Seven years. 84 months. 364 weeks. 2,555 days.

On March 2nd, 2018, I will be turning twenty-three. But what else occurs this year? The date will also mark seven years since I applied for my first job, at Aeropostale.

Before I go any further, I just want to point out that when I started at Aeropostale, as a sixteen year-old girl, the store was amidst lots of change, as a brand and individual location. Specifically, we were transitioning out of the whole monkey prints on graphic tees, to trendier designs to become more competitive.

Overall, I was really excited to even get an interview for the sales associate position. I wanted to be able to put money towards things I wanted, and what my family needed. Working at the mall was my first step in this direction.

I remember interviewing for the position, and I was with a group of others. Even though I was nervous, I know I believed enough in myself to speak up and stand out. I was not afraid to take a chance, and after the interview process, I discovered that believing in myself paid off and I got the job.

For the next few years, I worked with Aeropostale, and balanced school, another job, family, sports, and other extra-curricular activities. I had many ups and downs, but I learned so much from the retailer. I went from missing my first shift, to late nights with store set, to learning how to do marketing, to helping with stock, and so much more. I became a more responsible individual and I would undoubtedly be different if I had not started there.

How did working for that company get me to the position I am today? As a co-manager with Ann Taylor LOFT, who was promoted twice in less than six months, I have found stability and support with this career. Yes, I have been building this for almost seven years, and no, the job is not what I majored in college, but being a retail manager is my career, and I am proud of it.

I have been questioned by others if this is the path I truly think I should be on, and maybe I will not be here forever. But at the same time, I do not want to be thought of as less because I work in retail. I am not someone who simply folds clothes. I am not someone who only checks out people at a register. I am not someone who is limited by working in retail.

My career as a retail manager has extended far beyond those tasks, and given me incredible experience for the remainder of my life. I have learned how to collaborate and work with people of all personality types. I have discovered various ways to lead and pull out talents from employees who have struggled. I have contributed to under performing teams and transformed results to drive millions of dollars for a huge corporation. I have adapted with technology and utilized with those developments to get in touch with modern society. I have tracked metrics, analyzed data, and decoded reports to illustrate to teams what impact we must have to gain profit. I have changed and personally developed to a brighter, more diligent, and all-around better person because of this career.

I have been approached recently with people who think retail is "dying" or is not a steady career since the field is constantly changing. But I also challenge those same people because the strength of retail, especially Ann Taylor, is within our ability to change. We thrive in the environment to build up from nothing, and create outstanding results.

Technology is important, but I am still in the position where it will not replace my abilities and career. People need people. We need to understand how to interact when technology fails. I am tested that ability every day at this career, and constantly reacting to the issues and flaws that occur with new mechanisms. Retail employees are needed because our ingenuity is crucial to success and at the end of the day, we are the hands that give life to those developments. Therefore, no, retail is not dying, and my career is not going anywhere.

If I could go back seven years and applied to another type of job, I would in a heart beat refute that possibility. At the end of the day, LOFT has given me confidence when I did not have any. LOFT has given skills that I could not have gotten everywhere. LOFT has humbled me and allowed me to become a better person.

LOFT has given me the freedom to live, and no one can replace that.