Thinking about quitting my job

[ragdoll18]

So I've been seriously considering quitting my job. A little background information. Right after high school, I started working in the customer service field. I've been working in that field now for 9 years now and have been with my current company for 4 years. My job is pretty much dead-end. There's really no opportunity to advance within my company, and I'm just completely burned out. I've been unhappy with my job for a long time, but always felt stuck at it and just kept going. Now I'm to the point where I'm completely burned out and can't take it anymore. I've tried posting for another position, but there's not a lot of opportunity at my job, plus I hate the field I work in. I've looked for other jobs, but I have no other skills and I make too much at my current job to leave it for another customer service job.

 

I've started taking classes at my local community college, and that helps me to keep going, but it's going to take me about 6 years to finish school with the rate I'm going at, and it's not an option for me stay at my job for that long. I can only take 3 classes at the most, because my job has mandatory overtime a lot. My misery from my job has also started leaking into my life outside of work, and is affecting my attitude, and my friends have been noticing it lately. I was in the car with my best friend the other day, and she asked me what was going on, and I just blurted out the words "I hate my job, and I'm quitting". I have not even thought about quitting my job until the words came out, and now that they have come out I can't get it out of my head.

 

My plan is to quit my job in 6 months to a year, and going to school full-time. I figure what do I have to lose? I'm single, I don't have any kids, no mortgage, and I just paid off my car. So my problem is that even though I have my mind made up about this, I'm still terrified to quit. Not having the financial security of my job is so scary, especially since I'm used to living pretty comfortably. So I'm just going to save as much money as I can, and get student loans, I may also have to get a part-time job.

 

Has anyone been through something like this, and has any advice? How did things work out for you, and did you regret quitting your job, or was it a good decision? I'm also having a hard time explaining how I feel to people who think I'm just being crazy and irresponsible. How can I explain this to people who don't understand?

[thejigsup]

Yep, I have. It was the best decision of my life! Ten years later I work in the field I love. I have student loans to repay, but it was soooo worth it! There are always part time jobs you can pick up on campus. I had two of them. I supported myself and my son by doing that. You need a change, that much is obvious. You have my vote. Do you have your own?

[DJBaby]

Just be careful in this economy. A lot of people, including myself, have been laid off. There aren't enough jobs to go around, and it's not guaranteed you will be able to even find a part-time job.

 

Honestly, I'd suck it up at your current job for security's sake, keep going to school part time, and when the economy and unemployment rate begin to improve, make the changes you need for a fulfilling life.

 

Jm2c

[ConfusedKitty]

Funny part is that I was literally about to write a thread about the same thing. I am in the exact same boat as you. I job. I am in customer service too and have been for the past 18 years. I literally wake up wanting to either pull my hair out of my head or shoot myself in the face. Literally. I look for an accident to happen to me every day so I can be wounded and sit in the hospital and not have to go to work for a while. You wouldn't believe how many times I have stared at the stair steps and contemplated falling down them and hopefully breaking something so I can stay at home.

 

Now, I am about to quit. There is some "quiet time" in the next four weeks here that I'm going to try to continue to work through but after that I'm gone.

 

I am with you on this. The economy is hard. We all know that. But I'm going to tell you what, NOTHING is worth being stuck in a place that you hate with a passion. Especially if you're not stuck getting a forclosure or anything.

 

Oh and this:

 

"Has anyone been through something like this, and has any advice? How did things work out for you, and did you regret quitting your job, or was it a good decision? I'm also having a hard time explaining how I feel to people who think I'm just being crazy and irresponsible. How can I explain this to people who don't understand?"

 

No one will ever really understand unless they have been there. No one understands how terrible, absolutely terrible, customer service really is. All they know is that we sit on our butts all day and take phone calls. They don't know how crappy the environment is. So to hell with them. Let them think whatever. Tell them to go do it for 2 years...hell even 1 year, and see how they like it. They will do exactly the same thing we are...ANYTHING to get out.

[ragdoll18]

thejigsup- great to hear everything worked out for you. This seems to be the same that I'm getting from other people I talk to. They say that they did it, and i was a great decision.

 

DJBaby- This has been my biggest worry. My first thought is I'm going to be going to school for about 4-5 years, so hopefully when I'm done the economy will be better. Where I live hasn't been effected as much as other places, and there are tons of part-time jobs that I'm seeing. But this is definetely something I need to think about.

 

Confussed Kitty- Wow, 18 years, I don't know how you got through that. I don't hate this job as much as you do, but my last job, I hated it so much. I used to sit in traffic and just wish that someone would hit my car and I would have to be out of work for a while. Once I started getting those thoughts, I knew I had to leave.

 

You're right, no one understand how horrible customer service is unless they've done it themselves. I remember I read an article that stated customer service in a call center was the second most stressful job. I'm just so tired of being everyone's punching bag, and answering the same questions over and over again, and having to clean up all my co-workers mistakes. Also the strict environment and how every second of my day is monitored, and I can't even go to the bathroom till they tell me to. The only way for me to get through the days is to just not care anymore. I do my job to the bare minimum and that's it.

[ConfusedKitty]

 

 

You're right, no one understand how horrible customer service is unless they've done it themselves. I remember I read an article that stated customer service in a call center was the second most stressful job. I'm just so tired of being everyone's punching bag, and answering the same questions over and over again, and having to clean up all my co-workers mistakes. Also the strict environment and how every second of my day is monitored, and I can't even go to the bathroom till they tell me to. The only way for me to get through the days is to just not care anymore. I do my job to the bare minimum and that's it.

 

The bolded part is what threw me over the line one day. Boss calls me over, fussing at me because I have 7 minutes of "discretionary time". Do you know how bad I wanted to yell "I HAD TO PEE FOR GODS SAKE". Today I almost quit. I wanted to go part time but my boss tells me I have to "make a case for it".

[ragdoll18]

The bolded part is what threw me over the line one day. Boss calls me over, fussing at me because I have 7 minutes of "discretionary time". Do you know how bad I wanted to yell "I HAD TO PEE FOR GODS SAKE". Today I almost quit. I wanted to go part time but my boss tells me I have to "make a case for it".

 

We get 8 minutes of "personal time", yet whenever we try to use it, it's always questioned why. I went to the bathroom once while we were very busy (worked through my lunch). Came back after 3 minutes and had 2 supervisors at my cubicle asking me where I was, and giving me the second degree. So now we are told to use our "personal time" when we are not busy (which is never). I also asked to go part-time but was told that they don't do part-time. I wish I could get out quicker but I just have to hold out at least for 6 more months.

[SleepingKitten]

I'm in the same position as you. I think i like the work, but the people at my job place are low life scums. They have insisted I put up with a hostile work place and keep my mouth shut. I got hit by this guy at work. They refuse to punish him in any way, but keep insisting that I may be fired at any point in time!

Why bother learning what their company is about if they are only goign to give me my walking papers!

Toeday.. was the worst. tried to talk to the company head and they were so hostile and rude to me, It was almost better to just keep my mouth shut!

Wow.. and THEY insisted that if I was hit by anyone, to tell someone!~ Well, what good did it do me? Now the damn boss. the same one who's had it in for me since day 1, is following me out of the building!

This is starting to feel like stalking to me! I think i may go to the police and file a restraining order against the boss. He's a weirdo to begin with!!