About to turn 25 and have been working in retail since I was old enough to work. I am scared to death of getting stuck in big box retail and not being able to get out. There are so many people that I see that have been in it for decades. I know I probably should go back to school. Anyone make it out and how did you do it?

I think it’s mainly just trying to take that leap first!

I ended up going back to school when I was 28 for this exact reason. My work actually helped me pay for my schooling, which was great, and loans helped with the rest. Going back to school isn't for everybody, but it might be a good move for you!

I'm currently applying to roles in marketing after 10 years in retail during college and afterwards. I'm not having much luck in my job search but Idk if it's because of my retail experience or because the market is bad (which everyone keeps telling me)

I worked big box retail for years. At 25, this was not my dream job. I worked hard to make a name for myself and become recognized for my good performance. I really tried for every promotion opportunity as they came up and was at some point leading teams. I was promoted on an average of every 6 months. I got a lot of flack from other employees that were jealous, but i owed it to myself to try hard and i had to deal with the internal store drama and backstabbing. I had been using office software for years and had been reading a lot of books like "habits of highly successful people". Reading that book and quoting it during the interview, my office software experience, and my general reputation for being good at projects assigned to me plus I'm well spoken from past door to door sales experience were what tipped the scales in my favor towards impressing the HR manager to hire me as her assistant. She was new to the job, but turned out to be terrible. Everyone but me quit under her. I asked for a raise due to taking on the job of 3 people that quit and was denied. Long story short I quit and took my 6 months office experience and leveraged it to a job working at a hotel. I have moved up in the hotel world and am now a director of a hotel group. I'm also a voracious learner and obsessed with efficiency. I learned Spanish, and managed to get so fast at one of my management jobs that I did 8 hours of work in 42 minutes and then spent the rest of my day earning 4 degrees, and all sorts of certifications. Work hard, stand out, never stop learning, get good at talking to people and forming professional relationships. You really have to stand out. It's exhausting, but keep your dream and goal in mind as often as you can. Chip away at it with realistic goals each day. Seek out mentors that can help you. Some people have parents that have really applicable work experience advice that can help you move up or stand out, I didn't have that at 25, so I learned where I could find that advice and I read a TON.

Don't do it if you can't pay back the loan

Stuck is a mindset. You only get stuck if you let yourself get stuck. There are so many things that you can do besides retail.