Life after retail???

[Beandog]

Hello everyone,
As the aftershock of my unexpected dismissal from work (I'm looking into a claim of it being unfair) begins to subside I'm faced with the daunting prospect of finding work.
Looking at it from an optimistic viewpoint I see this as a great opportunity for a new beginning, a new career, etc. The trouble is when I ask myself exactly what it is that I want to do, my mind draws a blank! I'm looking for inspiration. I'm wondering if anybody else has found themselves in a similar situation and maybe wanted to share a story where they took a risk or approached something that they may not have normally considered, only for it to turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to them or at the very least a successful transfer into a new career.
A bit of background about me - I've been a retail manager for almost 10 years. Like alot of people in this field I fell into it rather than chose it as my ideal career. I certainly don't want to return to this as for a while now I've found myself becoming disillusioned with the pursuit of profit and control of the "bottom line". This simply no longer motivates me. My instict is that I'd be much more suited to work such as teaching, social work, or something where my role wasn't to generate cash for a large company. I think you get my drift. Has anyone taken the leap from a similar situation into something wonderful? Please share.

[Louise80]

Hi
I can't offer a specific personal experience related response but if you are thinking about a career change I can offer a few tips.

If you are looking for a new direction, start by listing the things that you really liked about your previous job role plus all of the skills that you have (these don't just need to be work skills).

You can compare these to different jobs to find out if what you are interested in matches a job you are considering. There are services which do this for you and show you your ideal job match.

I'd also suggest making a list of things that you definetly don't want as part of your job, and decide if you are willing to compromise on any of them. For example if you have decided that you don't want to work evenings, would you reconsider if every other aspect of the job was perfect?

Then what you need to decide is how much time and money you can invest in a career change. If you are looking at a completely different role you'll need to factor in the fact that you'll need to go through a period of retraining (certainly the case if you are thinking of teaching or social work). Can you afford to take time out of employment to do this full time or can you work out a part time option? Also there could be tuition fees involved.

If you are alloking at a completely different career, I'd advise getting some exposure to it first either through volunteering or work experience. I know people who have been convinced that teaching would be the perfect career for them but they have quickly changed their mind when they find themselves in a class of 6 year olds!

I know this isn't the personal example you are looking for but I hope it helps.

Good luck