HungryGhost

This thread is a bit old so I don't know if you are still checking it OP, but I have been exactly where you are. I was not a receptionist, but I worked in a healthcare setting that was unbelievably stressful and exploitative. I too was unable to leave until I found a new job, which didn't happen until I got pushed so far past my limit that a doctor put me on leave from work. I was off for 2 months, and made job hunting my full-time job during that time. It paid off! I had to settle for an entry-level job and accept a huge pay cut, but it got me into a different system with a lot more variety of jobs. From there I applied internally for other jobs, and I am happy to report that after 3.5 years of persistence, patience, and frugal living, I have finally landed a job that aligns with my qualifications, pays very close to what I made when I left the bad job, and where i get to work on a team of good people who value me and treat me right. It's tough to make the change, but I did it and you can too! Nothing is worth staying in a job that ruins you.

Thanks for all the support. This is so incredibly stressful. I can't wait for it to be over.

Thanks for this. People drama is really not my specialty, which is a big reason why I need my own place away from them. I did ignore a text from her yesterday declaring "no promises" that she will get someone else for December 1 because she's "going on vacation December 21." Previously she tried to claim that she is behind on cleaning. I did a bunch of cleaning that day to get it ready for viewings. Today I thought I would text her and ask if there is anything not already done that she wants cleaned before viewings. It's a holiday here in Canada, so I can prioritize getting the apartment ready for that step. Thoughts?

Thank you! Agreed, I am trying not to let her get to me and just focus on the move and finally having what I want on December 1. Whenever we talk about the pending change she keeps trying to make it about her and she's dragging her feet on posting a roommate ad to replace me so I can get off the lease. She doesn't like that I'm leaving before I have been here a full year, but there is literally nothing obligating me to stay for a set amount of time. She just came up with that herself and I never agreed to it. Anyway, my own apartment! YAAAAY!!!!

I got the apartment!!! It's a miracle! Seriously, it MUST have been because the rental company already knew me. They had a revolving door of viewings and I was not the first one who applied. But I got it! I'm moving December 1 (or 2nd, depending on the final logistics). Now I just have to finalize things with my roommate where I'm vacating, which is another issue. Give me strength and support for that too, please! Hopefully this will be my last roommate struggle ever and I can live alone for the rest of my days.

I can relate. It's a huge adjustment going from school to work. I experienced what you are describing after each of my two degrees. The post-secondary experience is exhilarating, short, and impossible to replicate. That's what makes it so special. You will adjust over time. Every workplace is different re: culture. Where I currently work, I feel like some of my colleagues have become my friends. That takes time as well. Now, you can focus on the good parts of what comes after college. It sounds like you got onto a promising career path, and you could engage in goal setting and envision where you want your life to go. Also, having money instead of accumulating debt is a delightful change! What do you want to do with your money? Since you are a college grad, you will never truly separate from it. It will always be a part of you, you will continue to hear from your college, and you will be able to attend reunions and homecoming events in the coming years to connect or reconnect with fellow alumni. All is not lost. This is the next phase of your journey.

I have a viewing tomorrow evening! A huge accomplishment! It's with the same rental company I had before the current one, which I left on good terms. Everyone cross your fingers for me! The apartment looks really nice, the location is perfect, and I could REALLY see myself living there.

Same here. I can spot those ads a mile away at this point. Not interested.

If you like your job AND your house, I would encourage you to give your current situation a really thorough chance. For much of my adult life, I have had either a job i enjoyed OR a good housing situation, but rarely both at once. Also, if you own your place, ask yourself if you really NEED a higher income. If you are able to have everything you need and live a good lifestyle on what you make, maybe it's enough. I too have experienced friends essentially vanishing as soon as they get married. Their priorities change and it does get lonely. Is there a possibility you could make some new friends where you are who are at the same stage of life as you? The distances you are describing are not very far apart, so although it makes a bit of a difference in commute times, you would still be in the same area regardless. Maybe you just need a bit more time to adjust and get used to those distances and commute times.

Subletting for lease takeover is legal. It will say in the lease how to get out of it early, and it's usually subletting. Once I had one that said there was a fee to break the lease early instead of subletting because the company wanted to choose their own tenants. Obviously I would read the lease before signing it to make sure it's allowed, and the landlord would screen me before approving it. My preference would be to get my own lease in the building where I already live, but I keep an eye on the posts too and subletting does come up there. I would just need to make sure it's for lease takeover and not only for a few months, which also happens. Don't worry, I'm only inquiring about places that truly interest me and meet all my criteria. I am lucky in that I don't have a deadline so I don't have to rush into anything. I am just having the hardest time I have ever had finding an apartment. Competition has never been this fierce in my experience. I know exactly what I want, but it seems everyone else here also wants that which makes it really hard to get. It's so frustrating.

The drama continues. I had a response from someone subletting their place for lease takeover, but before he responded he increased the price listed in his ad by about $300 a month. I asked why the price went up, and he said the rental company increased it which is illegal mid-lease. Also, there is an emergency rent cap in place that restricts rent increases to just 2%, which would be $22 in this case. NOT $300. So sketchy. So very, very sketchy. I found another ad for a lease takeover that met all of my criteria but they posted it on Friday wanting to rent it for November 1, which is Tuesday. I would have had to pay the penalty of double rent for November since that's no notice at all and I am not willing to do that unless it's a particularly good deal that would make the loss worth it for me in the long run. So. Much. Drama.

See post above.

Do you mean I should search more widely, beyond my current rental company? I am doing that too, but my current company is the only one I am willing to apply to blindly because I am familiar enough with them and their buildings that i am confident that i would want to take any single-occupancy unit they offer me. Also, I know they are not scammers.

I'm so happy for you! I am in a good position in that I don't have a deadline. I just need enough notice to let my roommate know I'm out so she has enough time to find someone else and swap them into the lease. So I am only inquiring about the places that meet my criteria, and seem like places I could settle into for the long term. Good to know re: credit score. I can't believe the liberties landlords are taking now. They just keep evolving. I am going to take some helpful phrases from your post and write them somewhere where I can read them every day.

Oh, he is 100% in the past. Unless the odd piece of mail finds its way to him in which case I have him trained to leave it for me in his lobby so I can just grab it and go without seeing him. I'm just stuck with the aftermath which is a result of being in a desperate emergency situation. All the while I told myself this is only temporary, so I don't have to love it and I will get out as soon as I can. Now I can, but it's not happening! You're right, I should make a point of getting out more to get my mind off it. I find when I do that, I do end up feeling better because I'm not obsessing. I don't want a family. I'm done with dating and i don't want kids. Someday I would really like to get a pet when I am settled enough, but that's it.