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My job makes me depressed but I don't know what to do


Jelina

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Well let me start off by saying that I graduated with a B.F.A. in Graphic Design in the end of May. I had been looking for a job ever since then. It took me from the end of May to the end of August to find a job. I was deeply depressed due to the fact that I couldn't find a job, and I stayed home in the week days because of this. It made me feel like a loser.

 

During that time someone contacted me for a job twice, but I had to turn it down due to transportation issues. I also tried doing some freelance work online and after I did the work, the person never paid me. As a matter of fact, they even disconnected their phone and ignored my emails so that I would stop contacting them about money they owed me for doing their work.

 

At the end of August I received a phone call. It was for a graphic design job, but I would also have to deal with customers calling in about changes to their website, sales and technical support issues (but I'd have to transfer them to the correct dep.). I went to the interview the next day and then got the job. Ever since then I have been working there. Two other people work with me and they do tech support and sales. My job is mostly to update the customer's website, make logos, and do anything that is design related. I also have to talk to customers, which are never too happy with the system, have alot of tech issues that I don't know how to handle due to the fact that it's not my job and yell at me on the phone ALOT. The person who does tech support refuses to pick up the calls, this person is too busy trying to fix the system that the customers are complaining about. And when someone calls in for sales, and I transfer them to the sales the person gets mad and tells me off, because they need to do other things too and the phone calls are taking time away from solving issues.

 

So I get stuck with angry customers, I don't know what to do about it, they won't hang up the phone, and they hate me. Every time I ask the tech support person if they could please take the call this person rolls their eyes at me and shoots me dirty looks. But at the same time this person tells me that if I need help with anything to just ask. To top it all off, I am only getting paid $9 and no health insurance. I am also commuting there and I spend $85 to get there each week. To make things worst, the owner of the place is launching a new system that has a lot of bugs and is still in beta version and he said that I am going to handle those customer calls too.

 

Another issue is that my bf hates my job because he says that I am worth way more than $9. I have a very good portfolio and I have a B.F.A. in Graphic Design. My bf didn't finish college and he is getting paid more than me....he doesn't like this. Also he doesn't like the fact that people are yelling at me. Every day he wants to know what happened at my job and he wants to know if I was yelled at and I just tell him everything is ok because I don't want to make him upset and lecture me about how I should find something better. I don't like being lectured when I feel bad about something already. Another thing is that I lied to my mom.....I told her I was getting paid $12, which isn't a lot either, but I know that if I would have said 9 she would have told me to just work at Burger King so I wouldn't have to commute so far, lol. I live with my mom for now, but I am focusing more on saving up money to pay up loans which are due at the end of December. Another thing that really bothers me is that I had applied to 2 jobs weeks before I went on the interview for this one, I never heard from then again, the day that I had already told the owner that I'd work there they BOTH contact me that day to see if I could go on an interview. I turned them both down because I had already told the person who hired me that I'd be working there.

 

 

You are probably wondering why do I stay there if I don't like it.

1. I don't know how to tell them that I am quitting.

2. I am scared at their reaction since another girl who started at the same time with me quit after a week and was given a lecture for 3 hours.

3. I don't want to be unemployed again.

4. I am scared that they will be upset at the fact that they took time to explain things to me all for nothing because I was going to quit.

5. I really don't want to quit on bad terms, I wanted to have someone else for a referral.

6. I did some work at their job already but I wanted to do more so that it would be part of my portfolio.

7. If I don't quit and I look for a job while I'm there I will have to take the day off to go on interviews because if I go back to work with my portfolio they will know that I'm looking for a new job......

 

I told my bf that I will get another job once I get a car, but now I am wondering if I should just leave now. I have a lot of issues with the job and I over heard the other 2 people talking about how they might quit this upcoming week if things don't get solved. If they quit, I really got to quit cause that means I will have no one to transfer calls to and have to deal with even more customers. And my salary won't even increase.........

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Sucks, I know. You're not doing anything wrong... just trying to figure out where you stand. Unfortunately, only you know all the little intricacies and subtle circumstances that can help you make the right decision. You said you have loans in December to pay... are they Federal student loans? If so, don't let that cause you anxiety. They have income contingent plans and they will also give you hardship deferments if you don't have a job. You probably know that already, but just in case you didn't...

 

Is this a small/start-up type company? They usually have a more chaotic disorganized environment that can be more stressful. If it were me in your shoes, and I had any way about it to do it, I'd quit. Depending on how long you've worked at a company, you may not even need to give two weeks notice. I don't give two weeks unless I've been at a company for 3 months or more. Since you got this at the end of August, you've hardly even worked there two weeks. There's really no reason to give notice at all. Just drop an email saying, "I'm terribly sorry, but I'm miserable at your company and I will not be returning. Thank you for the opportunity." and leave it at that. If you're this unhappy after two weeks of work, you're just not gonna make it long enough for that job to do anything good for you. My opinion is get out of it now... the sooner the better. But it's up to you. Gotta do what you think is right.

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My god girl.. getting $9 an hour at a job when you have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design is pittance! I know, cuz I have the exact same degree.

 

You're worth AT LEAST $10 esp. with no benefits.... Try call back the two companies who offered you interviews and say you've reconsidered and would like to come in for an interview. What do you have to lose? Or just keep your present job, and schedule that interview with the other company if they are still willign to give it to you, and see where it goes... Let's do the math $9 an hour x 40 = $360... and they probably take out 25%, which takes away $90, so that's leaving you $270-$85 travel expenses... Shooot, you are getting less than $200 a week for a job when you got a BA. Not cool at all!

I'd tell them to shove it if it were me... Or.. just wait til the two doofuses quit and see if they are not going to hire someone more reliable than these nimrods..

Sounds like they want to do everything on the cheap until they get their company up and running, but that ain't fair to you either. You got bills to pay also.

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I'd quit, get a job at Burger King, and work on my portfolio while looking for another job. The hours at Burger King will be more flexible so it allows you to go to interviews and you won't have to bring any stress back home.

 

If quitting isn't going to be utter and complete financial suicide, then quit. Don't let the employer hold you hostage in a job you hate. Don't be too proud to work a transition job that's "beneath" you. A lot of times you have to spend time doing crappy jobs until you get a break.

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I'm really sorry to hear you have such an awful work environment. I definitely agree that you need to get another job, however I would suggest that given the state of the economy right now that you get another job first before you resign.

 

There are staffing agencies specifically geared towards people with BFAs in design. So I'd sign up with as many as you can and let them help you find better work. You should be able to earn at least $15/hour.

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It is a rather small company although they have been open for 8 yrs. They have run into alot of complications now. But I feel like if they don't allow you to gain a higher position just sort of give you as many random jobs as they can, but they will never pay me more. There is a lady who works there, she has worked for 7 yrs there, and she still gets $9.

crosstownTraffic You read my mind on scheduling an interview. I actually emailed the lady back yesterday night. I have an interview tomorrow with them, I really hope I get this job.

 

Thanks everyone for replying back to my post. I really appreciate it. I am really excited for this interview tomorrow. I have taken the day off. I am now debating whether or not I should just quit even if I don't get the job and apply to other jobs. I know a couple of other job positions that I'd like to apply to.

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Can you survive if you just up and quit? It is good taht you are living with your mom, so that takes care of rent. If you quit, you could probably find some temp positions to bring in some money, while job hunting.

 

I hope you get that job you are interviewing for.

 

Sometimes, startup companies are really hard to work for. I currently work for a startup engineering-type firm. It's chaotic and disorganized there and people don't work well with each other. I hate the job and I hate the people, but the money's pretty good.

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Can you survive if you just up and quit? It is good taht you are living with your mom, so that takes care of rent. If you quit, you could probably find some temp positions to bring in some money, while job hunting.

 

I hope you get that job you are interviewing for.

 

Sometimes, startup companies are really hard to work for. I currently work for a startup engineering-type firm. It's chaotic and disorganized there and people don't work well with each other. I hate the job and I hate the people, but the money's pretty good.

 

Yea I could survive. I was thinking of just quitting even if I don't get this job, but for some reason I keep having a hard time making the choice final. I guess because I have had such a hard time finding a job that I feel like if this job should be more valuable to me although that's not how I feel.

 

I feel like if even if they were to pay me more money the job still wouldn't be worth it, I have to deal with so many rude customers although I am not a customer service person, I'm a designer. Yesterday I left work on the verge of tears and shaking because I got yelled at so badly by a customer. She wanted to speak to someone else and everyone in the office was unwilling to take the call and she wouldn't go to anyone else's voicemail. I had to sit there and listen to her yell for about 10 min., when I couldn't even help her out because it's not my field. My co-worker and boss were there and they heard me feeling frustrated and did nothing about it. Even on my days off, on the weekends, I feel depressed and I can't stop thinking about how much I don't want to go there.

 

My interview is in a couple of hours. I really hope I get this job, it will make my life so much easier. I am unsure whether or not to mention that I am working right now or if I should just not mention it at all, since all I have are negative thoughts and feelings about it.

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You are gaining experience that could put you in a position to get a better job. Don't work at Burger king or take the short term money. Office work is always better.

 

I already quit my job, I quit this morning. I don't regret it at all. I wouldn't work at Burger King, it's just what someone said to me when they were comparing how bad my job situation is.

 

renaissancewoman101 I agree, I feel less stressed out knowing I will never have to return back again. I still don't know if I got this job that I went on an interview for, but even if I don't get it I'm still glad I quit my job.

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If you have no job you might have to work at Burger King. I meant more along the lines of don't quit your job to work at Burger King.

 

Not necessarily. It's what she makes of it. Three years ago, I quit a very good paying, stable job to move from WI to CA. I didn't work for over a year (tried to finish out my grad degree but didn't), and eventually worked at Starbucks a bit and then temped and eventually stumbled onto this job. Yes, me not working for a long while was not that good in terms of resume stuff, but I still found a decent-paying job.

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  • 1 year later...

Hello,

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW JOB!!!!!!!!

 

I hope this taught you a valuable lesson about YOURSELF............you are really worth a lot more, and you shall never sell yourself short. Good for you, from now on hold you head high and be proud of yourself......this was an exercise in self-confidence!

 

For $9 dollars an hour, I'd rather work for Taco Bell, or one of those places.......but NEVER sell yourself short with those slave drivers.....why do you have to pay the price of bad management? AND answer the phone like a customer service agent, when you were hired to be a Graphic Design professional?

 

I agree with the previous posts, get a job even wiping floors, scrubbing toilets, stocking shelves, anything that is less insulting and humiliating that having ANGRY customers dumped on you...........that way you don't take home all the stress.......

 

And while you work at a $9 dollar and hour job, you certainly can develop your portfolio even more.

 

I think your problem was more of self-confidence, and of assertiveness.......how to quit? Just easy, quit..........and if they want to give you a 3 hour lecture, have the guts to walk away........nothing entitles them to abuse you in any way, even if they paid you 100 dollars an hour!

 

I left an abusive customer service job in a very abusive call center.....they work you to death, and expect you to perform PERFECTLY every second...........customer service is an unforgiving job...........move on, and dream on, please don't feel guilty for leaving ANY JOB, if you don't get the reference that is o.kl., your portfolio speaks higher than the opinion of a stupid * * * * head who doesn't deserrve you have you as their employee.............. you will always be able to get a decent job, if you only have the patience......and again, don't let anybody abuse you ever again!

 

Take care YOU ROCK!

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