Quitting Retail and Life Choices

Hi friends,

It has been awhile since I last posted anything on this blog! In fact, almost 3 months! There is an explanation for that and I will share it with you all today. Buckle in because there is a novel ahead to read!

Back in February, I decided to quit the Retail Industry. It was a tough decision to make but also an easy one at the same time. It was tough because retail is pretty much the only industry that I have ever worked in since entering the work field back in 2012. I have worked in retail for the past decade and I probably would have continued if it hadn't become such a horrible work environment in these past few years. 

I also had some amazing times in retail, I was recognized for some great achievements, got promoted, and worked with some really awesome people. Retail also allowed me to be creative, I loved merchandising a store, putting together displays and really seeing a vision come to life. 

I have a degree in Fashion Design but I never imagined that I would end up in the retail side of fashion, that was never part of my plan. I have always wanted to start my own boutique. That has always been my goal, ever since I can remember. Ten years later, I am working towards that goal but not how I would have imagined it. 

My senior collection on the runway and also the name of my first Blog :) 

Back to why I quit the retail industry. It became a place I dreaded to go into for many reasons. Some of them being unrealistic expectations, tremendous work load, and non existent work/life balance.

Working in retail management can be very draining in general but ever since COVID, it became unbearable. The customers changed, the companies started getting desperate because business slowed down. It's understandable, to a business owner, it is scary. It's how they deal with it that is important. How they treat their employees plays a big part in how that employee will perform in that job at their company.

For me, retail became a place where I couldn't breath anymore. My mental state was declining fast and I knew I had to do something about it.

I put in my two weeks without even having another job lined up and that was scary but I knew I couldn't take another day of retail.

I am at the point in my life where I am having to test out different avenues and see what works best for me. Should I have done this 10 years ago? Absolutely, but we all make the choices we make and learn from our mistakes and our triumphs accordingly. 

I have learned that a lot of people in their 30s are lost and still do not know what to do with their lives and that is ok. Life never goes according to plan and the world we live in has changed tremendously in the past few years. Us millennials have gone through quite a few world events and a lot of us cannot even afford to buy homes, live paycheck to paycheck and are barely living. This is something that has to change. 

Before jumping into a new job, I went on a trip to Florida, as you saw in my last post. The trip was amazing but the bills were not going to pay themselves so I had to start looking for a new job ASAP.

I didn't want to rush into anything and I was looking for a work from home job that I could do, while also working on my business, Adelore Creations that I own alongside my sister. 

I finally found a job, about a month after quitting retail, remote, in a completely different field: insurance, with a pretty cool startup company! I am not going to lie, it has been a hard transition with its ups and downs but every day is a new experience. 

Learning insurance, this has been one of the hardest trainings that I had to go through in my career, one because it was a completely new field that I knew absolutely nothing about and two, because it was an intense 6 week training program. I had to study for my licensing exam during the training program as well as learn on the job requirements. Kudos to those working in insurance and who have made a career out of it, my mom included because it is not easy. 

Now, is insurance something that I love doing? I cannot tell that for sure yet, but it is something I am taking one day at a time. I am a creative person and I love doing creative things. Insurance is very analytical and very black and white. It's been hard for me because I am usually a hands on, creative person and this has definitely been the opposite of that. 

Working from home is amazing but the job I had to take is an entry level customer service position which requires me to be on phones for pretty much the entire day. That is something I thought I would NEVER do because I am a person with anxiety and phones have always been one of the worst triggers for my anxiety. I can say that I am actually doing a pretty decent job on the phones but is it something that I want to do for a long period of time? Probably not. 

Dealing with the public, no matter what job you are in can be very draining but when you are working in Customer Service, about 70% of the people who call in are not happy about something and you are meant to be the one who fixes it for them. I love helping people but one thing I do not love is being demanded to do something or being yelled at. Some people have just lost all sense of respect and courtesy towards others and it is very sad to witness. 

My dream is that Adelore Creations will soon bloom and I can focus on that and continue focusing on growing the business in different avenues. That takes time and patience so all I can do is work hard, take it one day at a time and hope that all the hard work will pay off in the end. 

THAT is why I haven't posted here in awhile. Why I haven't had time to be creative, to make youtube videos, to create blog posts. I have been immersed into a whole new world of insurance and it is a very serious world. 

For now, I will take every day as it comes but working hard on the days I am off on the long term goals that I want to achieve. By the end of this year, I am hoping that the work we put into Adelore Creations will start paying off and we can really start living and working towards a brighter future. 

I will write a post about what is like switching fields in your 30s so keep an eye out for that if you are interested in that topic or if you have thought about starting a new career yourself. Even though this is not the finish line for me and the career that I am wanting to pursue for the rest of my life, it has definitely been interesting learning a new trade! 

Let me know if you have any questions about anything, and hopefully we will be back to talking about more fun topics very soon! 

Until next time, 

Wishing I was having a Butterbeer haha

Xoxo