GAF, I've made a huge mistake. (Job related.)

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That entire time you're on the phone being bored, did it not cross your mind to seek advice from your mom or boyfriend? Instead you received their advice after making a very brash and important decision?
 
It sounds to me like deep down inside you didn't want this type of job which is absolutely OK. I've been offered an office job before, too. It was in a grey building with grey walls, grey floors, grey cubicals, and quite honestly grey people. Average pay for that type of job (staff accountant). It could have led to a nice career, but I couldn't help but feel like Peter from Office Space - that type of job just isn't for me. I ended up turning it down to keep working for the family business for around 50% less pay. But I'm happy. And you will be too if you find the right thing for you. Plus, if you work really hard you can make decent money in almost any profession. Just keep looking and don't worry about what you did and what other people say - don't let them determine your life.
 
McGreevious said:
I love my corporate job. I get good money, great benefits, my job is pretty secure as long as I keep my head down, fixed hours, weekends off, home in time to see my daughter for a few hours each evening. It has it's ups and downs, sure, but so does any job.
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Doesn't that depress you? That you can't see your daughter for more than a few hours a day? That your job is pretty secure as long as you keep your head down? Don't you feel like you could be doing something better?

Psychotext said:
Come and work for me OP; I'll work you to death from the second you get in the door. You'll be begging to go back to sitting around waiting for people to bring you power bricks.

Trust me, you wont be disappointed with the climax.
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What do you do?
 
G0523 said:
Doesn't that depress you? That you can't see your daughter for more than a few hours a day? That your job is pretty secure as long as you keep your head down? Don't you feel like you could be doing something better?



What do you do?
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Don't start with this Do What You Love crap.
 
G0523 said:
Doesn't that depress you? That you can't see your daughter for more than a few hours a day? That your job is pretty secure as long as you keep your head down? Don't you feel like you could be doing something better?
Click to expand...

You know that a lot of kids go to school and that plenty of parents only see them a few hours each night before their bed time, this is not some corporate-only shit here.
 
G0523 said:
Doesn't that depress you? That you can't see your daughter for more than a few hours a day? That your job is pretty secure as long as you keep your head down? Don't you feel like you could be doing something better?



What do you do?
Click to expand...
Dude has to pay rent/mortgage. Feed his daughter. Where do you think that money is coming from?
 
evilromero said:
That entire time you're on the phone being bored, did it not cross your mind to seek advice from your mom or boyfriend? Instead you received their advice after making a very brash and important decision?
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Or do what any other rational person would do and ask her boss if there's anything she could do while waiting at her desk or when training would start in the day.
 
Entitled Millennial Straw Man is you, OP.

Also, corporate jobs that encourage teamwork and teach skills can be very rewarding and lead to better jobs and a better lifestyle.
 
G0523 said:
Doesn't that depress you? That you can't see your daughter for more than a few hours a day? That your job is pretty secure as long as you keep your head down? Don't you feel like you could be doing something better?



What do you do?
Click to expand...
So it seems you just don't want to work - full stop? Yes, having a job means not just hanging out all day with friends and family.
 
hoola said:
It sounds to me like deep down inside you didn't want this type of job which is absolutely OK. I've been offered an office job before, too. It was in a grey building with grey walls, grey floors, grey cubicals, and quite honestly grey people. Average pay for that type of job (staff accountant). It could have led to a nice career, but I couldn't help but feel like Peter from Office Space - that type of job just isn't for me. I ended up turning it down to keep working for the family business for around 50% less pay. But I'm happy. And you will be too if you find the right thing for you. Plus, if you work really hard you can make decent money in almost any profession. Just keep looking and don't worry about what you did and what other people say - don't let them determine your life.
Click to expand...

Thank you! Some sort of positivity and understanding! I feel like I would've set the place on fire if I worked there for years. It felt claustrophobic and small and I was choking.
 
G0523 said:
Doesn't that depress you? That you can't see your daughter for more than a few hours a day? That your job is pretty secure as long as you keep your head down? Don't you feel like you could be doing something better?
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There's a time and place for discussions about wages and work and their place in society.

This is not it. You're 28. You're older than most of this board telling you to grow up. It's not us, it's you.
 
I don't think I would quit a job if they were paying me on the first day to sit there and play games or browse the internet on my phone. I'd be thinking this job is pretty sweet so far. lol

But between your desire to run away because you were sitting at a job for a few hours and the part about if you should end yourself in the OP, even if it was in a joking way, I'm thinking maybe you should find someone to talk to. Like a mental health professional who can help you to work through things.

You also seem like you're easily talked into feeling a certain way. You decided that you didn't want the job after getting anxiety a few hours into it, then you had people telling you it was the wrong move and you called back asking for the job back? If you truly hated it there and completely disagreed with the people who were telling you it was the wrong move, you wouldn't have called them. That's worth talking to someone about too. Whether it's driven by the anxiety or whatever it is, that's not good.
 
Lol I can't stop laughing at OP. Especially since one of my coworkers got fired today and made a big ass scene both before leaving and on social media.
 
G0523 said:
Thank you! Some sort of positivity and understanding! I feel like I would've set the place on fire if I worked there for years. It felt claustrophobic and small and I was choking.
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YOU DIDNT EVEN START DOING A JOB THERE

I feel like OP has to tell us what he does at his old job and hours he works.
 
G0523 said:
Thank you! Some sort of positivity and understanding! I feel like I would've set the place on fire if I worked there for years. It felt claustrophobic and small and I was choking.
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Then why even consider it a mistake? Why take the job at all? Why waste any of the companies time? Why even let your mother stick her neck out or finish any of the paper work? Why even entertain the idea that you've made such a flub to the point that you want to commit suicide if you already know the job was shit?
 
The fact you quit after 2 1/2 hours is stunning to me. I'd suggest you take this as a learning experience that patience is required for any job you do. I've had full 40 hr work weeks where work was so slow that all I could really do was wait or try to make myself look like I was preoccupied.
 
G0523 said:
Doesn't that depress you? That you can't see your daughter for more than a few hours a day? That your job is pretty secure as long as you keep your head down? Don't you feel like you could be doing something better?
Click to expand...

No because that's what life is for millions of people. I'm 26 years old, I'm not some special snowflake who deserves more that anyone else. My job pays the bills, lets me live comfortably and allows me to keep my family alive and happy. Like I said, I get all weekends off and benefits including full holiday pay and unlimited holidays (it works on a 'don't take the piss' system) so if I need time off, I can get it.

Are the other jobs Id rather be doing? Absolutely. Am I going to walk out of this one tomorrow because I haven't done any work by 11am? No because I'm not a fucking moron, I understand how life works and that this is the best I've got right now. The fact that I could be happier doesn't stop me from being happy right now. I'm making the best of what I've got instead of pissing it up the wall with the idealist view that maybe one day I'll land my ultimate dream job. Everyone had their place in the world and I'm quite content with my place currently, at least until something better comes along.
 
G0523 said:
Thank you! Some sort of positivity and understanding! I feel like I would've set the place on fire if I worked there for years. It felt claustrophobic and small and I was choking.
Click to expand...

You have no idea what you are talking about.

Seriously, where do you physically work now (the job you are now going back to)? Is it from home? The mall?
 
G0523 said:
Doesn't that depress you? That you can't see your daughter for more than a few hours a day? That your job is pretty secure as long as you keep your head down? Don't you feel like you could be doing something better?
Click to expand...

My parents were business owners and it was the same. Where do you think the food comes from?
 
creatinegene said:
The fact you quit after 2 1/2 hours is stunning to me. I'd suggest you take this as a learning experience that patience is required for any job you do. I've had full 40 hr work weeks where work was so slow that all I could really do was wait or try to make myself look like I was preoccupied.
Click to expand...

Quitting after 2 1/2 hours is crazy, but the fact that it was already choking him in that time frame is mind blowing.
 
You didn't fuck up your future badly but you did fuck up. There are times where what just happened was a test to see if you're eager enough to communicate and asks for tasks, to see if you're a go-getter. And then if they tell you there's nothing at hand, then just relax and enjoy getting paid for doing nothing. Your log in credentials wouldn't have been active for at least a week so you pretty much had to observe and that's it.

Good luck on your future endeavors and try to have some patience and ask around next time.

Also, there has to be a SunhiLegend gif to summarise this.

Freshmaker said:
Better sign up to be a forest ranger.
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Now I kind of wished Firewatch started out like this.
 
Marty Chinn said:
Quitting after 2 1/2 hours is crazy, but the fact that it was already choking him in that time frame is mind blowing.
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It's pretty easy to mentally try and justify a terrible decision after the fact by believing that you already saw the "warning signs" or whatever. :P

Fact is, dude got a free pass into employment, felt an overwhelming sense of entitlement and craved attention, didn't get what he wanted and bailed because of a lack of patience, and then craved more attention by going to an online community he is in to find support.

I think the only thing choking him here is his ego.
 
hoola said:
It sounds to me like deep down inside you didn't want this type of job which is absolutely OK. I've been offered an office job before, too. It was in a grey building with grey walls, grey floors, grey cubicals, and quite honestly grey people. Average pay for that type of job (staff accountant). It could have led to a nice career, but I couldn't help but feel like Peter from Office Space - that type of job just isn't for me. I ended up turning it down to keep working for the family business for around 50% less pay. But I'm happy. And you will be too if you find the right thing for you. Plus, if you work really hard you can make decent money in almost any profession. Just keep looking and don't worry about what you did and what other people say - don't let them determine your life.
Click to expand...

Half of average pay for a staff accountant isn't enough to support a family and save for retirement. The people aren't bland, but over time they learn what's safe to share about themselves at work. Just like every other experience you have in life, you'll never truly know or understand the people around you.

G0523 said:
Doesn't that depress you? That you can't see your daughter for more than a few hours a day? That your job is pretty secure as long as you keep your head down? Don't you feel like you could be doing something better?

What do you do?
Click to expand...

In developed nations, most children have to go to school. And yeah, most people learn that stable is better than having a string of failed start-ups -- at least from an evolutionary perspective.

G0523 said:
Thank you! Some sort of positivity and understanding! I feel like I would've set the place on fire if I worked there for years. It felt claustrophobic and small and I was choking.
Click to expand...

These are all things you're projecting onto a job you didn't understand or have the first clue how to do and you didn't know professional etiquette.
 
G0523 said:
Doesn't that depress you? That you can't see your daughter for more than a few hours a day? That your job is pretty secure as long as you keep your head down? Don't you feel like you could be doing something better?
Click to expand...

Hey bro, hope you're holding up okay. Try not to beat yourself up too much and please don't do anything rash. PM me anytime if you want to chat or vent. :)

I'm not the person you were asking but I want to just pop in and respond to these same kinds of questions. I don't have a corporate job, but I work in an office. I think you might want to see if there is a non-corporate job you might consider. I have the exact degree you do and we are about the same age. I work for the government and though it's not the most intellectually stimulating work, it does require me to use my brain and constantly go go go all the time. I don't know that there are many artistically or intellectually fulfilling jobs out there unless if you are not (a) privileged, (b), innately talented beyond the norm, (c) lucky, or (d) any or all of the above. You know? Not if you want to make a decent living in this country. I know we're in different parts of the country but you know (I think) that I've lived in several areas of the country and grew up not too far from where you live now so I have a decent amount of perspective on this I think despite my age.

There's an (e) I forgot about. If you have a passion for something and the skill and means to realize it, there is a return to school possible. My wife has always had a passion for medicine, so she went back to school to do some post-bacc prerequisites and now is in a full-time Nurse Practitioner program. Lots more autonomy than a nurse, nearly as much as a doctor in some states, and less time/money investment (though still quite a bit of both). But my point is that there are some careers requiring further schooling of course, but I would only heartily recommend those to someone unlike you or I--people who have a drive or passion for something that they can realistically make a living doing. I'm lumping you in there with me because you described yourself similarly upthread I think.

So I'm someone who didn't know what the heck to do. I thought I wanted to pursue cooking out of college. I was eager to make a mark in the culinary world. I quickly found out my passion for it was at hobbyist level at best, and sorta similar to you I actually quit a bakery job after not too long working there because I just knew it wasn't the right fit for me and it was a risk but I parlayed it into a basic temp office job and then somehow got a job w/ the gov't, and I have to say I really like it. I was with State gov't for several years and have been with the Feds since last summer. Does it take a bit of time to get going as a new hire in some government positions, in terms of pace? I'm sure it does. Every job has lulls and its higher activity periods for new hires, as many have already discussed in this thread. But I can say at least in my work I am busy all the time and always have a lot to do. It's not philosophically intellectually stimulating like being an artist or professor might be, but at the same time it requires a high level of critical thinking and intelligence and I think there are a lot of jobs like this in certain areas of the gov't. I don't have much corporate experience, only internships in college and that brief temp job before my recent career, but I can at least say based on my experience and those of others I've seen, a gov't job might be a great fit for you, at the least while you figure out if there is something else you are more compelled to do.

I guess I never addressed those questions. Even though they weren't directed at me, I do want to touch on them.

Doesn't that depress you? Sometimes it's disappointing to not have a passion. But I am very lucky and glad the bills are being paid. And I feel honored to have my job.

That you can't see your daughter for more than a few hours a day? I don't have a daughter, but I'll say vis a vis family of course I always want more time with my fam. But, the reality of work in our culture is that most people will have to work much more during the weekdays than they will get to see their families. However, telework is a thing, in and outside of gov't work, and I'm hoping to get it soon, for at least part of the time.

That your job is pretty secure as long as you keep your head down? Most office jobs, if not jobs in general, want for you to only take initiative insofar as it's allowable in the context of your job and clearly okay to do. Parameters like this exist in and out of office workplaces. So I don't think it's such a bad premise. You know?

Don't you feel like you could be doing something better? For better or for worse, I think the myth of something better is just that, a myth, unless you have the combination of talent, drive, passion, luck and/or privilege I described above. I don't mean this to be unkind or as a downer. I just think "better" necessarily applies here. Especially since we already have it much better than so many less fortunate people in the world.
 
I think I've read this same exact thing from a gaffer in the past. I wonder if our culture of immediacy is causing people to be impatient and over emphasize our own expectations.

You are there to work. If you were already hired, chances are that you would have been paid basically to twiddle your thumbs.

Have some patience next time. You have to give a bit more than you are comfortable when you are starting a new job. It's just how it is.
 
G0523 said:
I work in a warehouse where we buy and test in video games.
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Okay, so what are your long term prospects for building skills and experience that will help you in your next job in case the current place goes under or they lay you off? What are your long term planning for retirement? Do you have any plans about the future at all? At 28, the clock is starting to tick on planning ahead.
 
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