Is your job getting you down?

[Agony_Boothb]

Mine definitely is, and has been for the last few years but i have been too chicken faeces to do anything about it.

Basically i work for a bank in a role that deals with fraudulent activity and credit card disputes. I have been in the role close to 5 years. The pay is good and i consider some most of the people I work with close friends. In fact the friends that i have made at my current job are the reason i have stuck around for so long.

I originally started out in a less demanding role within the department and at the encouragement of my senior officer applied for a more challening role. Which i got because she convinced our manager and our team leader to give me the job (i later found out that neither the manager nor my team leader thought i was capable).

This was about two years ago and i have really struggled to excel in the role. I am continually making mistakes and i have felt like i am back in high school, which was also a major struggle for me. My disappointment in myself coupled with my team leaders frequent mood swings and tripled with having to deal with rudeand ignorant customers, has stressed me out to the point where i have been at home since last friday in bed refusing to go to work and sleeping all day.

I have tried applying for other jobs but i think once they see 'fraud and disputes officer' on my resume i am either thought to be over qualified or stupid for wanting to give up what seemingly is a cushy job. Really i don't think i am cut out to work in an office and tow the corporate line. The use of phrases like 'moving foward' and 'synergy' makes me want to vomit uncontrollably

So screw it i have decided that i am going to pursue a forgotten dream of working in a bar and hopefully some day getting into flair bartending. I'm going to get my RSA (responsible serving of alcohol) and get some training at a local bar school that is pretty highly renowned. I dont know if it will work out but i think i should give it a try.

Is anyone else in the same boat? if you are please post here, hopefully we can all encourage each other and support each other to make the changes that need to be made.

 

[thestrangequark]

For too long I've been telling myself I should be grateful just to have a job, but like you I recently realized that it is just time to move on. I think you are making the right choice; any job that depresses you to the point that you are bedridden is one to think twice about. Although my situation is different to yours, I understand the trepidation, and the relief, of making that choice to move on.

Unlike you, I do love my job. I am also very good at it. However, the stress that is placed on me is detrimental to my health -- I have bipolar disorder, and having to be "on", as it were, every moment I am at work is beyond draining. However, when one works with such young children in the capacity that I do, one must maintain the energy and positive attitude no matter what one is really feeling. This stress, along with the facts that I am not intellectually stimulated, and that financially I am unsatisfied, led me to decide that it is time to try something new. I've decided to go back to grad school, for a PhD in neuroscience.

I want to play with brains!

 

[Rett Mikhal]

I don't think you should outright stop going, give a two weeks notice. I've made the mistake of burning bridges with previous employers when they tried to screw me over, and it hung like a cloud over my head every time I went on an interview (always thinking "what if they call him!? I'll never get this job if they call him! Why did I do that!?)

But other than that it's time to move on.

 

[MetalPants]

Job dissatisfaction? Ha. I work at Wal-mart. Everyday it can be a struggle not to tell some customer that I don't fucking care about their Cheerios. Add into the mix that I have multiple college degrees and you get the idea.

After not finding a new/better job in the last four years, I am going back to school to try a new route- hopefully statistics will be a good field for me.

 

[Captain_Nick]

Wow. I have two jobs, and any dissatisfaction I might feel in one is counteracted by the sheer awesome of the other. I have money and satisfaction, kneel before me!

Seriously though. Original poster - take a look at getting your RSA and doing bartending part time. Don't quit your day job until you've tried balancing both out. It could well be that your dissatisfaction in your main job will evaporate when you have this mad new 'out' to go to on weekends where you have stacks of fun and earn a little money on the side.

Don't make the mistake of chucking out what might be a good job just because it doesn't feel nice right now.

 

[Captain_Nick]

Besides - it takes courage to throw away your main job for a hospitality. (I should know I'm in exactly that position)

There is much less inertia to overcome if you start slowly with a part time gig.

 

[Lookingglassman]

My job is boring because I do the same thing day after day, year after year. I feel like a Borg, but a well paid Borg and that is why I stay.

 

[Agony_Boothb]

Wow. I have two jobs, and any dissatisfaction I might feel in one is counteracted by the sheer awesome of the other. I have money and satisfaction, kneel before me!

Seriously though. Original poster - take a look at getting your RSA and doing bartending part time. Don't quit your day job until you've tried balancing both out. It could well be that your dissatisfaction in your main job will evaporate when you have this mad new 'out' to go to on weekends where you have stacks of fun and earn a little money on the side.

Don't make the mistake of chucking out what might be a good job just because it doesn't feel nice right now.

Besides - it takes courage to throw away your main job for a hospitality. (I should know I'm in exactly that position)

There is much less inertia to overcome if you start slowly with a part time gig.

Thats good advice Nick, although i do kind of have a second job albeit a volunteer position at an op shop (opportunity or second hand store for the non aussies) which i love doing. It's only one day a week, every saturday but it does provide an alternative to what i do during the week. I'd love to to get a paid position there but i don't think thats going to happen.

If you dont mind me askin, what do you do nick?

 

[Captain_Nick]

I have an office job with an insurance firm and I work as a cook on the weekends.

Needless to say I have been quite busy thanks to these fkn floods.

The office work is stupefyingly boring but I get paid well ... the cooking job is a lot of fun but the pay will never be enough to cover my expenses. So I do both.

 

[donners22]

I used to love my job, and still appreciate many aspects about it. It's probably a bit too easy, and it feels like I'm watching law happen rather than being a part of it (I'm a qualified lawyer), but it's comfortable and well-paid.

Unfortunately, I got engaged to a co-worker last year, which blew up spectacularly and ended with a hell of a lot of bitterness.

Now I have to work past her every day (she's at the reception desk) and the worst bit is that her mother (who at one point threatened me) has now also started work here!

I really want to leave, but there's only once place I want to go. I don't want to wind up in a job I really dislike just because of one hurtful person, which means waiting a lot longer for something to come up.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Well, given that I was laid off last March when IBM closed my Division, and unemployment in my city is still well over 10%...and I am WAY overqualified for pretty much any job advertised...I wish to heck I had the LUXURY of having a job I couldn't cope with.

Before I was laid off, I was working 75 hours a week on the 'project' which did away with my division, and thus my job. I knew before most people that bad shit was happening, was forced to work toward making it happen, and was also forced (via a signed confidentiality agreement, even) to not reveal to anyone (including my friends) what was going on.

It was an extremely stressful time...but it was money in the bank, and I did not have to worry about losing my house...and I did not have to worry about every frakkin' penny I spent.

I guess what I'm trying to say that in this economy....any job is better than no job, unless you have someone who is willing to support you....in which case, you are one lucky soul. I can appreciate hating your job - I know I hated mine, when I was working toward it's own elimination every day in secret, with no legitimate outlet were I could vent my frustration over it. That sucked...and sucked huge. But it sure beats living off of spaghetti and peanut butter & jelly for months on end, and not being able to do much of anything that requires you to open your wallet.

It's all in your perspective, I guess.

I spent my entire career building up this massive pile of credentials and impressive accomplishments. And now, I'd be better off in the job market if I was a total flunky who was still working for 50K a year doing accounts payable or something.

 

[Agony_Boothb]

I used to love my job, and still appreciate many aspects about it. It's probably a bit too easy, and it feels like I'm watching law happen rather than being a part of it (I'm a qualified lawyer), but it's comfortable and well-paid.

Unfortunately, I got engaged to a co-worker last year, which blew up spectacularly and ended with a hell of a lot of bitterness.

Now I have to work past her every day (she's at the reception desk) and the worst bit is that her mother (who at one point threatened me) has now also started work here!

I really want to leave, but there's only once place I want to go. I don't want to wind up in a job I really dislike just because of one hurtful person, which means waiting a lot longer for something to come up.

Ah i'm really sorry to hear that Donners. I hope i'm not prying, but how do you cope with having to face your ex on a daily basis?

Well, given that I was laid off last March when IBM closed my Division, and unemployment in my city is still well over 10%...and I am WAY overqualified for pretty much any job advertised...I wish to heck I had the LUXURY of having a job I couldn't cope with.

Before I was laid off, I was working 75 hours a week on the 'project' which did away with my division, and thus my job. I knew before most people that bad shit was happening, was forced to work toward making it happen, and was also forced (via a signed confidentiality agreement, even) to not reveal to anyone (including my friends) what was going on.

It was an extremely stressful time...but it was money in the bank, and I did not have to worry about losing my house...and I did not have to worry about every frakkin' penny I spent.

I guess what I'm trying to say that in this economy....any job is better than no job, unless you have someone who is willing to support you....in which case, you are one lucky soul. I can appreciate hating your job - I know I hated mine, when I was working toward it's own elimination every day in secret, with no legitimate outlet were I could vent my frustration over it. That sucked...and sucked huge. But it sure beats living off of spaghetti and peanut butter & jelly for months on end, and not being able to do much of anything that requires you to open your wallet.

It's all in your perspective, I guess.

I spent my entire career building up this massive pile of credentials and impressive accomplishments. And now, I'd be better off in the job market if I was a total flunky who was still working for 50K a year doing accounts payable or something.

That sucks PKTrekGirl, it must have been horribly difficult situation to be in. In fact i can't imagine how shitful a place that would be. Yet another reason why i hate the corporate world.

I do appreciate my job, it's comfortable and like i said the pay is good. I think the reason i have been there for so long is because i know it's a good job. I'm just not very good at it and i think thats the problem not the job itself.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

Well I am the perfect example of the ungrateful bastard. I was unemployed for over two years and was lucky enough to land a security job 5 months ago just right after my unemployment totally ran out.

The job is mind-numbingly dull and physically hard. I stand in a parking lot for 7 hours where pretty much nothing happens. I am diabetic and standing for so long is really putting a hurting on my feet. There always seems to be completely BS politics involved in being a security guard too. Being a security guard is highly symbolic for me as well. I always seem to land back in it when times are tough and it has become sort of a metaphor for the failure in life I consider myself. As my girlfriend reminds me though so many would like to be in my position(including me just six months ago) and I really am lucky to be getting a paycheck and easing the burden on her when she helped support me for so long. They did just move me up to 35 hours a week so just quitting isn't remotely an option.

Thing is I really should be pounding the pavement right now. Last month I finally got my pharmacy technician license. It is not my dream, but it is a ray of hoping it getting me some stability so I am not jumping from meaningless job to job every few years. It is a chance to pull myself out of debt and build a future with my girlfriend. But as with most things in life I am simply scared. I had a bad experience during my internship and that has shaken my confidence. I really need to start building on the groundwork the last five months has given me though.

mickmike: I'd tell you to first figure out why you might be doing so poorly in your current job, but it seems you really do have a more dream job in mind so I'd say go for it, but don't sacrifice everything or burn any bridges. These are still tough times and security should not be underrated right now.

TSQ: You are remarkably brave and I am so jealous of you. As a fellow depression sufferer of a different kind I am really pulling for you that you can find fulfillment in your new path.

PKTrekGirl: Thanks for reminding us we need to be grateful for what we have and not take things for granted. I know this is a tough road to go through right now, but I have faith a smart and capable person like yourself will come out the other end in a good position.

 

[Agony_Boothb]

Hey Rage, a pharmacy technician sounds like an interesting job but i understand your fear. Sometimes it's easier to stay somewhere familiar and risk being unhappy than it is to move on to something we may like and risk unhappiness (if that makes sense). Also if you have had a bad experience, that can seriously put a dampening field on things. However despite that i think you should take whatever steps are needed to get a job as a pharmacy technician, if only for your health and sanity (feel free to tell me to take my own advice lol).

Thanks for your advice, i'm actually heading to the doctor tomorrow to have a chat about whats going on. I have had a feeling for a few years that i might have a learning disorder that may not have been picked up during my formative years. I struggled alot at school and was frequently sent to remedial/special education classes. so i'm hoping tomorrow i might at least be able to figure out if there is in fact something odd going on in my noggin.

 

[iguana_tonante]

I want to play with brains!

You don't play with your food.



Well, unless you are a cat.

 

[MetalPants]

It's all in your perspective, I guess.

I spent my entire career building up this massive pile of credentials and impressive accomplishments. And now, I'd be better off in the job market if I was a total flunky who was still working for 50K a year doing accounts payable or something.

Ah perspective is an interesting thing. If I could be a "total flunky" working for 50k a year it would mean my annual salary nearly doubled.

 

[SeerSGB]

Mine is dragging me down: I work freelance (photography, web design, print layout/design, stuff like that). The contracts are getting thin these days (county isn't going to need as many people as they've need the last few years) and what clients I have left have either shuttered their doors or think that a copy of a Dummies book from the local library means that they can do it themselves at home for nothing

I'm actually going to try to find a nice, stable (in theory), job in food service or maybe hospitality.

 

[LitmusDragon]

I really shouldn't complain about my job. I have it a lot better than most people. I wish I had been able to succeed in some kind of creative field however. I would much rather be working in the arts or entertainment than answering menial technical support questions over the phone. It seems like a waste of my potential.

 

[Warp Coil]

I've been feeling the itch for quite some time now. I've grown frustrated and tired with my current position. I'm doing more mind-numbing, administrative tasks than I used to. I'm using my brain less. The workload is adequate - not too much, not too little - but it's the type of work that's changed and evolved over the past couple of years. My job has transformed into something very different. My daily routine is not the same. In a way, it's nice to have things change every once in a while so avoid boredom, but I just really need something challenging. Something interesting.

I'm currently enrolled in grad school and will finish up my Masters in Technology Management this spring. Theoretically, I should have tools and skills under my belt to help me move on to something different if I choose. However, I have zero real world experience in the field and I think that will hinder my ability to find a new job in this new field. No one cares if I went to school and studied theory and wrote papers. They want to know what my actual work experience and skills are. I was hoping to find a part-time internship for the spring but I had no luck.

My boss is aware of my frustration. Thankfully, she's awesome and doesn't hold it against me. I think she understands. However, she's also quick to point out how lucky we should all feel to be employed and to have the many great benefits that we have. I complain about all of the stupid, mind-numbing tasks that have been thrown at my department, and her response is always the same: "it is better to be needed, than liked." In other words, be thankful that we have work to do because it makes us seem important, and thus less likely to be given a pink slip if/when the company decides to cut heads.

 

[Holdfast]

Funnily enough, I just blogged today about the challenge of fulfilling one's potential in the jobs most people find themselves working in (see the link in my sig if you're interested). Jung has some very interesting ideas about why this happens, and it's interesting to contemplate the potential solutions.

Personally, I found at least part of the answer (for now, anyway) in self-employment, but it is not a role that would make everyone happy.