Archived Should I Feel Good?

[Spudderbud]

I have worked for Target for almost six years now, working there a usual 40 hours per week while I'm in school. Originally a cashier, I am now the Entertainment Brand Specialist. I just earned my bachelor's degree in Business Administration this past summer and am starting grad school in a week or so. The big question is, should I be feeling happy about my position? I feel like I should be higher up the food chain at Target, holding a team leader position or ETL or something to the like. What I fear is that becoming a TL or ETL would interfere with my school work. I care very much about my grades and will not allow them to falter because of my work duties. What do you say? Should I be racking my brain out because I haven't found an appropriate TL/ETL job yet? I make over $20,000/yr. at Target right now, doing what I'm doing, and have no debt (4 yrs. of college is all PAID off! and so will 2 yrs. of grad school). I'd love to stay with the company for the rest of my life. My biggest hesitation is should I be higher up the food chain now that I have a bachelor's in B.A. and so many years with Target? My current schedule as the Entertainment Brand Specialist has worked well for me over the past four years while in college. I'm a straight-A student. How should I feel and what should I do, if anything? I don't plan to move away from home, since all my schooling is online and have only so many opportunities for advancement. I'm only 22, on the verge of turning 23 in February. Thanks!

 

[invictustaylor]

You're in a good position to just count your blessings. I wouldn't think to hard about it cause you'll end up with the train of thought "There's people who are ETL's and been with the company for 3 weeks, at that rate I should be a regional manager!" In other companies, I would say yes, you might have a reason to kick yourself for being entry level after 6 years of service, but at target, that means absolutely nothing. Well actually LESS than nothing, you are probably considered more of a liability and have a target on your back because they could replace you and pay someone new 12 to 15,000 dollars.

I have quit comparing myself to other people at target and I don't kid myself anymore about an internal promotion. Ain't gonna happen, I'm too masculine, competant, intelligent, practical, and smart. That is definately not brand!

 

[naterstx]

It all depends on you man, you could make a valid argument for ETL at this point and you certainly would qualify to be a TL, but is that what you want? You said you're heading to Grad school, maybe waiting til you're done w/ that would be beneficial to you. It depends on how much stress you want to deal with at work, it's not easy being a TL/ETL (if you're any good at it, it's easy to slack off and thus have it be easy).

It's all up to you, where you want to go (professionally) and how you want to get there.

 

[TargetIng]

It seems to me that since you're doing grad school online it would be beneficial for you to attempt to move up at this point. Your education shouldn't directly interfere with work, since it can probably be done online at any time of the day. Additionally you could try to get tuition reimbursement (that's not available in your current position, is it?) which could be helpful. I don't think you should feel bad at all about not already having a TL/ETL position, but you might as well vigorously pursue those positions as they become available.

 

[Spudderbud]

You're in a good position to just count your blessings. I wouldn't think to hard about it cause you'll end up with the train of thought "There's people who are ETL's and been with the company for 3 weeks, at that rate I should be a regional manager!" In other companies, I would say yes, you might have a reason to kick yourself for being entry level after 6 years of service, but at target, that means absolutely nothing. Well actually LESS than nothing, you are probably considered more of a liability and have a target on your back because they could replace you and pay someone new 12 to 15,000 dollars.

I have quit comparing myself to other people at target and I don't kid myself anymore about an internal promotion. Ain't gonna happen, I'm too masculine, competant, intelligent, practical, and smart. That is definately not brand!

I wouldn't say my position's entry level, but I get what you're saying. I've seen TL's being hired off the block and have no former experience with Target or college. As the Entertainment Brand Specialist, I am a leader, but I feel that I deserve a step or two on the leadership ladder. However, I DO NOT want such a higher leadership position to interfere with my school work. I'm just saying that since I have a bachelor's degree in B.A., I just think that I should use it to my advantage over the two years that I'm in grad school for a master's. I just don't want to come out of college with a master's and, say, apply for a ETL position and get screwed for not having a prior TL experience. Also, I forgot to mention that I have a second job, where I am the assistant manager in one division. It's my family's business and I think that should account for something. I'm a rather shy, but I am ambitious. I don't mind managing people and helping them grow.

You know, under odd circumstances, I won't be making much more $$$ with the TL positions offered at my store. Actually, I'd probably be making about the same as I am now, minus the leadership experience and the tuition reimbursement. Oh yeah, does anyone happen to know if tuition reimbursement is supposed to be repaid to you in a package deal or on an annual/semester basis? Thanks!

 

[Spudderbud]

It seems to me that since you're doing grad school online it would be beneficial for you to attempt to move up at this point. Your education shouldn't directly interfere with work, since it can probably be done online at any time of the day. Additionally you could try to get tuition reimbursement (that's not available in your current position, is it?) which could be helpful. I don't think you should feel bad at all about not already having a TL/ETL position, but you might as well vigorously pursue those positions as they become available.

Correct, tuition reimbursement is not for my current position. I could get at least $5,000 as a TL out of it. Of course, I don't want my position to be too stressful while I'm in grad school. The TL position open at my store is for Backroom...any ideas on how intense that position is? Also, if I were to become a Key Carrier, what does that all entitle? More $$$? Thanks!

 

[TargetIng]

I wouldn't say my position's entry level, but I get what you're saying. I've seen TL's being hired off the block and have no former experience with Target or college. As the Entertainment Brand Specialist, I am a leader, but I feel that I deserve a step or two on the leadership ladder. However, I DO NOT want such a higher leadership position to interfere with my school work. I'm just saying that since I have a bachelor's degree in B.A., I just think that I should use it to my advantage over the two years that I'm in grad school for a master's. I just don't want to come out of college with a master's and, say, apply for a ETL position and get screwed for not having a prior TL experience. Also, I forgot to mention that I have a second job, where I am the assistant manager in one division. It's my family's business and I think that should account for something. I'm a rather shy, but I am ambitious. I don't mind managing people and helping them grow.

You know, under odd circumstances, I won't be making much more $$$ with the TL positions offered at my store. Actually, I'd probably be making about the same as I am now, minus the leadership experience and the tuition reimbursement. Oh yeah, does anyone happen to know if tuition reimbursement is supposed to be repaid to you in a package deal or on an annual/semester basis? Thanks!

From what I understand it is paid to you after you have submitted satisfactory grades, not at a specific time of the year.

 

[Biscuit]

Well I don't want to rain on your parade but at my store, there are a lot of us who have Bachelors, Masters (my case) and even MBAs. None of us are TLs or ETLS. Were are just TMs making close to $10/hour.
Having a college degree does not mean you're going to have a fantastic job making 50K/year right out of college. That's what most people your age believe and let me tell you, you're in for a big reality check. Having a college degree can open some doors and opportunities but it does not guarantee a good job with good pay. In my case and the case of other TMs at my store, we're working at Target because we're stuck because of a spouse having a better job in the area, some lost their job due to the economy, some can't find a job in their field....
My point is most people in my team (Flow) could be an ETL. I would say more than 50% have at least a 4-year college degree, about 40% are college students and 10% have no college education. Target is getting a good deal there!

Just offering some perspective there. Don't feel entitled to a higher position because you just graduated college.

 

[Dr Laytex]

Don't tell me to tell you how to feel.

 

[invictustaylor]

Biscuit brought up some nice points!

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Get your masters first, is my suggestion.

 

[StateofTarget]

"I would say more than 50% have at least a 4-year college degree"

Don't believe everything people tell you..... 9 times out of 10 they are full of it. Do you believe every guy in prison who tells you he is innocent? Unless they actually have the transcripts to prove it I wouldn't believe it.

There is one TM at my store who says she has a degree. That's pretty interesting, because I did her interview and during the interview she asked me if the fact she hadn't completed her GED yet was going to be a problem getting the job. Now all of a sudden six months later she has a 4 year degree. Imagine that.

 

[naterstx]

"I would say more than 50% have at least a 4-year college degree"

Don't believe everything people tell you..... 9 times out of 10 they are full of it. Do you believe every guy in prison who tells you he is innocent? Unless they actually have the transcripts to prove it I wouldn't believe it.

There is one TM at my store who says she has a degree. That's pretty interesting, because I did her interview and during the interview she asked me if the fact she hadn't completed her GED yet was going to be a problem getting the job. Now all of a sudden six months later she has a 4 year degree. Imagine that.

Exactly. There is NO WAY half of ANY flow team has a Bachelors, I'll buy that when I buy ocean front property in Arizona. If 10% of any Spot flow team has a Bachelors, I'd be shocked (outside of semi-retirees who just want something to do). People, generally speaking, are competent and good people, but they're also full of it.

 

[mrknownothing]

Exactly. There is NO WAY half of ANY flow team has a Bachelors, I'll buy that when I buy ocean front property in Arizona. If 10% of any Spot flow team has a Bachelors, I'd be shocked (outside of semi-retirees who just want something to do). People, generally speaking, are competent and good people, but they're also full of it.

Ah, that ever so common misconception about retail employees. You'd be surprised how few flow TMs are actually slackers. And the same with cashiers and cart attendants. In fact, one cart attendant at my store is finishing up his Master's this spring (though he plans to cross-train in Electronics because it'll look better on his resume). I don't know too many of our flow TMs, but despite their often slacker-esque appearances, I've heard they're pretty good workers.

 

[commiecorvus]

Exactly. There is NO WAY half of ANY flow team has a Bachelors, I'll buy that when I buy ocean front property in Arizona. If 10% of any Spot flow team has a Bachelors, I'd be shocked (outside of semi-retirees who just want something to do). People, generally speaking, are competent and good people, but they're also full of it.

You might want to sit down and talk to them.
I was talking to one of our flow team, practicing my Spanish and he was working on his English.
I learned that he was a high school teacher in Ecuador.
His teaching degree doesn't transfer here but he went to college as long as any of our E's did.
There are a number of people on the flow team working on degrees (one is going to be an EMT).

 

[invictustaylor]

Sometimes flow members may not look like much at first glance, but as the weeks pass and you get to know them, you find out things like they own half of a business which is out of season and they don't like sitting at home, they almost make enough from royalties to pay their bills, they have a degree in an industry that died, they need a steady paycheck to support their spouse through college after which they will be going themselves, etc etc.

 

[coolsocks]

Congrats on graduating college with no debt! That is a HUGE accomplishment! Student loans are not a fun thing to have worry about post-grad and it's a great feeling having no school debt, which makes it easier to concentrate on more important things.

 

[Baristar]

Having a college degree does not mean you're going to have a fantastic job making 50K/year right out of college. That's what most people your age believe and let me tell you, you're in for a big reality check.

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find many of our generation who believe that. We're just gonna slave away paying off student debt, and social security for our elders that we will never receive. America's golden age is over, and the millennials are going to be left with the foreclosed remains.

 

[StateofTarget]

Ah, that ever so common misconception about retail employees. You'd be surprised how few flow TMs are actually slackers. And the same with cashiers and cart attendants. In fact, one cart attendant at my store is finishing up his Master's this spring (though he plans to cross-train in Electronics because it'll look better on his resume). I don't know too many of our flow TMs, but despite their often slacker-esque appearances, I've heard they're pretty good workers.

No one said flow team are slackers. Hell, they work harder than anyone.

But that doesn't change the fact that most of them do not have a degree.

As far as the cart attendant..... is he going to an online "school"? Because no one getting a legit masters is going to need nor want any "electronics" TM experience at Target. At the masters level, employers simply won't care. If anything, he needs to quit Target ASAP..... having a masters degree and pushing carts is a *huge* red flag to employers right now. Why? Because he will be going up against people with tons of experience in this economy. Employers want people with experience far more than a degree. If he has no experience by the time he graduates he doesn't stand chance in this job market. He needs to be doing internships in his field, not pushing carts or working electronics at Target. Once he graduates the chance to do internships is over, and he is therefore screwed.

 

[mrknownothing]

As far as the cart attendant..... is he going to an online "school"? Because no one getting a legit masters is going to need nor want any "electronics" TM experience at Target. At the masters level, employers simply won't care. If anything, he needs to quit Target ASAP..... having a masters degree and pushing carts is a *huge* red flag to employers right now. Why? Because he will be going up against people with tons of experience in this economy. Employers want people with experience far more than a degree. If he has no experience by the time he graduates he doesn't stand chance in this job market. He needs to be doing internships in his field, not pushing carts or working electronics at Target. Once he graduates the chance to do internships is over, and he is therefore screwed.

He goes to a local state university, and he's pretty much screwed anyways because he's studying history. He won't be able to find a job in that field.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

He goes to a local state university, and he's pretty much screwed anyways because he's studying history. He won't be able to find a job in that field.

Having a degree is better than nothing.

 

[coolsocks]

Having a degree is better than nothing.

It depends on the amount of debt you have afterwards and if it can be utilized.

 

[ALibraryTech]

I also have a degree in history. I would agree that there are few jobs available in the field and history majors should avoid debt, especially because the pay for those jobs is low. However, I chose that major both because I enjoy the subject and it provides a broadly applicable set of skills I was led to believe all employers desire. Specifically, my classes focused on research, critical thinking / analysis, written communication, the technology used while researching and writing, and, depending on the class assignments and if the student presented at conferences, verbal communication.

In my local market, two to three years of job experience in a particular field is necessary on top of a bachelor's degree and those minimum skills. Unfortunately, my experience is it is very difficult to get that experience post-graduation. I am much more likely to get a job offer for a very entry-level position, like Office Assistant, if I pretend I don't have a degree. When I actually do get specific reasons for being rejected for those type of jobs, it is usually because my degree makes me "overqualified." This experience makes me wonder if it would be best for students to work their way through their last year or two of school so they will have the required years of experience and their degrees at about the same time.

 

[naterstx]

It depends on the amount of debt you have afterwards and if it can be utilized.

If you go to Harvard and get an Underwater Basket Weaving degree, then yeah, it's not useful, nor is it likely to pay for itself. However, outside of a very small group, a bachelors of any kind will almost always pay for itself over a lifetime.

 

[TargetIng]

If you go to Harvard and get an Underwater Basket Weaving degree, then yeah, it's not useful, nor is it likely to pay for itself. However, outside of a very small group, a bachelors of any kind will almost always pay for itself over a lifetime.

Mine is paying for itself pretty quickly (granted I am a business major). Adding up the cost of my degree (tuition and lost wages while in school) comes to about $80,000. I should make that back up in additional wages (on top of what I would have made without a degree) in about three years.

I would encourage anyone that is able to do so, to get a degree.