Dreading new job but unsure of options. HELP! (Portland: sales, real estate)

[EquitoFoobs]

I moved to Portland to take a job with a major financial institution. My base is 35k and I work a 6-day work week. I'm college educated (in a different field) and have a moderate amount of debt. The goal of this job was to ultimately pay off all debts and save for a house. I don't think that will be possible on this pay and the upward mobility is weak for the first several years.

The job I took was glorified at first, and I am grateful to be pulling in at least SOME money, but each day is a dread. I can't stand by the company's business practices and can hardly justify the compensation with the time and energy spent on the job. The nature of the job is sales, and it requires me to sell credit products to people who have no business using credit in the first place.

I can subsist for a few months without this job, but my resume is slim without it. I guess my questions are:

1. I am interested in real estate. What would be a good entry point for a career in realty? Could I match or exceed my current base without incurring thousands of dollars in student debt?

2. What would you do in this situation? Would sticking it out for a few months to see if it got "better" be a good choice? Is 35k a weak entry-level salary in the finance field? I'm really just looking for some input...

[Nell Plotts]

I don't see real estate as generating a living wage in the near future.

The best time to look for a job is when you still have one. Start accumulating names, addresses and phone numbers of co-workers who would give you a decent reference as there will be plenty of turnover. Search for another position, as much as the pay is generally poor you might be attractive to a local bank or credit union that offers personal loans. Don't rely on posted listings alone, talk to their employees, get to know who makes hiring decisions so that you can schedule a couple informational interviews. Many of those branches have evening or weekend hours, use that time to start to build a network.

I realize that is not your career goal, it is a place to start where you don't have to hold your nose.

[Minervah]

Keep what you have while seeking something else. At least you are receiving a paycheck and that certainly counts for something. consider this an experience to take with you while you work to reach your goals.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by Minervah

Keep what you have while seeking something else. At least you are receiving a paycheck and that certainly counts for something. consider this an experience to take with you while you work to reach your goals.

I agree.

Retail banking will never make you rich, but the people I know in real estate are barely keeping their own homes these days, it's not the time to get into that either. Not only are sales slow, but prices down so commissions are less.

I'd suggest that you consider some real estate classes, maybe online, while you work there. Be prepared so that if things turn around for the real estate industry you will be ready.

[hamellr]

Network, network, network.

Post on all the job boards an updated resume at least once a week, if not more often (just change one word, or delete a period if need be.) Call recruiters and get your resume out there.

Setup an RSS Reader via Google Reader, and Import these RSS Feeds: Hamell.net » Blog Archive » Job Searching in Portland

Also, when you search for Jobs via the big job boards, use their built in RSS creators to get more RSS feeds.

At the height of my recent job search, I had about 100 different RSS feeds, pulling between two to 100 jobs a day. Most of them were not my field, but I was still able to apply for 3-5 a day, and I'm still getting recruiters and friends of friends calling me up weekly even though I've been off the market for six months now.

[Nell Plotts]

IMHO he should concentrate on finding a non-real estate position ASAP. It will be work but he needs to get on another payroll.

[EquitoFoobs]

Thanks all for the support and great ideas, I really appreciate it. I will stick it out for a while, build a nice solid emergency fund in case I need to leave suddenly, and use my off-time to start networking around in my area.

Although it is a little difficult for me to do this job because of my personal experiences with debt, it is sort of a necessary evil and a good sales experience builder for the time being. Maybe i will use my experience to leverage entry into a credit union/relationship-based bank. I enjoy sales, but only when the products are targeted at people who will truly benefit and not end up worse off because of them. I know I'm not responsible for their decisions, but making the "tools" available still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

My future goal with real estate is to manage a portfolio of rental/investment/commercial properties on a full-time basis. My current job is a means to get started, but if anyone has any other ideas or literature resources they could recommend regarding property management and the process involved in getting started, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!

[Nell Plotts]

Well, maybe your employer is an endangered species: Mortgage Refinancing, Free Credit Score, Debt Consolidation - Credit Sesame