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posted Tuesday, July 10, 2012 at 12:43am
With the recent announcement that employment in my demographic is at a 30-year low and dropped an unprecedented amount over the last quarter, I know I should be grateful to just be employed. And I am. Believe me, I'm glad to have money coming in at all, and I don't want to imagine what it's like for other people like me who can't find anything. But quite frankly I can't fucking stand the kind of work I'm doing. Getting paid nickels and dimes above minimum wage to be treated like someone's groveling foot stool by customers, to listen to my racist, sexist, homophobic, spoiled and entitled "daddy pays my bills" co-workers, and then get the run around from spineless managers and given passive aggressive bullshit from cunty, bovine mid-level managers when you bring issues to their attention just isn't fucking worth it. I'm trying to be humble. I remind myself every day of all the things I have that others might not and all of the ways I am lucky, but I know I don't deserve this. The more I try to make myself grateful for this job (and I am grateful for having a steady income, removed from the work!), the more I feel like I'm demeaning myself by suggesting it. I, along with a lot of my coworkers, are so much better than having to listen to how we need to bend over further backwards, stretch ourselves more thin, be grateful for getting the burnt bottom scrapings from a multi-billion dollar world wide corporation's pot. I'm looking for other jobs actively, but most expect years of experience and don't offer wages relevant to that. There is no consolation in knowing the people getting the jobs that I would have been ideal for six years ago are now also too qualified for them, but will have to deal with it for now. We shouldn't have to be grateful for these jobs when we've invested the time and money into ourselves, our educations, and by extension our economy. We all deserve better than this.
Comments (7) Add New Comment
Jul 10, 2012 at 8:12 am
You might be over thinking this. Nothing wrong with a routine job to pay bills while you sort out next step. Life has its inane and goofy side- enjoy what you can for the while you continue to show up.
Jul 10, 2012 at 4:48 pm
When you can't get where you want to go with the experience you have, get more experience or more education! You might not get paid while you're getting experience or education, but it'll be worth it in the long run if it gets you out of a job you so obviously hate, won't it?
Jul 10, 2012 at 4:59 pm
At least you're not stripping.
Jul 11, 2012 at 2:22 am
you should quit. or go back to school. you sound miserable and you're right. PEOPLE deserve better than the rat race...you obviously have put a lot of time and money into getting where you are today, and I know there is a certain status attached to being in the corporate world..but unless you enjoy that sort of trampling-on-others-to-get-ahead...maybe its time to consider something else? or move cities? it sounds like you're ready for a change, and although scary, it might end up being life-changing in an awesome kind of way!
Jul 12, 2012 at 12:55 am
"should" has got to be one of the most annoying words in the world. "You should quit." "You should go back to school."
Going to school doesn't guarantee motherfucking ANYTHING. More education can screw up your job possibilities too: "oh, this person is overqualified, they'll find something better and leave right away." Maybe. Or maybe they'll be lying about those fucking university degrees just to get a job at (wherever, it's all the same, different uniforms) for minimum wage. Or less. (Illegal shit looks positively awesome once you reach a certain low.)
More education does NOT mean better jobs. It means different jobs. Some worlds open up to you, and some slam shut forever.
"I know I should be grateful."
According to whom, exactly? Why should you be grateful that you're working for a corporation who doesn't care about you in the least? Why should you be grateful to be like all these other drones, living in fear, hoping for the best while telling each other "shhhh stay quiet, don't rock the boat, I got kids to feed, I got bills to pay, shhhhh, you should be grateful......"
Quit. You might be able to find another job that is less demeaning. It might pay less. It might pay more. You might need to look at the world of self-employment or contract employment: might not be want you want, but watching your sense of self-worth disappear is horrible.
There are no guarantees. There is no one right way to be. You can be happy AND poor. You can be financially stable AND suicidal.
Going to school doesn't guarantee motherfucking ANYTHING. More education can screw up your job possibilities too: "oh, this person is overqualified, they'll find something better and leave right away." Maybe. Or maybe they'll be lying about those fucking university degrees just to get a job at (wherever, it's all the same, different uniforms) for minimum wage. Or less. (Illegal shit looks positively awesome once you reach a certain low.)
More education does NOT mean better jobs. It means different jobs. Some worlds open up to you, and some slam shut forever.
"I know I should be grateful."
According to whom, exactly? Why should you be grateful that you're working for a corporation who doesn't care about you in the least? Why should you be grateful to be like all these other drones, living in fear, hoping for the best while telling each other "shhhh stay quiet, don't rock the boat, I got kids to feed, I got bills to pay, shhhhh, you should be grateful......"
Quit. You might be able to find another job that is less demeaning. It might pay less. It might pay more. You might need to look at the world of self-employment or contract employment: might not be want you want, but watching your sense of self-worth disappear is horrible.
There are no guarantees. There is no one right way to be. You can be happy AND poor. You can be financially stable AND suicidal.
Jul 12, 2012 at 2:34 am
I quit my job after hq dealt everyone a pay cut and planning to go back to school. What say you join me OP?
Although the student loan thing bugs the hell out of me...
Although the student loan thing bugs the hell out of me...
Jul 19, 2012 at 4:26 am
Wow. KILLER article. Its totally true, and I really think that the problem lies in apathy, and a lack of willingness to put energy into collaboration and sweat equity. By Apathy, I mean on the part of the underpaid workers who choose these CRAP positions instead of learning new trades, starting their own businesses, furthering society by building new products, services, and organizations to solve societys problems.
People may piss and moan about their jobs and idiotic managers... we've all had them at any level in the capitalistic organization.... the only way to fix this, is if we start our own organizations, and treat people with as much respect as we can, while building things to change the world. I believe it can happen, and more people should care.
People may piss and moan about their jobs and idiotic managers... we've all had them at any level in the capitalistic organization.... the only way to fix this, is if we start our own organizations, and treat people with as much respect as we can, while building things to change the world. I believe it can happen, and more people should care.
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