I just got fired, what do I do?

I just got fired from Target and I’ve been there since May of 2023 at the age of 18. It’s all I’ve ever known and I got a call a few days ago from my HR Manager and my Store Manager telling me I was terminated for violating purchase guidelines I honestly do not know where to go from here, I’m 21 and since that was the only job I’ve known and I was a manager there and worked my way from the ground to be a manager I want something better. I want a career that I can make more at and that will be easier, with my management experience of 6 months what jobs could I get? I made $24 an hour there so if there is anything that I can get that could be a step up from there please let me know.

Jobadvisor

Getting terminated—especially from a place where you grew up from age 18 to 21 and worked your way up to management—is a major shock. The immediate feeling of uncertainty is completely natural. However, getting promoted to a Team Lead/Manager role at Target by age 21 proves you have exceptional work ethic, leadership ability, and operational knowledge.

You are not starting from scratch. You are starting with 3 years of retail experience, including 6 months of management, making $24/hour.

Step 1: Immediate Action Plan (Days 1–3)

1. File for Unemployment Insurance: File right away with your state's unemployment office. Even if Target cited policy guidelines, UI eligibility depends on whether the violation constituted intentional misconduct. Let the state determine eligibility—never assume you're disqualified.
   
   
2. Control the Narrative for Interviews: You do not need to detail internal purchase policy technicalities during future interviews. Frame your departure professionally: "Target was a fantastic learning ground where I worked up to management, but I hit a ceiling and am looking to bring my leadership and logistics skills into a long-term career path with higher growth potential."
   
   
3. Do Not Focus on Re-applying to Target: Policy terminations are generally marked non-rehireable internally, so pivot 100% of your energy outward.
   
   

Step 2: Better Career Transitions ($25–$30/hour Range)

Retail management translates directly into fields that offer higher pay, better hours, less customer friction, and clearer career progression.

• Warehouse & Logistics Area Manager / Shift Lead:
  
  
  • Target Pay: $25.00 – $32.00 / hour
    
    
  • Companies: Amazon (Process Assistant / Area Manager), UPS, FedEx, DHL, regional distribution centers.
    
    
  • Why it fits: Distribution centers pay significantly higher wages for people who already know how to manage shift schedules, oversee inventory, and lead hourly teams.
    
    
• Store Manager / Assistant Manager at Specialty Retail:
  
  
  • Target Pay: $26.00 – $31.00 / hour
    
    
  • Companies: Aldi, Costco, Trader Joe's, Buc-ee's, or wireless carriers (Verizon, AT&T sales management).
    
    
  • Why it fits: Grocery leaders like Aldi and Costco pay shift managers well above average, often exceeding $25–$28/hour to start, with much better stability.
    
    
• Bank Assistant Branch Manager / Relationship Lead:
  
  
  • Target Pay: $24.00 – $28.00 / hour (plus quarterly bonuses)
    
    
  • Companies: Chase, Bank of America, local credit unions.
    
    
  • Why it fits: Banks love hiring young retail managers because you understand cash handling, team oversight, customer service, and compliance rules. It gets you out of retail hours and onto set daytime schedules.
    
    
• Vendor Account Specialist / Sales Representative:
  
  
  • Target Pay: $25.00 – $30.00 / hour + commission
    
    
  • Companies: Food/beverage distributors (PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay) or inventory audit firms.
    
    
  • Why it fits: These roles involve managing brand inventory across multiple retail accounts rather than working inside a single store.
    
    

Step 3: How to Rebrand Your Resume

Translate your daily Target supervisor responsibilities into high-level business metrics on your resume:

• Instead of "Managed a team at Target," use: "Supervised and coached a team of [X] associates, overseeing daily store operations, floor coverage, and guest service standards."
  
  
• Instead of "Handled store inventory," use: "Managed inventory accuracy, stock replenishment, and loss prevention compliance across high-volume retail departments."
  
  
• Instead of "Made schedules," use: "Optimized weekly labor scheduling and task delegation to maintain labor budget targets and maximize team productivity."

Ever heard of promotion with no raise?

My manager called me in Friday and told me Im being promoted to senior analyst. I was pretty excited until he got to the compensation part.

Same salary. He said the title comes with more responsibility now and they can revisit pay during the next cycle which is apparently 7 months away. The job description they sent over includes mentoring two juniors, owning a weekly report my manager currently does and being the point person for one of our biggest accounts. So basically more work immediately and maybe more money later.

He seemed genuinely surprised when I said I wanted a couple days to think about it. Is there any upside to accepting this besides having the title on my resume?

Jobadvisor

This scenario—often dubbed a "dry promotion"—is a classic corporate tactic to extract more value without increasing payroll. Your manager’s surprise is just leverage theater; taking time to consider a fundamental shift in your contract is completely standard.

While taking on senior duties at staff-level pay feels inherently unfair, there can be strategic value depending on how you play it.

The Upsides

• Resume Fast-Tracking: The "Senior" title instantly elevates your profile for external recruiters, typically opening doors to a $15,000–$25,000 pay bump if you switch companies in 6–12 months.
  
  
• Management-Track Evidence: Mentoring two juniors and taking over a leadership-level report directly builds the "people management" and "ownership" track record needed for future leadership roles.
  
  
• Client-Facing Prestige: Becoming the point person for a major account expands your industry visibility and professional network exponentially.
  
  

The Downside Risks

• 7-Month "Promised" Raise Fallacy: Budget cycles shift, economic conditions change, and managers move on. A verbal promise for 7 months out is worth $0.
  
  
• Resentment & Burnout: Doing 30–40% more high-stakes work for the exact same pay frequently leads to severe burnout within 3–4 months.
  
  
• Setting a Precedent: Accepting without counter-offering sends a signal that you are willing to take on significant unpaid workload expansion.
  
  

How to Leverage This Situation

1. Counter for a Mid-Cycle Equity/Bonus Compromise: If base salary is truly locked, request a guaranteed spot-bonus upon hitting a key milestone, extra paid time off, or a written commitment to a specific pay grade adjustment in writing.
   
   
2. Get the Review Terms explicitly in Writing: Ask for a performance agreement stating that upon 90 days of meeting expectations in the new role, your compensation will be retroactively adjusted or evaluated early.
   
   
3. Accept, Build the Portfolio, and Plan an Exit: Accept the title change, perform the high-visibility tasks (mentorship, major account leadership) for 4–6 months, update your LinkedIn/resume, and begin interviewing externally for true Senior Analyst market rates.

No experience except as an SAHM, ideas?

Whew. Okay. I am a 35-year-old woman who has been a stay-at-home mom since I was 17. I have a high school degree. I worked for roughly a month at a time at different places and quickly quit in my 20's and did some nannying here and there, but never kept their information for my records. I just didn't think this far ahead. Now my kids are all older school age, and I don't even have volunteer work to fall back on. I am in a place right now where I have time to volunteer and figure things out, even go to college if I want. But I'd love to get an entry-level job, even stocking shelves or running a register, as long as it can fit into picking my kids up from school. Maybe even a night shift job would be better? Ideas anyone? I feel like it is a pretty bleak outlook over here.

Jobadvisor

It is completely normal to feel overwhelmed, but your outlook is far from bleak. Managing a household, schedules, and logistics for nearly two decades equips you with strong organizational skills, adaptability, and multi-tasking abilities—traits that many employers value.

Starting fresh with a blank resume is much easier when targeting roles that prioritize reliability and schedule fit over past employment history.

Best Entry-Level Jobs for School Schedules

• School District Roles: Look into working as a paraprofessional (teacher’s aide), cafeteria worker, or crossing guard. These roles match your kids' exact school calendar, holidays, and daily hours.
  
  
• Early Morning Retail/Stocking: Positions like grocery store shelf-stocking or order fulfillment (e.g., picking online orders at Target or Walmart) often have early morning shifts (like 4:00 AM – 9:00 AM or 5:00 AM – 10:00 AM) that let you wrap up before school lets out.
  
  
• Night Shift Roles: Evening cashiering, overnight stocking, or janitorial/cleaning crews offer quiet working environments with minimal resume barriers, though you’ll want to protect your sleep schedule carefully.
  
  
• Local Front Desk/Reception: Small local businesses, gyms, or community centers frequently need part-time staff for morning front-desk shifts.
  
  

How to Handle the Resume & Application

• Use a Functional Resume: Group your skills by category (e.g., Organization & Scheduling, Customer Interaction, Caregiving) rather than starting with a chronological job history.
  
  
• Frame SAHM Experience Professionally: List community involvement, family logistics management, or informal nannying under a section like "Relevant Life Experience & Capabilities."
  
  
• Apply in Person or Locally: For entry-level positions at local businesses or school districts, asking to speak directly to a hiring manager or applying in person can skip the automated online resume screeners entirely.
  
  
• Start with Short-Term Volunteering: Even 2–4 hours a week at a local food bank, library, or school PTA gives you recent experience and a local reference within just a few weeks.

How do adults afford going back to school full time when they have a family to provide for?

I currently work in an urgent care as a rad tech, making around $60,000 a year with overtime and whatnot. I have a wife and 2 young kids. It’s fine but I’d obviously like to make more so we can afford to move into a house, get a bigger car, afford to go on a family vacations and grow our family. I want to go back to school but the programs I’m looking at would require me to essentially quit my job or only work maybe up to 10 hours a week as I’ll have classes, home work, and 3-4 days of clinical each week. The programs are 1-2 years depending on which one I can get into. I just don’t know how I can afford to do this though. Any advice or things I should look into? Obviously I’ll look into fafsa, but I don’t know how much more Pell grant money I’ll have left as I already have both a bachelors and an associates.

Jobadvisor

Taking a 1–2 year pause from a $60,000 salary with two kids isn't feasible through traditional savings or standard student loans alone. However, as an ARRT-registered Radiologic Technologist, you possess a major advantage: you do not need to quit working to upskill, nor do you need to go back to full-time classroom school for many lucrative advanced modalities.

Because you already hold a Rad Tech credential, you can leverage post-primary pathway certifications, employer sponsorship, and creative shift structuring to boost your income without sacrificing your household income.

Strategic Funding & Career Pathways

• Cross-Train On-the-Job (CT or MRI): The fastest way to jump from ~$60k to $80k–$100k+ without losing income is transitioning to Computed Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Many hospital networks hire registered Rad Techs directly into CT/MRI trainee roles and pay your regular hourly wage while you complete your clinical competencies on shift.
  
  
• Hospital Sponsorship & Tuition Assistance: Major hospital systems frequently pay 100% of tuition and fees for imaging techs advancing into high-need modalities (like Sonography, Radiation Therapy, or Dosimetry) in exchange for a 1- to 2-year post-graduation work commitment. Moving from urgent care to a large hospital network immediately opens these pipelines.
  
  
• Per Diem & Weekend Option Shifts (PRN): If your target program truly requires unpaid full-time daytime clinicals, switch to a hospital PRN or "Weekend Specialist" role. Working two 12-hour weekend shifts (Friday/Saturday or Saturday/Sunday) yields 24 hours of pay, often at a higher differential, while leaving Monday through Thursday open for classes and clinicals.
  
  
• FAFSA Direct Unsubsidized & Graduate PLUS Loans: While your undergraduate Pell Grant eligibility may be exhausted, holding an Associate/Bachelor's still qualifies you for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans. You can also borrow up to the full Cost of Attendance (which includes living expenses like housing, food, and childcare) through federal loans or healthcare professional grants.
  
  
• Spouse / Family Bridge Strategy: Map out a temporary 12- to 18-month "income bridge." If your spouse can temporarily increase work hours or take on remote/part-time employment while you drop to weekend PRN shifts, you cover essential baseline expenses without draining savings.
  
  

Next Steps to Evaluate

1. Audit your local job market: Check major hospital job boards nearby for "Cross-Training Tech," "CT Trainee," or "MRI Tech Student" positions.
   
   
2. Consult ARRT Post-Primary Requirements: Review ARRT's requirements for CT or MRI—often, these require online didactic coursework coupled with clinical hours that can be completed at your current workplace.
   
   
3. Compare Program Formats: Search specifically for part-time, evening, or hybrid post-primary certificate programs designed for working Radiologic Technologists rather than full-time entry-level degrees.

The question I ask right before the interview ends, and it often gets a surprisingly good reaction?

After attending more than twenty interviews in my career, I've discovered that the ending, when they ask you, "Do you have any questions for us?" is one of the best opportunities you get. Many candidates either say, "No, I'm good," or only talk about salary and benefits, and honestly, that can be a missed opportunity to make yourself stand out a bit.

The question I usually ask is: "When you think about the strongest people on this team, what qualities or habits do they usually have that set them apart from someone who is simply meeting the required expectations?"

I like this question because it does several useful things. It shows that I'm not just trying to get any job; I'm thinking about how to do the job well. It also gives me a fairly clear picture of the things the company truly values day to day, not just what's written in the job description. And sometimes their answer tells you a lot about the culture, especially if they only praise things like working late or being available all the time.

The responses I've gotten when asking this question have been consistently positive, so I thought I'd share it. I found it in a career newsletter a few years ago, and since then it's become one of the main questions I ask near the end of interviews.

Jobadvisor

 The Interview Question That Gets a Surprisingly Good Reaction

**After 20+ interviews, I've found the best moment isn't answering questions — it's the one you ask at the end.**

 The Missed Opportunity

When they ask, *"Do you have any questions for us?"* most candidates either say "No, I'm good" or only bring up salary and benefits. That's a wasted chance to stand out.

 My Go-To Question

> **"When you think about the strongest people on this team, what qualities or habits do they usually have that set them apart from someone who is simply meeting the required expectations?"**

Why It Works

1. **It signals ambition.** You're not just trying to land *any* job — you're already thinking about how to excel in this one.

2. **It reveals what the company actually values.** Not the polished job description, but the day-to-day reality.

3. **It's a culture detector.** If their answer is all about working late or being available around the clock — that tells you everything you need to know before you sign anything.

 The Results

Consistently positive reactions. I picked it up from a career newsletter a few years ago, and it's become a staple of every interview since.

*Pro tip: Ask it near the end, when "Do you have any questions?" comes up — and listen closely to what they praise.*