career change needed

[mrsoul]

so i have been in the car business for over 10 years now and have worked my way to management where i have made a comfortable living. the problem is i hate what i do, i have no passion for my work anymore and business is the worst i have ever seen it before now. i am not college educated and really possess no special skills other than sales where i consider myself to be a strong closer. my wife is in graduate school, we have a 1 1/2 year old son and i am the only income. if i were to change jobs i would need to make what i make now which is the low end of six figures pretty quickly in order to keep up with the bills.
i understand that six figure jobs for uneducated people are not growing on trees, however i am sure there are other fields of sales where this kind of income is not un common. can anyone help point me in the right direction?

 

[inoverdrive]

Nice to see another car man here. I have been in the car business now for 20 years. I am actually doing advertising and marketing. We do the "sales events" for dealers. The car business has always been good (with its ups and downs) but i love what i do though. I dont think people realize how hard and tough the business is. The long hours and stress can kill ya. What dealership are you at? Or what state are you in?

 

[mrsoul]

tennessee. i have done staffed events before from both sides. travelled with a team for a while before i was married as a traveling desk man. i have loved this business and done well, but since my son was born i realized i wanted to improve my quality of life and be able to spend more time at home and not just be at home thinking about work. i am sure you know what i mean.

 

[hotttsauce]

so i have been in the car business for over 10 years now and have worked my way to management where i have made a comfortable living. the problem is i hate what i do, i have no passion for my work anymore and business is the worst i have ever seen it before now. i am not college educated and really possess no special skills other than sales where i consider myself to be a strong closer. my wife is in graduate school, we have a 1 1/2 year old son and i am the only income. if i were to change jobs i would need to make what i make now which is the low end of six figures pretty quickly in order to keep up with the bills.
i understand that six figure jobs for uneducated people are not growing on trees, however i am sure there are other fields of sales where this kind of income is not un common. can anyone help point me in the right direction?

Are there any career counselors in your area? One thing you can do is take an interest inventory test to find what your "true" interests are. You would be surprised how your interests can go with a new career path and they are things you take for granted you like or are skilled at.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 comes to mind first and I am sure they have something online somewhere you can take it. Make sure to find and take the 2 and not the older version.

Some Bureaus of Unemployment have them and they are free. I do not know what state you live in or the programs they have. Obviously you are quite gifted in sales and able to self educate yourself in business or would not have reached the level you have. Take that drive and motivation and use it to find your new career path.

 

[mrsoul]

Are there any career counselors in your area? One thing you can do is take an interest inventory test to find what your "true" interests are. You would be surprised how your interests can go with a new career path and they are things you take for granted you like or are skilled at.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 comes to mind first and I am sure they have something online somewhere you can take it. Make sure to find and take the 2 and not the older version.

Some Bureaus of Unemployment have them and they are free. I do not know what state you live in or the programs they have. Obviously you are quite gifted in sales and able to self educate yourself in business or would not have reached the level you have. Take that drive and motivation and use it to find your new career path.

thanks bro, i will look into this.

 

[hotttsauce]

thanks bro, i will look into this.

Sent an email to a couple of my JPS people. Will see if they have anything that they can send me that is self administered and auto outcomed. Will pm you as an attachment if so.

 

[Sassy]

Oh I feel your pain...

I'm struggling with this too. The company I'm currently working for had a management change when I first started. Things aren't going very well since this guy took over. He micromanages every one to a point that you can't do your job without him telling you to do your job first. He manages through fear. Things are so stressful around here because everyone walks on egg shells.

I've been searching for a new job for year now, but I'm in a small town with limited possibilities for what I do... which is marketing & advertising. This economy isn't helping any either since it is the first place companies cut back when times are tough. I'm trying to decided wither or not to change careers. I have no idea what I'd like to do if I do change.

Have you tried a "headhunter" or professional recruiter? They can also help you with career opportunities.

Good luck!

 

[inoverdrive]

tennessee. i have done staffed events before from both sides. travelled with a team for a while before i was married as a traveling desk man. i have loved this business and done well, but since my son was born i realized i wanted to improve my quality of life and be able to spend more time at home and not just be at home thinking about work. i am sure you know what i mean.

Believe it or not you can find a dealership out there where you can still enjoy your family. They are few and far between but they are out there. i use to have a good customer of mine and he moved to a Suzuki store in Tenn. I cant remember which one. His name is Dan Henderson. Hang in there because after a while the car business sucks you in where its hard to leave it.

By the way which event company did u work for? Mine was Overdrive (aka, inoverdrive)

 

[inoverdrive]

I'm struggling with this too. The company I'm currently working for had a management change when I first started. Things aren't going very well since this guy took over. He micromanages every one to a point that you can't do your job without him telling you to do your job first. He manages through fear. Things are so stressful around here because everyone walks on egg shells.

I've been searching for a new job for year now, but I'm in a small town with limited possibilities for what I do... which is marketing & advertising. This economy isn't helping any either since it is the first place companies cut back when times are tough. I'm trying to decided wither or not to change careers. I have no idea what I'd like to do if I do change.

Have you tried a "headhunter" or professional recruiter? They can also help you with career opportunities.

Good luck!

Sassy, marketing and advertising is still a great career if your in the right place. Have you ever thought about relocating. I just heard here in NC we are third highest state for jobs.

Another thing is look for advertising comapnies that deal to car dealers. They are always looking for good people.