Last year, I wrote the My Masters is Useless confession. Heres this years follow-up.
The short version is I quit retail and am currently temping in an office. Its a huge improvement in most ways, and I think if I stick it out for a few more months, theyll hire me permanently. Itll be the first time in my life Ive ever earned a living wage, so Im excited about that prospect. Plus the benefits are great.
So what was my main motivation in quitting retail, besides the obvious reason that its retail? Was it never having 40 hours a week, despite being full-time? The terrible pay? Bigoted coworkers? No future? The embarrassment of telling people who knew my educational background that my job was focused around moving boxes (no offense to people whose job involves moving boxes)?
Nope. It was one of my bosses whod been there for over a year and was still trying to figure out how the job worked. It didnt help that he was also a creep.
There were nights whered hed just be on fire. One moment hed change how my team did their job, which pissed off some of the other assistant managers (they were on rotating shifts); the next, hed ignore customer service trying to radio him because he didnt want to deal with customers. Then hed join the regular staff on lunch and make conversation, which sounds harmless in theory, until the part where hed, completely unprompted, ask a female coworker about her romantic history, things like do you have a boyfriend, does he work at this store, etc. He wanted to get personal with people, myself included, without taking the time to establish relationships. He completely lacked social acumen, and it resulted in me being uncomfortable around him on breaks. It got to the point where I took my breaks elsewhere in the store, or in my car, just to get away from him.
That was the straw that broke the camels back.
I decided to take a risk, hooked up with a temp agency, and when they found me something, I put in my two weeks and said goodbye to my coworkers and full-time benefits for a job that didnt guarantee me a permanent spot. It was worth it for my mental health alone, though, so I think its been for the best.
Heres hoping.