Stuck between a rock and a hard place. (employees, job, resume)

[mitopcat]

I'm 29 years old and I work at a fast food restaurant. Before that I was a CAD designer. I was let go a few years ago and I had this "push" to get back into it. I started college, I was going to engineering groups and such; the whole ball-of-wax.

However, I'm stuck. Recent events in the family happened and I had to cancel school and find the only the place that will take me in; a restaurant. You don't need much experience, but fortunately for them I had quite a bit.

Anyways, everybody was happy when I joined. The manager knows my dad; however, I told her not to put that on my resume and hire me for me. The other people there was excited because I played the same game(s) as they do.

Winter is still lingering but Spring is on the horizon. I live in a big tourist town that slows down drastically during the winter months. My hours are being cut almost an hour each week, starting at 30 a few weeks ago and then to 23.50 hours by next week, even while others get more. Everyone tells me to wait until weather gets warmer, then everyone should get more hours. Finding another job will be like finding a golden dollar in a coke-piggy bank full of pennies.

The hours isn't the biggest problem, though. This place also runs on scores from the customers and other employees. If your name is mentioned, you get a $20 Walmart card. You can also win by having your name put on the wall via someone else saying you did something out of the ordinary. Then its sent to a "hat program" and if your name is picked out, you could win $100 Walmart card, I think they also have an iPad that people can win. So the winnings aren't anything to sneeze at.

Well, I had my name mentioned once , but throughout my hard work no one has put my name on the wall, except for having a perfect till. Even then that was thrown out because that means nothing to people. I'm about to join the majority of people there, that get their names put on the wall while they text and do nothing. There's actually a write-up in the office, waiting for me to sign, due to an upset customer. Even though she wasn't given it to me, yet, I only know about it because someone else told me.

I'm just so...stuck and sick of this place. I can't leave for another job, because there aren't any hiring right now. I really can't get a second one because I have a kid that I need to take care of, too.