start putting money back for my parents.
I am anxious about the challenges of this position. I wanted some smaller steps first, but I heard through the grapevine that those smaller steps might not be available by third quarter, and my boss said he's heard the same rumors and suggested that I bypass that route completely and jump straight to management training. I am anxious about an article I read a couple weeks ago about the inevitable death of brick-and-mortar retail, but my company is pharmacy-based and my training will require pharmacy tech training. There will always be a need for that, and I think if this company does back away from actual retail stores, the way it's growing will leave room for those who wish to move up. My CEO, as much of a greedy garbage pail as he is, started at store level. So did the CEO before him. And their VP of retail. And almost every higher-up I've ever worked with.
I'm worried about training under this manager. He's only been with the company 3 years and I've been very frustrated by his management style and priorities. But he's already been treating me as an assistant manager, even before I told him I was interested in moving up, and if worse comes to worst, I'm friendly with my boss's boss, who likes me very much and would happily place me somewhere that he thought would get me better training.
My boss's boss is also rumored to be moving to Las Vegas to try and clean that area up. I've wanted to move to Las Vegas for over a decade. Having that connection would be very helpful. Though, my parents will not be moving to Vegas, and it's important to me to be nearby and available to them as they get older. So I also have my eye on Texas and Florida, since they've mentioned wanting to retire to either place. A (very well-off) cousin lives in Texas, so I would be more comfortable chasing Las Vegas if they went there. I think the southwest has a greater chance for growth too -- almost every store in my district, and our neighboring district, beat budget for 2018. Arizona and Nevada are growing. I still think there's another housing bubble burst lurking on the horizon, and that might hurt that growth, but what else do I have? Maybe by the time retail finally dies, there will be other options I'll be suited for. Or, if that article was right, I might be ready to retire by then anyway.
There are pros and cons to this decision, but honestly, it's just time. I'm close to max earnings at my current position, and I can't live the rest of my life at that. Manager salary isn't what it should be, but for a single person, no dependents, it's more than enough.
I am anxious about the challenges of this position. I wanted some smaller steps first, but I heard through the grapevine that those smaller steps might not be available by third quarter, and my boss said he's heard the same rumors and suggested that I bypass that route completely and jump straight to management training. I am anxious about an article I read a couple weeks ago about the inevitable death of brick-and-mortar retail, but my company is pharmacy-based and my training will require pharmacy tech training. There will always be a need for that, and I think if this company does back away from actual retail stores, the way it's growing will leave room for those who wish to move up. My CEO, as much of a greedy garbage pail as he is, started at store level. So did the CEO before him. And their VP of retail. And almost every higher-up I've ever worked with.
I'm worried about training under this manager. He's only been with the company 3 years and I've been very frustrated by his management style and priorities. But he's already been treating me as an assistant manager, even before I told him I was interested in moving up, and if worse comes to worst, I'm friendly with my boss's boss, who likes me very much and would happily place me somewhere that he thought would get me better training.
My boss's boss is also rumored to be moving to Las Vegas to try and clean that area up. I've wanted to move to Las Vegas for over a decade. Having that connection would be very helpful. Though, my parents will not be moving to Vegas, and it's important to me to be nearby and available to them as they get older. So I also have my eye on Texas and Florida, since they've mentioned wanting to retire to either place. A (very well-off) cousin lives in Texas, so I would be more comfortable chasing Las Vegas if they went there. I think the southwest has a greater chance for growth too -- almost every store in my district, and our neighboring district, beat budget for 2018. Arizona and Nevada are growing. I still think there's another housing bubble burst lurking on the horizon, and that might hurt that growth, but what else do I have? Maybe by the time retail finally dies, there will be other options I'll be suited for. Or, if that article was right, I might be ready to retire by then anyway.
There are pros and cons to this decision, but honestly, it's just time. I'm close to max earnings at my current position, and I can't live the rest of my life at that. Manager salary isn't what it should be, but for a single person, no dependents, it's more than enough.
