r/FinalRoundAI

People's reactions have been harder than the job itself. When I tell people I started working at Walmart, their expressions change immediately. Even my kids seem embarrassed, but I'm a mother with bills to pay, and I don't believe honest work diminishes me in any way.

I was laid off in April after spending nearly 25 years in my field. I have an MBA, but that hasn't made companies answer to me. I've been working since I was 15, and when I was younger, I did a lot of difficult jobs, such as selling kitchen utensils door to door, working in telephone sales, and selling cheap perfume at garage sales.

Unemployment benefits still leave me about $1,800 short every month. I've cut nearly every expense I can, and the only debts I have left are my mortgage and student loans, but my savings won't last forever. The part-time job will bring in about $340 a week while still leaving me time to apply for jobs and attend interviews.

I've been supporting my family on my own for about 19 years, and two of my children still live with me. I contacted everyone I know, asked them to reach out to their contacts, and submitted more than 230 applications. Before this week, all of that had led to only one serious interview.

After I finished my first two shifts at Walmart, I received two interview requests on the same day. Strangely, they came after I removed about 12 years of experience from my résumé. I'm trying not to get overly excited, but it felt good to finally hear back from someone.

Most of the comments from people close to me made me feel terrible, and I nearly skipped my first shift. A former colleague who once worked under my management immediately told me, "I'm proud of you." She was the only person who didn't treat me as though I had failed. I'm not ashamed of working at Walmart, so I'm not going to speak about it in a hushed voice.