Assistant Manager Position - Blu-ray Forum

allstar780 · 09-20-2008, 07:00 AM

A little background...I graduated from highschool in 2008. I work at a Canadian retailer called London Drugs in the AVS (Audio/Video Systems) department. The company's managerial policy is basically that whomever the store manager and department manager see fit, can be hired as an assistant manager. I would say I'm friends with over half of my co-workers (other departments included), including my department manager, Chris.

So I got a ride home today from a training conference from Chris. We were discussing the usual things the guys from work talk about... Blu-ray, speaker setups, etc. when Chris asks me what I plan to do for the next year or two; whether I have plans to go to college or university, whether I plan on just working for a while, or what-have-you.

I tell Chris that I'll be working at London Drugs for at least another year while I decide what to do with the rest of my life. He then mentions to me that in the next few months, our current department Assistant Manager will be moving to another city, and that he wants me to consider the position, even if it's just for 6 months to a year.

I talked to friends and family about it, and they all think its a great idea, but here's the dilemma that it seems only a stranger (or atleast a Blu-ray forum member) could understand;

I feel that a management position is somewhat of a commitment. Being 18 years old and fresh out of highschool I feel that I may not be ready for a full time job, managing staff that has been working there for years longer than I have... hell, I'm the second youngest guy in the department out of 8 total staff members, the youngest being only 4 months younger than me.

But on the opposite side of it, the pay is much better (around $18 an hour, likely more because that's the management hiring wage and I'm not a new hire, plus commission and management bonuses) and I'm guaranteed 40 hours a week, 2 weeks payed vacation and health benefits.

So I pose this question of the lovely Blu-ray forum members.... What would you do? What should I do?

jw · 09-20-2008, 07:27 AM

I would take it, never know you might enjoy it, if not it always looks better on the resume

Short term, long term, whatever, its a learning experience that may excel you further in the future. That year of management experience may help to gain a better wage at a future job

DiverSpear · 09-20-2008, 11:09 AM

Take it. He obviously sees something in you that is worth developing. Plus it does look good on a resume' that your age you are willing to commit to a company, you don't see that anymore.

Rob71 · 09-20-2008, 11:55 AM

I'd take it. He obviously thinks your qualified and like jwbbud said resume wise it will look good no matter what field you plan to go into. One thing to check into, does the company offer a tuition program for employees? I've had friends have a part of their tuition paid for by their employers. If your planning on going to college, every little bit helps.

cravnsn · 09-20-2008, 12:30 PM

I would advise getting a feel for the rest of the people in that department - being as they are older than you, they may have issue with taking direction from someone younger. Also, would there be any resentment that a guy fresh out of HS is getting this offer? You said you’re friends with a lot of people, and I know from personal experience (8 years as a team lead in several locations) that it can be tricky balancing friendship & leadership.

Not saying don’t go for it, just giving some food for thought. Good luck either way.

Craig

cruisyeyes · 09-20-2008, 02:35 PM

You are 18, way to young to be a manager. Go back to school, please. I say so because of a book that was written on the subject.

http://www.amazon.com/Dumbest-Genera...1921275&sr=8-1

I have not read this book yet, but I am sure he hits on all the right points. And no, I have not completed college yet.

CrabbyAzz · 09-20-2008, 03:20 PM

Go for it.. It's great experience. Who cares what your coworkers think, they will just have to deal with it or get another job. Do it for 6 months and then get to college.

mdabb · 09-20-2008, 05:13 PM

Take the job!!! It will be in your best interest to learn managerial duties. No matter what field you ultimately decide to go into later down the road it will be a good opportunity. If you are worried about the responsibility then that is a good thing. It shows you are thinking.

Who cares if your co-workers are older than you. There must be a reason they were not offered the position and you were. When it comes to being friends with your co-workers don't blur the line. Separate your business and personal life. You don't have to be a jerk but the company's best interest comes first.

Anyhow I'm sure the pro's out-way the con's. Better yourself....life is choices. Do not pass on a chance to move forward you will regret it later if you let it pass.

Riff Magnum · 09-20-2008, 07:17 PM

I'm with the others: Take it.
There's always gonna be resentment when someone gets promoted, but you can't let other peoples hangups keep you from taking advantage of an opportunity like this. Do you think the other people at your job wouldn't jump at the chance to make more money regardless if they felt deserving or not? You'll either be a good manager and everyone will eventually "get over it" or you'll be a bad manager and you'll get fired. It's not the end of the world either way. You can always go back to college.

jomari · 09-20-2008, 07:43 PM

heres an idea,

during the time that the current assistant manager is still here, take a day or two (heck if you believe your responsible enough, even on your day off), and see how he works. shadow his daily routine to a certain extent, and learn new responsibilities, and more over his delegated duties.

see if he has a cheat sheet. can you find yourself doing these task day in and out?

then get back to us.

jamclaur · 09-20-2008, 08:50 PM

I'd do it and if you find that it's too much to handle I'm sure you can be honest with the guy and tell him that you would like your old job back...

jamclaur · 09-20-2008, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jomari

heres an idea,

during the time that the current assistant manager is still here, take a day or two (heck if you believe your responsible enough, even on your day off), and see how he works. shadow his daily routine to a certain extent, and learn new responsibilities, and more over his delegated duties.

see if he has a cheat sheet. can you find yourself doing these task day in and out?

then get back to us.

I don't know about a day off, but I would see if you can get paid to shadow him... +1 for this post!

allstar780 · 09-20-2008, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cruisyeyes

You are 18, way to young to be a manager. Go back to school, please. I say so because of a book that was written on the subject.

http://www.amazon.com/Dumbest-Genera...1921275&sr=8-1

I have not read this book yet, but I am sure he hits on all the right points. And no, I have not completed college yet.

Its a good thing I'm not american.

Rob71 · 09-20-2008, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allstar780

Its a good thing I'm not american.

You forgot the capitol A in American.

Just keep two things in mind. One, that book was written by a college professor. And two, the quote "Those that can, do. Those that can't, teach."

jurassic_pork · 09-20-2008, 09:50 PM

I would say definately take it but also do your research before you say yes. Consider who you will be managing and how they may react. Yes you'll be in charge but they can still make your job that much more difficult. As someone else mentioned monitor the person in the current position to see how things go for him/her.

Also if you have any concerns please discuss with the person promoting you. A healthy dialog with expectations/concerns is always helpful.

allstar780 · 09-20-2008, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob71

You forgot the capitol A in American.

Just keep two things in mind. One, that book was written by a college professor. And two, the quote "Those that can, do. Those that can't, teach."

I didn't forget... the government changed it to a lowercase "a" so as to save money on ink when printing official documents.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jurassic_pork

I would say definately take it but also do your research before you say yes. Consider who you will be managing and how they may react. Yes you'll be in charge but they can still make your job that much more difficult. As someone else mentioned monitor the person in the current position to see how things go for him/her.

Also if you have any concerns please discuss with the person promoting you. A healthy dialog with expectations/concerns is always helpful.

I know my co-workers well and I think for the most part they wouldn't react too harshly... but then again they may get fed up with taking orders from someone younger as well. The funny thing is; I'm the only person in my department who was hired directly as an AVS salesperson... everyone else started out as a stock worker or cashier... its like I started where other people had to work a bit to get to... so it may just be natural progression for me to move up.

Marquoz · 09-21-2008, 05:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob71

You forgot the capitol A in American.

Just keep two things in mind. One, that book was written by a college professor. And two, the quote "Those that can, do. Those that can't, teach."

What about those that do research and teach? That's kind of doing both at once.

Pertinent to the topic now. I would say go for it, I was managing a coffee shop at 23, and it was great experience, I learned my limitations, and what I could do in that position. It is a great way to expand your horizons and being 18, it will show other companies when you move on that you do have promise. It could be you enjoy the position and the company and stay on for longer then you expet.

ThePhantomOak · 09-21-2008, 05:50 AM

Dont ask us. We dont know your life and yoour goals. You could be too stupid to go to college or get a better job, so this might be the best for you. OR you could be wasting your time and you could be the guy who puts men on Mars...

You choose. Dont ask the internet what you should do with your life.

Quote:

Originally Posted by allstar780

A little background...I graduated from highschool in 2008. I work at a Canadian retailer called London Drugs in the AVS (Audio/Video Systems) department. The company's managerial policy is basically that whomever the store manager and department manager see fit, can be hired as an assistant manager. I would say I'm friends with over half of my co-workers (other departments included), including my department manager, Chris.

So I got a ride home today from a training conference from Chris. We were discussing the usual things the guys from work talk about... Blu-ray, speaker setups, etc. when Chris asks me what I plan to do for the next year or two; whether I have plans to go to college or university, whether I plan on just working for a while, or what-have-you.

I tell Chris that I'll be working at London Drugs for at least another year while I decide what to do with the rest of my life. He then mentions to me that in the next few months, our current department Assistant Manager will be moving to another city, and that he wants me to consider the position, even if it's just for 6 months to a year.

I talked to friends and family about it, and they all think its a great idea, but here's the dilemma that it seems only a stranger (or atleast a Blu-ray forum member) could understand;

I feel that a management position is somewhat of a commitment. Being 18 years old and fresh out of highschool I feel that I may not be ready for a full time job, managing staff that has been working there for years longer than I have... hell, I'm the second youngest guy in the department out of 8 total staff members, the youngest being only 4 months younger than me.

But on the opposite side of it, the pay is much better (around $18 an hour, likely more because that's the management hiring wage and I'm not a new hire, plus commission and management bonuses) and I'm guaranteed 40 hours a week, 2 weeks payed vacation and health benefits.

So I pose this question of the lovely Blu-ray forum members.... What would you do? What should I do?

allstar780 · 09-21-2008, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePhantomOak

Dont ask us. We dont know your life and yoour goals. You could be too stupid to go to college or get a better job, so this might be the best for you. OR you could be wasting your time and you could be the guy who puts men on Mars...

You choose. Dont ask the internet what you should do with your life.

Understood. Completely.

I'm obviously not going to jump at what the internet tells me to do, but it's nice to get some fresh perspective from people who don't know me.

That way it's people saying how it could be beneficial in general or harmful in general... rather than trying to look at me and say "oh well remember that one time you were in charge of that group project in History and we failed? well I don't think you're cut out to be a manager" or "yeah you did a good job watching my kids that one day, you've got great managerial skills"

Point being, people who are letting me know their opinion based on their own experience or the experience of others, rather than trying to analyze me as a person and tell me if i should or not, are a more valuable opinion than that of friends and family.

katharsis · 09-21-2008, 10:54 AM

Definitely take it!
See it as an opportunity to educate yourself in an assistant manager position.
Even if this is only for a few months or a year, it will bring you experience and will look good on any kind of application in the future.
I don't know what kind of school / college you graduated from or what kind of degree you've got... but if you end up liking the job and do leave a lasting impression with the higher ups of this company you can only get promoted further up the ladder!

18 years old and making $18+ an hour is pretty damn good in my eyes!

09-20-2008, 07:00 AM	#1
allstar780 Special Member Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Mar 2008 Location:Grande Prairie, Alberta Home Theater Gallery:15 Blu-ray collection:115 Blu-ray reviews:2	Assistant Manager Position A little background...I graduated from highschool in 2008. I work at a Canadian retailer called London Drugs in the AVS (Audio/Video Systems) department. The company's managerial policy is basically that whomever the store manager and department manager see fit, can be hired as an assistant manager. I would say I'm friends with over half of my co-workers (other departments included), including my department manager, Chris. So I got a ride home today from a training conference from Chris. We were discussing the usual things the guys from work talk about... Blu-ray, speaker setups, etc. when Chris asks me what I plan to do for the next year or two; whether I have plans to go to college or university, whether I plan on just working for a while, or what-have-you. I tell Chris that I'll be working at London Drugs for at least another year while I decide what to do with the rest of my life. He then mentions to me that in the next few months, our current department Assistant Manager will be moving to another city, and that he wants me to consider the position, even if it's just for 6 months to a year. I talked to friends and family about it, and they all think its a great idea, but here's the dilemma that it seems only a stranger (or atleast a Blu-ray forum member) could understand; I feel that a management position is somewhat of a commitment. Being 18 years old and fresh out of highschool I feel that I may not be ready for a full time job, managing staff that has been working there for years longer than I have... hell, I'm the second youngest guy in the department out of 8 total staff members, the youngest being only 4 months younger than me. But on the opposite side of it, the pay is much better (around $18 an hour, likely more because that's the management hiring wage and I'm not a new hire, plus commission and management bonuses) and I'm guaranteed 40 hours a week, 2 weeks payed vacation and health benefits. So I pose this question of the lovely Blu-ray forum members.... What would you do? What should I do?

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09-20-2008, 07:27 AM	#2
jw Blu-ray Archduke Top contributor Member since:Apr 2007 Location:USA Trading Score:519	I would take it, never know you might enjoy it, if not it always looks better on the resume Short term, long term, whatever, its a learning experience that may excel you further in the future. That year of management experience may help to gain a better wage at a future job

09-20-2008, 11:09 AM	#3
DiverSpear Active Member Member since:Mar 2008 Location:St. Cloud, Florida Blu-ray collection:154 Trading Score:1	Take it. He obviously sees something in you that is worth developing. Plus it does look good on a resume' that your age you are willing to commit to a company, you don't see that anymore.

09-20-2008, 11:55 AM	#4
Rob71 Blu-ray Knight Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Aug 2007 Location:Florida Home Theater Gallery:13 Blu-ray collection:295 Trading Score:5	I'd take it. He obviously thinks your qualified and like jwbbud said resume wise it will look good no matter what field you plan to go into. One thing to check into, does the company offer a tuition program for employees? I've had friends have a part of their tuition paid for by their employers. If your planning on going to college, every little bit helps.

09-20-2008, 12:30 PM	#5
cravnsn Banned Member since:Aug 2008	I would advise getting a feel for the rest of the people in that department - being as they are older than you, they may have issue with taking direction from someone younger. Also, would there be any resentment that a guy fresh out of HS is getting this offer? You said you’re friends with a lot of people, and I know from personal experience (8 years as a team lead in several locations) that it can be tricky balancing friendship & leadership. Not saying don’t go for it, just giving some food for thought. Good luck either way. Craig

09-20-2008, 02:35 PM	#6
cruisyeyes Banned Member since:Sep 2008 Location:Arizona	You are 18, way to young to be a manager. Go back to school, please. I say so because of a book that was written on the subject. http://www.amazon.com/Dumbest-Genera...1921275&sr=8-1 I have not read this book yet, but I am sure he hits on all the right points. And no, I have not completed college yet.

09-20-2008, 03:20 PM	#7
CrabbyAzz Banned Member since:Sep 2008	Go for it.. It's great experience. Who cares what your coworkers think, they will just have to deal with it or get another job. Do it for 6 months and then get to college.

09-20-2008, 05:13 PM	#8
mdabb Power Member Member since:Jan 2008 Trading Score:1	Take the job!!! It will be in your best interest to learn managerial duties. No matter what field you ultimately decide to go into later down the road it will be a good opportunity. If you are worried about the responsibility then that is a good thing. It shows you are thinking. Who cares if your co-workers are older than you. There must be a reason they were not offered the position and you were. When it comes to being friends with your co-workers don't blur the line. Separate your business and personal life. You don't have to be a jerk but the company's best interest comes first. Anyhow I'm sure the pro's out-way the con's. Better yourself....life is choices. Do not pass on a chance to move forward you will regret it later if you let it pass.

09-20-2008, 07:17 PM	#9
Riff Magnum Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Apr 2008 Location:The Island Blu-ray collection:149	I'm with the others: Take it. There's always gonna be resentment when someone gets promoted, but you can't let other peoples hangups keep you from taking advantage of an opportunity like this. Do you think the other people at your job wouldn't jump at the chance to make more money regardless if they felt deserving or not? You'll either be a good manager and everyone will eventually "get over it" or you'll be a bad manager and you'll get fired. It's not the end of the world either way. You can always go back to college.

09-20-2008, 07:43 PM	#10
jomari Moderator Top contributor Member since:Nov 2007 Home Theater Gallery:18 Blu-ray reviews: 2 Trading Score:2	heres an idea, during the time that the current assistant manager is still here, take a day or two (heck if you believe your responsible enough, even on your day off), and see how he works. shadow his daily routine to a certain extent, and learn new responsibilities, and more over his delegated duties. see if he has a cheat sheet. can you find yourself doing these task day in and out? then get back to us.

09-20-2008, 08:50 PM	#11
jamclaur Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Aug 2007 4K collection:75 Blu-ray collection:849 Trading Score:34	I'd do it and if you find that it's too much to handle I'm sure you can be honest with the guy and tell him that you would like your old job back...

09-20-2008, 09:50 PM	#15
jurassic_pork Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Dec 2007 Blu-ray reviews:4 Trading Score:240	I would say definately take it but also do your research before you say yes. Consider who you will be managing and how they may react. Yes you'll be in charge but they can still make your job that much more difficult. As someone else mentioned monitor the person in the current position to see how things go for him/her. Also if you have any concerns please discuss with the person promoting you. A healthy dialog with expectations/concerns is always helpful.

09-21-2008, 10:54 AM	#20
katharsis Power Member Member since:Aug 2007 Location:SoCal Home Theater Gallery:16 Blu-ray collection:379 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:8	Definitely take it! See it as an opportunity to educate yourself in an assistant manager position. Even if this is only for a few months or a year, it will bring you experience and will look good on any kind of application in the future. I don't know what kind of school / college you graduated from or what kind of degree you've got... but if you end up liking the job and do leave a lasting impression with the higher ups of this company you can only get promoted further up the ladder! 18 years old and making $18+ an hour is pretty damn good in my eyes!

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