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I have an extremely high stress job that is extremely demanding and fast-paced. Not that I can't handle challenging and fast-paced, but this is beyond what I thought I could handle.
I work in an unemployment office...there's the first problem. I was hired for the position with the impression that I would have a diverse set of duties, including employment services and workforce development, but that's not the case. However, more and more duties are being placed upon the UI case workers as "restructuring" is taking place.
Never have I worked in a job where we are so terribly short-staffed. With an incompetent state central office, people who even want to so much as change their address have to visit an office and wait two hours to do something that takes one minute. I thought this was the 21st Century. Also, eligibility reviews are done on site in the local office, rather than online like in almost every other state. Now, it is common to have 150-210 clients per day; when the ERs were more frequent, we had as many as 500 clients per day, an average of (no joke) 71 per case worker in less than eight hours.
When you consider that most of the people drawing UI (NOT all) are undereducated, come from "poor" neighborhoods and are all around ignorant, that doesn't make matters any better in terms of trying to communicate even simple things about their claims that they need to know. Also, with this set of people, combined with the fact that they're unemployed, you have fewer thought-provoked statements, more crass rudeness and more laziness. I have really, truly started to look down upon the so-called "poor" of America; why are we, the hard-working taxpayers that have jobs, paying for the subsistence of people who aren't generally taking any initiative to improve their own situations? Now, yes, I know, I know...many people who draw UI are drawing it simply b/c they're unemployed and there's the minority that actually does take the initiative and seeks employment diligently and intelligently. But most are milking the system.
On top of that, staff are horrendously micromanaged. I won't go into that, but I will say that in a recent evaluation, I had (honestly) tabulated having met with more than 5,500 clients in just my first 10 1/2 months on the job. Not 5,500 meetings, but 5,500 individual clients! No joke. And I was told that I wasn't "giving this job 110%." I was so furious I could have screamed!
Now...I can't sleep b/c of all the anxiety and self-centered attitudes and constant literal screaming from these undereducated buffoons known as clients. I have had an ongoing headache now for two days. I literally anymore am almost sick at the sheer thought of going into work in the morning (I am usually in bed earlier than this, but I'm up late tonight.)
The good news: I'm in my mid-20s and not too long out of college. I have talked to connections about job prospects elsewhere, but I realize that this is just a very slow economy. But I also don't feel like I should be so tired night after night after night that I'm a tired 55-year-old worker in a mid-20s body (no offense to your 55 y.o.'s .)
Here's the plan, and I have thought about this over the last couple of months: (1) find a job by fall. (2) If I can't find a job, then leave the current job anyway, move back in w/ the parents (which they'll approve of), continue to study for the GRE, study harder and smarter, take it and do well, and apply for grad school!
Thanks for reading the rant, it all just came naturally. What do you think?
If you can't handle your very first job out of school, why would any future employer think you can handle anything else, let alone more responsibility which will almost certainly come with more and more years of experience?
Why do you have to quit your job to study for the GRE? Lots of people do this while they are working.
I like your plan. Life is too short to spend 40 hours a week in a job that is making you sick and that you hate. You do have other options and there is nothing wrong with moving home, looking for a new job and/or going back to school.
I got a job right out of college that was at a State School (the institutions that care for learning disabled folks). I thought I would be good at it since I had a degree in social work. I was wrong. I couldn't take the stress of it. I lasted three weeks. So, I took the federal service entrance exam and was hired by an agency where I spent the next 37 years. I loved the various jobs I was promoted into. I was lucky.
I never had to move home but I could have because my parents would have loved to have me back in the house.
One thing I will mention that you might want to consider. Are the benefits good with your state government? When I was just out of college I was fairly naive about the important things. I never gave the benefits, health ins, life ins, vacation time, etc., a second thought. I just signed up for everything since I didn't know what else to do. I'm sure you are very aware of these things and are not like I was. But, just in case, be sure you get good perks from your new employer.
Good luck to you. I've been there. I know how it feels. I also know that things tend to work out. I'd ditch the job you have since you do have options. It sounds really horrible and it also sounds like upper management is clueless about the amount of work you do.
I'm sorry but your post made me laugh a little--not at you or your stitution just that YOU ARE EXACTLY ME before I became unemployed.
Everything you said you hated about your job--was my job. My job was basically to be screamed at 10 hours a day, 4 days a week. And to take it. Management sucked. The job just sucked. There was also more to it, that your job didnt have but I was discrimnated against and treated worse than any of the other employees.
I had migranes and I took one of those age tests that said I was like a 50 something year old (I'm 32). I cried. My SO and I fought all the time. I was so stressed out all the time.
I wish I had some advice for you. I got fired and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I had 6 blissful months of unemployment (scary toward the end thou when I was running out and still hadn't found a job)
I'll over-look all the bad things you said about unemployed people because I feel for you in your job. Sorry you have to deal with it because I can say I have been there, done that.
Curious, what graduate school are you looking into? I know graduate school is an escape for many people who are unhappy with their jobs or who are unemployed, but if you don't go in with some type of plan or direction afterward, then that means you are probably making a rash move.
It's a first job. The OP is young and will be doing other things in future times. Right now, jobs of all kinds are tight-but the OP will be getting out sooner, not later. It's only a first job.
A co-worker of mine is a new grad (a per-diem RN) as is her husband. The other day, she burned her hand on an oxygen tank and was terrified because neither one has insurance. She was relieved to find that she'd get worker's comp, but if it happened away from work... Don't sneeze at benefits at any age, especially if it's a first job and will become history soon enough. Anyone who walks outside or drives a car needs health insurance, no matter how young and healthy.
I also would like to know about the grad school. Certainly many people march off to grad school with the illusion of "doing something" when they are simply getting more debt and another degree that won't lead to a job.
I studied for the GREs during my night shift job. Didn't seem to hurt anything, but then, I was only aiming for high average on math.
If you can't handle your very first job out of school, why would any future employer think you can handle anything else, let alone more responsibility which will almost certainly come with more and more years of experience?
Why do you have to quit your job to study for the GRE? Lots of people do this while they are working.
Not all jobs are created equally. My first real job after college, I was working literally 16 hours a day. There were three people in my group. Unfortunately, one was a manager, the other was incompetent, which left me to be on-call every week. I managed to endure like that for about half a year, until I talked to my managers and told them I was considering some other offers. After one day, they more than doubled my salary. After a few weeks, they hired two other people.
I am not saying that you should threaten your managers or tell them you are considering to leave, but you may want to talk to them diplomatically.
In my case, I was seriously considering some offers and was actually surprised with their response.
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