Help me think of good things that come from my soul sucking horrid job....

[Anonymous]

I hate my job... full on, flat out can barely stand my 9-5 life. Given the choice between being stuck for 8 hours in DC rush hour traffic and going to work, I'd pick the traffic. Mostly I can tolerate it, but there has been a series of events that have taken me to within half an inch of quitting. It's a bad idea, but it's so very tempting!

Unfortunately, getting a new job in the short term isn't an option. We're going to be moving in the next few months, but I don't know where we'll be moving TO, so applying for a new position now isn't viable (nothing huge, but picture getting a job in NoVa then moving to Frederick, MD). I've been getting by by thinking of all the good things that result from having a decent job, and knowing there's an end in the semi-near future. However, today is particularly unpleasant, so I need a bit of help seeing the rainbow through the rain


Here's my usual list of "good" that typically gets me though my day:

1.) I HAVE a job. This is not a given for many people in the world. Heck, even in the state...

2.) My job comes with a fairly decent salary. Enough that I/We can give our kids a good life, including some random fun things (e.g., we can drop $100 and spend the day at the aquarium without worries. Not every day, but sometimes. And the picture of my 3 y/o nose to nose with a turtle makes a great desktop picture.

3.) My benefits are much better than DH's. If anyone in the family falls ill, one of the things we won't have to worry about is having to pay for it.

4.) I telecommute 100%, so I have *some* flexibility with getting things done around the house.

5.) As I said, we're moving...so having two incomes means we'll qualify for a much better mortgage. Yay for having a house where I can do dishes without worrying about waking the kids up!



These are good things. I know that - but today, they're just not helping. I just know there are other benefits I'm not thinking of, so.... can you help me think of them?

[Anonymous]

No. I would be in HEAVEN if I had a job, let alone one with all those perks.

[Anonymous]

Are you in your jammies?

[Anonymous]

Wow! I looked for a job for YEARS. During that time, I was underemployed and racked up tons of debt (not from online shopping but paying bills not covered by my $9/hr no benefits job. I finally found a job and just dug myself out of debt. If I had a job like yours, I would fake every moment of it just for the reasons you listed. Really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. I would be in HEAVEN if I had a job, let alone one with all those perks.

OP again... yeah - see #1. I get it, honest. I'm sorry you're in a tough position.


But ok - I'll add the next "benefit" myself. Today sucks, but at least I still have the ability to be nice to people.

[Anonymous]

OP again - wow - ok...

I asked for it and I got it. Perspective... I'll give #1 a whole lot more weight and just suck it up.

Good luck to everyone out there!

[Anonymous]

(and no, I'm not in my jammies)

[Anonymous]

It does sound like you need a new job because on paper, your current job sounds like a dream. I can sympathize, though, since it must kind of suck if you hate it that bad.

I guess you could think about the crappy jobs you had in the past, grating co-workers, and uncomfortable office shoes...

[Anonymous]

Do you get enough vacation time? Maybe you're just burned out.

[Anonymous]

I am definitely burned out. And yeah - on paper it's great. I know that.

Mostly, the job I was hired for has shifted and I keep getting tasks that "pick up the slack" because "I'm reliable", so I've gone from a position that matched my advanced degree to something an intelligent high-schooler could do.

There's also been a shift I upper management, and the new company position is essentially "get it done or get laid off"... so people I used to enjoy working with have become people tripping over each other in their haste to throw each other under the bus so THEY look good.

There's also no plan, no organization, just dumping work on people and expecting people to say "thank you sir, may I have another"


Honestly, I've had "bad" jobs... I've waitressed and delivered pizza and scrubbed bathrooms in public places. I still stand by the claim that this is the worst job I've ever had.

I'll survive... it won't be pleasant, but Ill survive.

Thanks for letting me vent!

[Anonymous]

Most people would love just a job and then 100% telecommute with good benefits?? I thought I was going to read about working with real idiots you need to sit with and deal with every day- not as bad if you're telecommuting! When you do apply for another job, please throw some hints of what your job is and the name of the company since I will apply.

[Anonymous]

PP here- and the environment you described in subsequent posts is very typical in this economy.. but most of us can deal with this since it's so common and again- the benefits and telecommuting really take the sting out of the current squeeze.

[Anonymous]

Wow, OP, your situation matches mine to a "T".

I get by by telling myself that we would be worse off without this job - I make more than DH and have better benefits package. And I don't have to deal with the commute.

But I often wake up in the morning and dread the day.

[Anonymous]

Wow! If we had #3 we wouldn't have lost our home due to crazy medical bills. Great health benefits may not seem like much when you don't use them, but when all of a sudden your monthly medical bills are triple, or higher, than your monthly income, you realize just how important they are.

[Anonymous]

I've been underemployed for years, and when I see what drives people nuts in my current job (a long-term temp position, so an improvement but not my end goal because I want benefits and a predictable income), I know I have a much higher threshold for the nonsense of the workplace.