---
title: "Jobs After Retail: Where Retail Skills Pay More"
description: "Where retail and food service workers move next: jobs that value customer skills, short training paths and BLS May 2025 median pay."
url: https://careerdirecting.com/career-change/leaving-retail/
updated: 2026-10-09
site: CareerDirecting
---

Career change · After retail

# Jobs after retail Your customer skills are worth more elsewhere.

Moving on from retail

Retail teaches you to stay calm under pressure, handle money and deal with difficult people. Those skills are in demand in healthcare, offices and the trades. The national median for retail salespersons was $35,410 in May 2025; many of these jobs pay much more.

In short

Good jobs after retail include pharmacy technician, medical administrative assistant, medical assistant, insurance and real estate sales, HVAC and truck driving. They use customer service skills and need a year or less of training. Pharmacy technicians, for example, earned a median of $45,750 in May 2025, compared with $35,410 for retail salespersons.

**Job numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics** Updated October 9, 2026. Pay figures are national medians and are not a promise of what you will earn.

## Where retail workers often land

Sort by

Jobs that use retail skills

| # | Job | Median pay | Typical way in | Growth 2025 to 2035 | Openings a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Insurance sales agents [(BLS)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/insurance-sales-agents.htm) | $62,280 | High school or GED | 3.3% | 43,100 |
| 2 | [Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/hvac/) | $61,010 | Certificate | 10.9% | 40,600 |
| 3 | [Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/truck-driving/) | $58,640 | Certificate | 3.8% | 214,500 |
| 4 | [Real estate sales agents](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/real-estate-agent/) | $52,830 | High school or GED | 1.7% | 32,600 |
| 5 | [Medical records specialists](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/medical-billing-and-coding/) | $51,140 | Certificate | 7.8% | 14,000 |
| 6 | [Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/bookkeeper/) | $50,670 | Some college | a decline of 5.6% | 144,100 |
| 7 | [Dental assistants](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/dental-assistant/) | $48,070 | Certificate | 7.4% | 53,000 |
| 8 | [Medical secretaries and administrative assistants](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/medical-administrative-assistant/) | $45,930 | High school or GED | 4.8% | 89,200 |
| 9 | [Pharmacy technicians](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/pharmacy-technician/) | $45,750 | High school or GED | 6.4% | 44,700 |
| 10 | [Medical assistants](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/medical-assistant/) | $45,690 | Certificate | 12.9% | 109,700 |
| 11 | [Phlebotomists](https://careerdirecting.com/careers/phlebotomist/) | $45,230 | Certificate | 6.8% | 18,000 |
| 12 | Customer service representatives [(BLS)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/customer-service-representatives.htm) | $44,770 | High school or GED | a decline of 5.3% | 289,500 |

Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm) (Table 1.2), May 2025 median wages, retrieved 2026-10-09. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or switch fields.

## Make the switch

Rewrite your resume around customer service, cash handling and training new staff. See our [career change resume guide](https://careerdirecting.com/career-change/resume/). Many of these jobs train on the job or take a short program.

## Questions people ask

### What is the easiest job to get after retail?

Pharmacy technician and medical office roles often hire retail workers and train them.

### Do retail skills count as experience?

Yes, customer service and reliability carry over to many jobs.

### Can I leave retail without going back to school?

Sometimes, into jobs with on-the-job training. Many better-paid jobs need a short credential.

## Sources

- [BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035, Table 1.2 (occupational projections and worker characteristics)](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm)

## Where to go next

- [Transferable skills](https://careerdirecting.com/career-change/transferable-skills/)
- [Resume](https://careerdirecting.com/career-change/resume/)
- [$20 an hour](https://careerdirecting.com/jobs-without-a-degree/jobs-that-pay-20-an-hour/)
- [Career change](https://careerdirecting.com/career-change/)
- [Afford training](https://careerdirecting.com/career-change/afford-training/)
- [At 30](https://careerdirecting.com/career-change/at-30/)
- [At 35](https://careerdirecting.com/career-change/at-35/)
- [At 40](https://careerdirecting.com/career-change/at-40/)

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Canonical page: https://careerdirecting.com/career-change/leaving-retail/