My Life My Work need help....

Fuzzyneon · Post by **Fuzzyneon** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 12:28 am

I'm coming to a inevitable cross road ive worked at circuit city for 2 years and been a sales supervisor for 8 months or so this is my first job. I like what i do but i have no schooling in the field it just kind of happened, i wanna get out of this company i dont like the direction its going and want a change. I currently get 13 an hour (witch i personally think for what i end up doing at work ( a assistant managers job basically ) is grossly underpaid. Im looking to switch jobs to something still in retail to a company thats fast moving and a good environment to work in. Ive been considering applying for best buy i just want some opinions average pay scales. (no im not getting fired or anything ) so i dont need a new job but i would rather get this figured out now then wait till more cuts come up.

LilSparkPlug · Post by **LilSparkPlug** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 12:34 am

Stay at Circuit City, and go to college and get a degree, even if its just in business management. It will be something to fall back on and further yourself with in the future. You can't get too far nowadays in corporate companies without a degree. And if you do stay with circuit city, ask if they have tuition reimbursement programs where they pay for your schooling in turn for you advancing in their company. Read the fine print

Adionik · Post by **Adionik** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 12:35 am

Going to best buy will be a very lateral move. Obviously depends on the store but i'm going to say you should go back to college if you're looking for a CAREER

glasswars · Post by **glasswars** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 12:39 am

I say stay at circuit city and get a degree in some form of business that way you can be a store manager. I just think it would be silly to ditch out and start all over again.

My plan right now is to stay at Starbucks and get as high up as I can, graduate, get a real job, and if I can't get a real job, be a store manager at Starbucks. They also reimburse my tuition which is pretty sweet, paid vacation, 401K, health benifits, discounts at Apple, my cell phone bill, and all kinds of neat things. So that's where I'm at for now.

Fuzzyneon · Post by **Fuzzyneon** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 12:39 am

Yeah i fucked up going to the "tech school" i went to it was a waste of time and money and has gotten me no where so i need to pay off my current loan for them and some other debt. i have looked into tuition reimbursement and i couldn't find anything from looking through our documents.

im just trying to see what everyone has for opinions just need some insight O.O!

gninja21 · Post by **gninja21** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 12:55 am

I went to a Vocational high School. I took on Electronics, I was able to skip almost all of my freshmen engineering courses due to me doing so. I got a job as a mobile electronics installer at both circuit city and best buy. I always put college first though and quit those jobs when it got hard. I then got a job as a Field tech for Dell making 21 an hour. I'm just saying I've done the tech school thing.

My advice is go to community college take all the generic college courses like math, science and English etc. Then transfer once you finish those to a different college with a degree you want. Essentially the only classes you would need to take would be the ones that are specific to the degree which means you graduate faster.

I know the fact you'll be in greater debt is the downside. I am 60k in debt from college loans and I make 63k a year. I have to pay 600 a month once the six month grace period is over. I think of the debt as paying my dues to get an amazing job.

I hope this gives you some insight using me as an example. I used myself just to paint the picture.

Adionik · Post by **Adionik** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 1:29 am

You're still young man, so don't freak. Worst case you can join the military and they'll pay for your shit. I hope to join the CG some day

03_SXT · Post by **03_SXT** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 2:00 am

You do get tuition reimbursment, but it depends on your grade, and you have to apply for it before you start the actual class. Go to www.ccity.com (from a store portal obviously) and it should be under HR...

Downside though, if you leave/or are fired within the next year you owe them the money they gave you. And I think maximum you can get it $800 for one class, up to $1600 max in a year...

I work for Circuit City, I am full time "senior product specialist" and I get paid around $14.00 an hour. I make more than my technology manager

I am really hating retail at the moment, with all this Gross Margin bullshit, which is one major reason why I am leaving this December/January. My only problem is the accommodations, I still want to stay at least one day a week so I can use my discount. When I start my next job I will make more than enough money to fund my bad habits, like my car, and my electronic needs...

I have been with the company for almost 4 years. I have been in school for the whole time, and will be graduating with a BS in mechanical engineering.

I highly doubt you want to be in retail all your life, especially at a lower sales position. You need some type of degree to become a store director or move up into corporate.

I'm still with the company because I love the people I work with, and I actually enjoy helping customers. I'm in the imaging department, so I don't get these cocky "I know it all" bastards in my department, like in computers and tv's... Other than that, I am really itching to get out of retail just because its a non-commision sales thats almost like being on commision (sell installs, sell accessories, sell city advantage...). I also will never become a manager at a retail chain because of what you have to deal with, and who you have to answer. I see my sales manager and supervisors get yelled at/talked to by corporate all the time. I couldn't/cant deal with that, I just dont like people talking down on me. I'm not stupid and ignorant, I deal directly with the customers, so I know whats best. Sitting behind a desk and guessing what we should and shouldn't doesnt cut it for me... You know what I'm talking about...

Well that was long enough, this is basically my rant that you probably will 100% agree with.

Get a degree, start a new career, and make some real money!

~Amit

Fuzzyneon · Post by **Fuzzyneon** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 2:07 am

Im not to worried i figure i have a good 5-10 years to get into a career thats gonna let me have a family and yes 03 sxt i cannot relate to that post any more im the computer supervisor at my store and its bad i like motivating everyone on my team and teaching/training and meeting goals but it seems everyday more unrealistic goals are set. i want to some day move up and manage a store thats ultimately my goal whether it be circuit city or else where.

03_SXT · Post by **03_SXT** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 2:11 am

Today was just plain stupid. Its the second week of "back to school" and we were budgeted $53,000! It was slow all day long, we hit city and installs, but god damn we barely hit 50% to budget in revenue by 5pm. I unlike my tech sup. have no one to answer to, and I don't get yelled at either...

BTW: We are a DLC store, and corporate has their offices in our building which is great. Youd think it would suck, but they are barely in our store...

~Amit

MoxHair · Post by **MoxHair** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 5:26 pm

I heard Best Buy..

Pay Scales for Supervisors.. I started at BBY making over $16 an Hour and when I just got promoted I was making over $20 an hour.. both were Plus Bonuses. As an Inventory Manager I make... Well a lot for a 24year 2 time college drop out. I make more than my brother and mom who both have 4 year degrees and my dad who has a military degree. I bonus every quarter and my annual Bonus is up to 59% of my base annual salary.

The Average Supervisor in the buildings I've worked at makes about $14-$22 an hour depended on experience and job title.

Personally, I would run as fast as I can away from Circuit City. The Stock price is around $2 a share and in a recent article on motley fool, they stated that investing in CC would be like Lighting your money on fire. Blockbuster decided not to take over for a reason. I just do not seeing the company having a good future and It will take YEARS to get out of their situation.

Sure someone will probably bring up BBY dropping in price to the $40 range.. But We are still the world's number 1 electronic retailer and are still moving forward. Just about ALL retail stocks have dropped in price recently. We're gaining Marketshare and growing our business every quarter.

I personally never thought I would make a career in retail. I was going to go back to school and get my degree and get into "Real business." of some sorts. I've learned more about how a business is run (busness admin and business management) than any class I had in college. I'm currently working on moving to corporate in the next year or so. I even have a monthly conference call, stretch assignments, and people keeping tabs on me so they know I'm ready. I love the company I work for and if anybody was looking for a job in retail I'd recommend BBY in a heartbeat.

What should you do? I dunno. I would go wherever makes you happy.

Fuzzyneon · Post by **Fuzzyneon** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:52 pm

MoxHair wrote:I heard Best Buy..

Pay Scales for Supervisors.. I started at BBY making over $16 an Hour and when I just got promoted I was making over $20 an hour.. both were Plus Bonuses. As an Inventory Manager I make... Well a lot for a 24year 2 time college drop out. I make more than my brother and mom who both have 4 year degrees and my dad who has a military degree. I bonus every quarter and my annual Bonus is up to 59% of my base annual salary.

The Average Supervisor in the buildings I've worked at makes about $14-$22 an hour depended on experience and job title.

Personally, I would run as fast as I can away from Circuit City. The Stock price is around $2 a share and in a recent article on motley fool, they stated that investing in CC would be like Lighting your money on fire. Blockbuster decided not to take over for a reason. I just do not seeing the company having a good future and It will take YEARS to get out of their situation.

Sure someone will probably bring up BBY dropping in price to the $40 range.. But We are still the world's number 1 electronic retailer and are still moving forward. Just about ALL retail stocks have dropped in price recently. We're gaining Marketshare and growing our business every quarter.

I personally never thought I would make a career in retail. I was going to go back to school and get my degree and get into "Real business." of some sorts. I've learned more about how a business is run (busness admin and business management) than any class I had in college. I'm currently working on moving to corporate in the next year or so. I even have a monthly conference call, stretch assignments, and people keeping tabs on me so they know I'm ready. I love the company I work for and if anybody was looking for a job in retail I'd recommend BBY in a heartbeat.

What should you do? I dunno. I would go wherever makes you happy.

i was really hoping you would reply past you're sarcasm you have some pretty good input most of the time lol. i may look into best buy im surprised i like retail this much i just dont like the way my company is implementing things it feels like a "we pushed the oh shit button lets try 3287483274 things to fix it" i may stay there a bit longer to have more time under my belt as a manager. i may also go into the couple best buys near me and speak to some of there management about jobs pay benefits and everything. Im just looking for a place i can excel in quickly.

lilsparkplug my fall back is networking so im not to worried about the what if i fail and im one of those people that refuse to not succeed with what i do.

mox i may pm you or aim you and speak to you a little more just to get some insight if that isnt a issue

gninja21 · Post by **gninja21** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 11:23 pm

Honestly, I would not limit myself to working for a retail chain. It is most certainly attractive to see $14.00 or even $22.00 on your pay check but do the math:
I am using 52 weeks in a year of course you take time off etc.
estimates
(22 X 40) x 52 = 45,760
45,760 x .25 = 11,440
45,760 - 11, 440 = 34,320 take home (does not include 401k)

I used 22 an hour
let's do the same with 14
(14 x 40) x 52 = 29,120
29,120 X .25 = 7,280
29,120 - 7,280 = 21,840 take home after taxes (does not include 401k)

This math is a rough estimate. The reason I used .25 is because that is about how much you pay in taxes, SSI and medicare. Also how are you going to prepare for retirement?

I am just saying it doesn't equate out to much. If you get a degree in Business Administration you get a very very high chance of easily getting store manager positions. Target pays recent college grad's in that field 55,000 a year to start. It is an easy degree to get that does not require much math.

I am only saying that working there is great to pay the bills during college and for a small bit after. I would not in any way make it a career.

Use the reimbursement but be aware that your going to incur debt either way. Do you know that any student loans you have immediately get deferred if you enroll back in college?

I am only trying to give you a better idea. I get tired of people seeing the hourly amount and thinking its amazing.

I don't mean to be a prick and I apologize if I am, I'm just trying to help.

Fuzzyneon · Post by **Fuzzyneon** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 1:36 am

gninja21 wrote:Honestly, I would not limit myself to working for a retail chain. It is most certainly attractive to see $14.00 or even $22.00 on your pay check but do the math:
I am using 52 weeks in a year of course you take time off etc.
estimates
(22 X 40) x 52 = 45,760
45,760 x .25 = 11,440
45,760 - 11, 440 = 34,320 take home (does not include 401k)

I used 22 an hour
let's do the same with 14
(14 x 40) x 52 = 29,120
29,120 X .25 = 7,280
29,120 - 7,280 = 21,840 take home after taxes (does not include 401k)

This math is a rough estimate. The reason I used .25 is because that is about how much you pay in taxes, SSI and medicare. Also how are you going to prepare for retirement?

I am just saying it doesn't equate out to much. If you get a degree in Business Administration you get a very very high chance of easily getting store manager positions. Target pays recent college grad's in that field 55,000 a year to start. It is an easy degree to get that does not require much math.

I am only saying that working there is great to pay the bills during college and for a small bit after. I would not in any way make it a career.

Use the reimbursement but be aware that your going to incur debt either way. Do you know that any student loans you have immediately get deferred if you enroll back in college?

I am only trying to give you a better idea. I get tired of people seeing the hourly amount and thinking its amazing.

I don't mean to be a prick and I apologize if I am, I'm just trying to help.

Im more or else looking to make a lateral pay change into a job i can excel in i understand what you're saying and don't take any offense at all thank you accually. im gonna look into some schooling for it any ideas of schools ?

gninja21 · Post by **gninja21** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 2:01 am

I hear good things about Ramapo but I'm not too familar with NJ. My gf is from NJ, I'll check with her.

I get what you mean by lateral pay change. Having a degree makes it easier. My stepfather worked his butt off in order to move into management positions. He never went to college but he watched tons of recent grads make it into management positions.

What did you go to tech school?

I didn't mean to rant earlier its just there are soo many people who are like I make 14 an hour and can afford X while someone else says I make 22 so I get the XX version. It's getting annoying because no one thinks about taxes and such, I didn't mean to rant.

DJ CptnCrnch · Post by **DJ CptnCrnch** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 8:52 am

Go get a job for Verizon or AT&T if u can sell. U will make a ton of money while u r in school. Customer service starts at $13.50/hr plus usually a bonus of $4000+ a year, Sales usually starts at $11.75 - $12.25/hr plus comm. My comm checks are usually around $1600, but im lazy. There is another dude in my store making over 3 grand just in comm. I told J-Villa about working for Verizon it and now he works there. Im sure he can chime in and let u know how sweet it is. Oh and they give me 8 grand a year for school. Be prepared to work long hours and put up with a lot of B.S., but i think it worth it. oh and they match 6% on 401k

Mr Josh Zombie · Post by **Mr Josh Zombie** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:04 am

holy shit you guys make a lot more than i ever thought someone would working at a place like BBY or CC

I'm a graphic designer and I haven't even made it to $13 and hour in 2 years. Than again, I'm pierced up and have no formal education in the field.... so I'm kind of lucky.

What I say, keep that job, go to college, get a degree, and move on. It's really one of the best things you can do for yourself.

MoxHair · Post by **MoxHair** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 4:54 pm

Opi wrote:holy shit you guys make a lot more than i ever thought someone would working at a place like BBY or CC

I get that all the time.

Most of the time they see a 24 year old kid, works at BBY, drives a Mazda3.. etc etc. So they assume I get paid shit and I'm dumb. I love proving people wrong. I'm just paying off debt so I'm being conservative with my money. Its going to be great when I go to work in my BBY shirt and get out of my Magnetic Blue Lotus. I can imagine the looks. lol

yellowpatrol · Post by **yellowpatrol** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:02 pm

So you're still with BBY Mox? For some reason I thought you had quit. From someone who has worked at both places I can tell you the same position at BBY will pay slightly more in most cases. I prefer CC because we have NO customers in comparison to my BBY days. It's so layed back and I can just surf 2gn, read about MegaSquirt, or do homework for college. I'm with you guys on all the gross margin bs, I just ignore it though. It's just a temporary job until I'm out of college and then I'll be making $150-$200 an hour.

gninja21 · Post by **gninja21** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:34 pm

yellowpatrol wrote:So you're still with BBY Mox? For some reason I thought you had quit. From someone who has worked at both places I can tell you the same position at BBY will pay slightly more in most cases. I prefer CC because we have NO customers in comparison to my BBY days. It's so layed back and I can just surf 2GN, read about MegaSquirt, or do homework for college. I'm with you guys on all the gross margin bs, I just ignore it though. It's just a temporary job until I'm out of college and then I'll be making $150-$200 an hour.

What is your major?

You do realize that 63,000 a year is equivalent essentially $32 an hour? 150-200 would mean 160k +. For a recent college grad that is grossly overpay. Without experience no employee is worth that much.

yellowpatrol · Post by **yellowpatrol** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:44 pm

gninja21 · Post by **gninja21** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:18 pm

You do realize that to be a chief information security officer you have to have a certain level of experience. Chief means your in charge of that task or department similar to Senior Hardware Design Engineer. You only get it when you have the experience. The starting job title is Information Security Officer and I have a buddy working for HP in the position pulling 63k just like me. A Senior Hardware Design Engineer pulls 120k easily due to the experience they are expected to have.

We both are in the same salary range. Chief and Senior both require about 5 years experience at a minimum.

To the OP, do you enjoy computers? If so get your CCNA and CCIE certifications from Cisco. Specialize in Information Security and with just a high school degree you can pull about 45k to start depending on the company.

Mopar00Neon · Post by **Mopar00Neon** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 10:33 pm

Adionik wrote:Going to best buy will be a very lateral move. Obviously depends on the store but i'm going to say you should go back to college if you're looking for a CAREER

Holy shit! I actually agree with you this time.

Fuzzyneon · Post by **Fuzzyneon** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 11:50 pm

ive decided to pursue my certs for networking and see what comes out of it

w0158981 · Post by **w0158981** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 11:52 pm

Hey i'm going to a community college now and taking business marketing. And i love it i did some training this year and rather doing sales on a retail floor i did sales one on one to a store or presented to a group. I also helped market product in store and did ordering. It was a great expierence and i highly suggest if you like sales to think about it.

I'm now going into my second year of college and will graduate in april and hopefully get into a job doing the same thing. and i eventually want to become a channel manager or something i can't remember the name, but its fun especially if you love sales and meeting new people.

Adionik · Post by **Adionik** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 12:02 am

Small Business Management and Business Classes in general were extremely boring to me. Maybe because I had the same professor for both and he was old fashioned. Half of it was common sense.

yellowpatrol · Post by **yellowpatrol** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 12:48 am

gninja21 wrote:You do realize that to be a chief information security officer you have to have a certain level of experience. Chief means your in charge of that task or department similar to Senior Hardware Design Engineer. You only get it when you have the experience. The starting job title is Information Security Officer and I have a buddy working for HP in the position pulling 63k just like me. A Senior Hardware Design Engineer pulls 120k easily due to the experience they are expected to have.

Well duh, I didn't mean right away

I'll be starting on a job here pretty soon, building experience, and shortly after I'm out of college I will have a degree, several certs, and a couple years of experience.

Adionik · Post by **Adionik** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 1:06 am

yellowpatrol wrote:
gninja21 wrote:You do realize that to be a chief information security officer you have to have a certain level of experience. Chief means your in charge of that task or department similar to Senior Hardware Design Engineer. You only get it when you have the experience. The starting job title is Information Security Officer and I have a buddy working for HP in the position pulling 63k just like me. A Senior Hardware Design Engineer pulls 120k easily due to the experience they are expected to have.
Well duh, I didn't mean right away

I'll be starting on a job here pretty soon, building experience, and shortly after I'm out of college I will have a degree, several certs, and a couple years of experience.

Yeah good luck with that

My friend is a programmer, makes roughly $55 an hour. Which is pretty good for being straight out of college

gninja21 · Post by **gninja21** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 2:05 am

yellowpatrol wrote:
gninja21 wrote:You do realize that to be a chief information security officer you have to have a certain level of experience. Chief means your in charge of that task or department similar to Senior Hardware Design Engineer. You only get it when you have the experience. The starting job title is Information Security Officer and I have a buddy working for HP in the position pulling 63k just like me. A Senior Hardware Design Engineer pulls 120k easily due to the experience they are expected to have.
Well duh, I didn't mean right away

I'll be starting on a job here pretty soon, building experience, and shortly after I'm out of college I will have a degree, several certs, and a couple years of experience.

yellowpatrol wrote:...... It's just a temporary job until I'm out of college and then I'll be making $150-$200 an hour.

They way I read the last line there stated that. If I knew thats what you meant initially I would not of posted it.

In a bad economy the number 2 position to have where your less likely to be let go or downsized is Software Engineer. The first is corporate sales reps.

I apologize for reading your initial response wrong, it's just I have friends who turned down job after job just because it didn't pay enough. I'm not talking 25k, more like 55k and they think with little experience they are worth 80k which is definitely not probable.

yellowpatrol · Post by **yellowpatrol** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 10:27 am

Adionik wrote: Yeah good luck with that

My friend is a programmer, makes roughly $55 an hour. Which is pretty good for being straight out of college

Um that's great, but I'm not going to school to be a programmer so it's irrelevant.

They way I read the last line there stated that. If I knew thats what you meant initially I would not of posted it.

In a bad economy the number 2 position to have where your less likely to be let go or downsized is Software Engineer. The first is corporate sales reps.

I apologize for reading your initial response wrong, it's just I have friends who turned down job after job just because it didn't pay enough. I'm not talking 25k, more like 55k and they think with little experience they are worth 80k which is definitely not probable.

Nah, if I got offered 55k I'm pretty sure I'd be all over it. Also, hopefully the economy will have a chance to turn around some more in the few more years I have left until I'm done. Hopefully.