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Old 04-15-2015, 12:32 AM
 
Location: Wonderland
67,655 posts, read 60,289,862 times
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Honestly, until you get your credit score under control, you probably won't have a shot at higher positions - probably not even a teller position. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but that's just the way it is.

You may have better luck at a small bank. Most banks run a credit check - at least around here they do - and require a decent score. Thinking about it - you can see why.

Also, it's not just tellers who are expected to "sell." It's also the personal bankers, the branch managers, the commercial and mortgage lenders, etc.
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Old 04-15-2015, 01:08 AM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,064 posts, read 106,986,186 times
Reputation: 115858
Quote:
Originally Posted by k3xql510ue View Post

What are some of the salaries for higher level positions in retail and banking?
OP, I disagree with that poster. I think it's the opposite; retail pays poorly, supervisory positions don't pay much more than minimum wage, it's difficult to move up, even if you outqualify everyone around you. While banking can pay extremely well when you get into the higher levels, and the retirement benefits are insane! A neighbor of mine who started out as a teller retired at 47 collecting a pension that was something like 70-80% of her final salary. And she gets that for the rest of her life! I don't know how they can afford that.

However, she found her job really stressful, because it carried so much responsibility. I think she was the accountant responsible for the entire operation of the bank. No room for error; one digit off, or a comma or period in the wrong place, and your job is over. But that's her. She wasn't suited for the position she ended up in. I spoke to another woman who started as a teller and ended up as a bank VP. She said it was a great career, the best thing that ever happened to her, and it allowed her to raise her daughter as a single mom without financial worried.

But these people started out in a different era. How much banking has changed, and opportunities for promotion in the field, I don't know.

Let me ask you this; are you someone who's very meticulous and precise? Dot all the "I"-s and cross all the "T"-s? That's how you have to be in banking.
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Old 04-15-2015, 10:22 AM
 
77 posts, read 86,711 times
Reputation: 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by KathrynAragon View Post
Honestly, until you get your credit score under control, you probably won't have a shot at higher positions - probably not even a teller position. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but that's just the way it is.

You may have better luck at a small bank. Most banks run a credit check - at least around here they do - and require a decent score. Thinking about it - you can see why.

Also, it's not just tellers who are expected to "sell." It's also the personal bankers, the branch managers, the commercial and mortgage lenders, etc.
Agree 100%, that could very well be true. I don't dispute that at all. I think the credit score requirement is a bit silly, but things are the way they are. A person can have a decent credit score but still be very poor (and steal money). On the other hand, it's also unfair to discriminate against people based on their economic class. At my retail position, there are plenty of opportunities to steal stuff and slip under the radar. But I understand that banks don't really look at those factors.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth View Post
OP, I disagree with that poster. I think it's the opposite; retail pays poorly, supervisory positions don't pay much more than minimum wage, it's difficult to move up, even if you outqualify everyone around you. While banking can pay extremely well when you get into the higher levels, and the retirement benefits are insane! A neighbor of mine who started out as a teller retired at 47 collecting a pension that was something like 70-80% of her final salary. And she gets that for the rest of her life! I don't know how they can afford that.

However, she found her job really stressful, because it carried so much responsibility. I think she was the accountant responsible for the entire operation of the bank. No room for error; one digit off, or a comma or period in the wrong place, and your job is over. But that's her. She wasn't suited for the position she ended up in. I spoke to another woman who started as a teller and ended up as a bank VP. She said it was a great career, the best thing that ever happened to her, and it allowed her to raise her daughter as a single mom without financial worried.

But these people started out in a different era. How much banking has changed, and opportunities for promotion in the field, I don't know.

Let me ask you this; are you someone who's very meticulous and precise? Dot all the "I"-s and cross all the "T"-s? That's how you have to be in banking.
The things people accomplished in a different era is one thing that worries me. Whenever any adult gives me career advice (who is not involved in the university system) I wonder whether or not that advice actually applies today or if it was applicable 20 years ago but not now. Part of the problem with college students today is that they are operating under advice that was applicable in a different time. Our parents told us to just finish college and the pieces will fall into place. Lol in this economy there isn't much of that happening.

I can double check my work and be detail focused if the situation calls for it, but that is not how I am in a day to day setting by default.
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Old 04-15-2015, 10:31 AM
 
Location: Brentwood, Tennessee
49,932 posts, read 59,599,006 times
Reputation: 98359
Quote:
Originally Posted by k3xql510ue View Post
Where would I look for these jobs selling financial products? I thought that a bank teller already did that (and it seems to be on the lowest rung of the ladder).



And that's precisely why I refuse to pay money for some bogus bank teller course. I might work at a bank for a few days, say f@$* this, and walk back out. Stories like yours prove that this is a possible (but not guaranteed outcome) for me. Hence that few hundred would be a waste of money.



Get real, your suggestion of spending close to a grand for a job I might drop a month later sucks and I'm not buying it. It is not an economical use of the scarce resources I have. Nothing more needs to be said on the matter. If I returned to school, it would be for a bachelors degree in an entirely new field, not a masters in the same lousy field. That actually is a solid suggestions, since I have even conceded myself that I HATE my field and I have very poor job prospects with my field. I do not want to be scraping by in life. I want to be able to have some breathing room and not always have to worry about money. Yes it is reasonable to always speak my mind because I found that it simplifies a lot of situations and makes the path between my starting point and my goal shorter. Being a very straightforward person is engrained in my nature and that's not going to change. I am not committed/ultra-motivated to become a teller. It is a job that pays around the same that I'm making now and not much more than mcdonalds. If I get it, I get it. But I'm not going to cross heaven and earth for such a lowly position.



My point exactly



Actually, the part in bold is a big part of why I want to leave psychology. I'm a very introverted person and being around people is a taxing activity to me. Having alone time is a relaxing experience that recharges me. When I come back from my retail job, I feel emotionally drained and lifeless. A less people oriented job would be heavenly for me.
Your replies indicate that you certainly should not be in customer service of any kind. I agree that minimal interaction with the public would be best for everyone.

You realize that the previous job with juvenile delinquents is almost the worst-case scenario job and not typical of what you could do with psychology?? You could start off with administrative work in a psych-related facility. Or consider data entry to get out of the cashier position. But bad credit will keep you out of the banking and insurance industries.
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Old 04-15-2015, 12:47 PM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,064 posts, read 106,986,186 times
Reputation: 115858
Quote:
Originally Posted by k3xql510ue View Post
The things people accomplished in a different era is one thing that worries me. Whenever any adult gives me career advice (who is not involved in the university system) I wonder whether or not that advice actually applies today or if it was applicable 20 years ago but not now. Part of the problem with college students today is that they are operating under advice that was applicable in a different time. Our parents told us to just finish college and the pieces will fall into place. Lol in this economy there isn't much of that happening.

I can double check my work and be detail focused if the situation calls for it, but that is not how I am in a day to day setting by default.
I may have asked you this on your earlier thread, but have you gone to the placement center at your college to ask about this? They're there for relatively recent alumni, and should have a good ear to the ground on this sort of thing. They may have other suggestions, too.

I agree with Wmsn4life that a BA in Psych doesn't mean a career dealing with people 1-on-1, as with your experience. It could mean an office job in a clinic, research facility, or university Psych dept.

Why have people assumed you have bad credit? Did I miss something?
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Old 04-15-2015, 01:45 PM
 
Location: Keosauqua, Iowa
9,612 posts, read 21,153,534 times
Reputation: 13662
Quote:
Originally Posted by k3xql510ue View Post
What are some of the salaries for higher level positions in retail and banking?
It largely depends on the retailer or the bank. I made $70K as an assistant store manager at a big box home improvement retailer, and there were probably a half dozen people in the same store who made more than me (Store manager, senior assistant, some of the top outside sales guys and their manager). Department managers typically made $45-$60K, assistant Department Managers were usually $35-$40K.

Bank pay is usually fairly similar. The difference is that there's more opportunity in retail. I moved from a full-time position paying something like $10 an hour to my highest position in about five years. A woman at the bank in my hometown worked as a teller making $25-$30K for 15 years or so until the cashier finally retired and she moved into that position (probably $50K).

I made a lot more money and faster, but I also worked a lot of nights, weekends, holidays, and 50+ hour weeks, and moved three times along the way while she was working 8-4 Monday-Friday and 8-noon every third Saturday with no Sundays or holidays and living in the same house.

I wish I'd never left retail, I was probably a year away from having my own store which would have paid about ~$120K plus a company car with not much more responsibility (considerably more visibility to upper management, though). I was on track to retire very comfortably at a very young age until family obligations compelled me to relocate to an area that was beyond commuting distance for any of my retailer's branches. At this point there's no way I could go back and start over. The schedule is something you learn to live with if you start young but not something that's easy to adapt to after you've worked a set schedule for several years.

One last thing, not all retailers pay well so use some discretion if you decide to go that route. Dollar General store managers make something like $35K. No thanks.
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Old 04-15-2015, 02:15 PM
 
77 posts, read 86,711 times
Reputation: 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life View Post
Your replies indicate that you certainly should not be in customer service of any kind. I agree that minimal interaction with the public would be best for everyone.

You realize that the previous job with juvenile delinquents is almost the worst-case scenario job and not typical of what you could do with psychology?? You could start off with administrative work in a psych-related facility. Or consider data entry to get out of the cashier position. But bad credit will keep you out of the banking and insurance industries.
In my retail position, I do provide customer service on a regular basis. I don't have trouble interacting with customers or my coworkers. I am still holding my ground that getting a bank teller certification is a bad idea. I already have a degree. I am not going to pay for basic training for a job, especially when the job in question pays so little. That idea falls into the same caliber of absurdity as telling an obese person to eat more cheetos if they want to lose weight, or telling a person to buy a german car if they are looking for cheap, reliable transportation.

I know that the juvenile delinquent job was one of the worst out there. I honestly tried finding an administrative type job. I really tried, but with little luck. Some friends of mine who majored in the same or similar majors are also having that kind of luck.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth View Post
I may have asked you this on your earlier thread, but have you gone to the placement center at your college to ask about this? They're there for relatively recent alumni, and should have a good ear to the ground on this sort of thing. They may have other suggestions, too.

I agree with Wmsn4life that a BA in Psych doesn't mean a career dealing with people 1-on-1, as with your experience. It could mean an office job in a clinic, research facility, or university Psych dept.

Why have people assumed you have bad credit? Did I miss something?
Not yet, the next thing I'm going to do after I finish typing this response is to give the career center a ring.

They aren't assuming I have bad credit. I told them I have bad credit due to defaulted student loans. If my unpaid medical bills show up on my credit report in the future (which they don't yet) then that will be another hit.
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Old 04-15-2015, 04:03 PM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,064 posts, read 106,986,186 times
Reputation: 115858
Quote:
Originally Posted by k3xql510ue View Post

Not yet, the next thing I'm going to do after I finish typing this response is to give the career center a ring.

They aren't assuming I have bad credit. I told them I have bad credit due to defaulted student loans. If my unpaid medical bills show up on my credit report in the future (which they don't yet) then that will be another hit.
I'm sorry to hear about this debt situation. Medical debt, especially, which always seems unfair. If you're unemployed, you should qualify for Medicaid. You should start making payments on those med bills before they go to a collection agency. If they already have, try to set up a payment plan with the provider, if only $20/month. The provider can then contact the collections people and have the account dropped with them.

If it's true that bad credit will eliminate you from the running for a bank job, then you might as well start looking elsewhere, which it sounds like you're getting ready to do. Let us know how your meeting with the career center goes.

If you don't like customer service, this may not sound like much, but in the spirit of brainstorming: Whole Foods has frequent openings for stock people. The positions count as full time (7 hrs./week) and get you benefits. You can get into a supervisory position from there. It's just a thought. Those pay the same as their cashier jobs, AFAIK, but they involve only minimal interaction with the public (like on the rare occasion when a shopper asks you a question, while you're stocking the shelves). If we're tossing ideas out there, you might consider getting on as a driver at UPS or FedEx. But you already know my favorite idea: getting in as staff at a university (you can start out by taking a temp job on their temp or part-time listings), so you can take free classes.

Good luck, OP. Give us updates.
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Old 04-15-2015, 04:36 PM
 
1,006 posts, read 1,502,604 times
Reputation: 922
Jobs in finance suck. Get a real job.


For tellers the pay is low and besides attorneys, I cannot think of more souless people than a person who works as a bank teller or bill collector.
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Old 04-15-2015, 05:02 PM
 
77 posts, read 86,711 times
Reputation: 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth View Post
I'm sorry to hear about this debt situation. Medical debt, especially, which always seems unfair. If you're unemployed, you should qualify for Medicaid. You should start making payments on those med bills before they go to a collection agency. If they already have, try to set up a payment plan with the provider, if only $20/month. The provider can then contact the collections people and have the account dropped with them.

If it's true that bad credit will eliminate you from the running for a bank job, then you might as well start looking elsewhere, which it sounds like you're getting ready to do. Let us know how your meeting with the career center goes.

If you don't like customer service, this may not sound like much, but in the spirit of brainstorming: Whole Foods has frequent openings for stock people. The positions count as full time (7 hrs./week) and get you benefits. You can get into a supervisory position from there. It's just a thought. Those pay the same as their cashier jobs, AFAIK, but they involve only minimal interaction with the public (like on the rare occasion when a shopper asks you a question, while you're stocking the shelves). If we're tossing ideas out there, you might consider getting on as a driver at UPS or FedEx. But you already know my favorite idea: getting in as staff at a university (you can start out by taking a temp job on their temp or part-time listings), so you can take free classes.

Good luck, OP. Give us updates.
I qualify for government health insurance now because my state changed its standards. However, the bills I accumulated before are still there. I am not going to make payments on any of the bills because I make too little and they are too much. I will let them sit in collections until the 4 year statute of limitations to sue is up. The oldest bill is already approaching its 3rd year. By the 4th year, they will probably be on my credit report, but I won't really care at that point since they will fall off the credit report after another 3 years anyway.

I will ask about the career center about university jobs as well. I just looked up the store you mentioned and there are none that are in my area. The nearest one is well over an hour away.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Europeanflava View Post
Jobs in finance suck. Get a real job.


For tellers the pay is low and besides attorneys, I cannot think of more souless people than a person who works as a bank teller or bill collector.
Any suggestions? I'm open to ideas about other possible careers.
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