Advice please? Have you ever gone back...

Morata_

...to something or a job role and in time it works out?

I left Tesco 13 years ago, to start University. I am now about to rejoin but am struggling with how I am now back in this position (well...part of me!) now I am a graduate, 13 years older!

I don’t see this as a long term role, 3-6months maybe but I do feel a little bit of a “failure” and it feels like multiple steps back!

Unfortunately, I don’t really know what I want to do, I didn’t starting Uni, I just went with a topic I enjoyed but with no thought to the future...maybe that’s why I’ve come full circle.

Has anyone experienced similar and then kicked on with their career? (I really hope so!) Too many times in my life, I’ve taken the easy option, or lacked the confidence when a challenge has presented itself! Maybe, that’s why I’m in this position...

I plan to enjoy it...I hope I can stay motivated...and make the most of it! It’s a job...

[Deleted User]

A jobs a job and the wage will help whilst you find that dream job.
I've completely left the field I studied in and have since done some jobs and volunteering I did prior to study. It's a bit strange, like I should be doing something bigger and better but that day will come. There's a couple of jobs coming vacant I'm going to apply for soon.

[Deleted User]

Are you back in the same store? Do see it as a positive same place has had you back? Lots of companies/places, even the more unpopular are getting unindated with applications at this time so you've done well.

I recently went for an interview in same brand of hotel but different property that I worked at for 5 years with a 6 year break in hospitality and the interviewer and my potential manager, who then was another assistant during the time, having to explain the last 6 years of a car crash CV so it could be worse. It was alright the person remembered/recognised me and not as bad as another hotel interview only a week earlier, when at a different hotel (still would have been a competitor to the hotel I spent 5 years at) who delighted in opening the interview up asking what 3 colleagues/manager from the 6 years ago - would have said about me - they didn't like me telling them I'd rather live in the present and not the past. Mum said I missed a trick and should have got gobby, saying perhaps you should tell me what the ex colleagues are saying! (this first hotel never bothered coming back to me.. so it was a regretful at attending interview including where I nearly got a parking ticket, grrr!) ...well they did say the industry has changed since I've been away

You have to live in the moment, can only do what you feel is right at the time - only thing I've learnt is you must work for a company/industry for which you have a full on passion. And that includes stop gaps. One time I went back to a company who made it clear I wasn't ever going to progress (basically I was just a bit to old for the 'young person's company' but still the return did get me an extra 3 months service compared with round 1!
Don't worry we all go through the yes we're climbing up there to oh no we're right back down, "how did we land up here". Honestly. My last real substantive job was outbound calling, if I thought that was low, now, stuck as inbound agent in some truly unforgiving call centre (ha ha should I tell you what I've roughly done for the last 6 years!!! see you could not fail as I have) now I am not allowed to call out along with greatly embarrassed about the company name I work for, so it could be worse.
Going against the MSE and General grain, I don't know about just working somewhere for the sake of it, wouldn't see anything these days as easy.

jonnygee2

My personal career low point happened when I found myself working in a cafe, midway through my career. It happened when I moved to a new area and couldn't find a job in my own field. And not just any cafe - it was in a kids entertainment place. I was the oldest person doing the job by several years. I remember being shown how to mop properly, and thinking 'I've got an MA!'.

I didn't find my fortune in the cafe industry; after six months I found work back in the industry I'm trained in.

In my opinion it's always better to be working, doing something. If you are motivated, good at taking instruction and reliable, opportunities will start to present themselves.

I plan to enjoy it...I hope I can stay motivated...and make the most of it!

I strongly believe this is the right attitude to have. A failure to me is someone who gives up, or doesn't try because they think a job is beneath them.

trailingspouse

Qualified in insurance (Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute), BSc, Qualified Teacher Status, member of the local business women's forum - due to cashflow issues found myself working evenings at the local supermarket. Facing up (that's moving stock on shelves so that it's at the front of the shelf) and on the tills. I'd done a similar job as a Saturday girl when I was in the sixth form!!

As a long-time user of supermarkets, I found it really interesting to be on the other side of the till as it were! Occasionally a customer would recognise me and look puzzled as to why I was there - I would just say, mysteriously, 'Ah, I'm a woman of many talents...' I enjoyed it. And the money helped get us through a tricky patch.
But facing up is the most boring job in. the. world.

Ja7188

You don't mention what you've been doing for the last 10 or so years since graduating, but I've assuming that you consider yourself to have made a bad move somewhere along the line which has put you in this position. If so, my advice would be not to give it too much thought - not many get through their working lives without taking a wrong turn at some point - personally I ended up being on a zero hours contract for about six months at one point having made a wrong decision.

It's not at all unusual for people to return to previous employers either - and even if you're going back to the same store, you'll probably find that few of the previous staff are still there.

Unfortunately, I don’t really know what I want to do, I didn’t starting Uni, I just went with a topic I enjoyed but with no thought to the future...maybe that’s why I’ve come full circle.

As an aside, did you actually go to university? You say you left Tesco to go to university, which contradicts you saying you "didn’t starting Uni'.

You have to live in the moment, can only do what you feel is right at the time - only thing I've learnt is you must work for a company/industry for which you have a full on passion. And that includes stop gaps.

I disagree on two counts - you need to think about what's likely to be the right thing for the years to come and not just live in the moment - and if you need time to find the right role for you, you need to take whatever stop gap you can get.

Lokolo_2

Morata_ wrote: »

...to something or a job role and in time it works out?

I left Tesco 13 years ago, to start University. I am now about to rejoin but am struggling with how I am now back in this position (well...part of me!) now I am a graduate, 13 years older!

I don’t see this as a long term role, 3-6months maybe but I do feel a little bit of a “failure” and it feels like multiple steps back!

Unfortunately, I don’t really know what I want to do, I didn’t starting Uni, I just went with a topic I enjoyed but with no thought to the future...maybe that’s why I’ve come full circle.

Has anyone experienced similar and then kicked on with their career? (I really hope so!) Too many times in my life, I’ve taken the easy option, or lacked the confidence when a challenge has presented itself! Maybe, that’s why I’m in this position...

I plan to enjoy it...I hope I can stay motivated...and make the most of it! It’s a job...

I know how you feel about it being several steps back, I can sympathise as I am in a similar situation albeit not such a long gap.

I started work in retail at 17 years old and then left for a better job 6 years later when I had finished Uni, unfortunately I didn't leave my last employer on good terms (still waiting for an appeal to be heard, but that's another story!) so I am unable to get back into the same industry for now.

That resulted in me applying to retail jobs as I have past experience, I managed to get one quite quickly which is the advantage even though it's low paid it's easy to get such jobs.

Similarly to you, I don't see it as long term thing, more like a stop gap until I find something better, only been at the retail job for just over 2 months and I have another job offer in a better paid industry so looking to leave retail again soon.

As others have said your positive approach is commendable, if you go into the job like that and with an open mind you will have a less miserable experience for sure! You can always look for better jobs whilst you work there so it needn't be a long time before you move onto something better.

20aday

I worked for Tesco in the early ‘00s before leaving for ten and a half years.

I returned just over two years ago because I wanted to leave my previous job and they were the only company to give me an interview/job.

Did I ever envisage returning after the best part of a decade? In all honesty, no, I didn’t but I do enjoy it and whilst the world of Retail is rapidly changing I do see myself staying in my role for a few years yet.

LuSiVe

Ja7188 wrote: »

As an aside, did you actually go to university? You say you left Tesco to go to university, which contradicts you saying you "didn’t starting Uni'.

I read that as didn't (really know what I want to do) starting Uni.