Employment Evaluation

I have recently begun to distribute resumes in hopes of finding more suitable employment. Yes, I am still trying to get pregnant and this has been holding me back from looking for alternate employment, but I am now feeling claustrophobic at my current job; and quite frankly, I feel trapped and it is depressing me. Looking for a new job has caused me to ask myself some pretty serious questions:

Am I going to end up hating every job I have or does it just feel that way because I have had so many crap jobs?

Is there such a thing as a workplace where there are fewer than 3 assholes per department?

Do I have the intestinal fortitude to tell my current boss ‘goodbye’?

For question number one, I began to reflect on past positions I have had. When I was younger, I worked at a lot of cafes and coffee shops, I also waitressed in bars – all to get me through university. These jobs were definitely crap, but when you are young and working at somewhere like a Starbucks, you don’t sweat it because you tell yourself that you are finishing your education and will then be on to bigger and better things. (Audible snort). These jobs are also low stress, provide free coffee, food etc to you and your friends, and you get to socialize a lot (mostly because you are working with your friends). I always hated my boss at those jobs. Usually they were overly hairy, perverted men who had very bad tempers but would never notice that you had not washed the floors at closing EVER in the history of your employment.

I then worked a series of “mall jobs”, by which I mean I worked in the local mall, bouncing from selling over-priced perfume and body wash to selling clothes to selling knick knacks and candles. All required a certain dollar amount of sales per day, yet none offered commission. At these jobs, I also hated my boss, who was usually a very obese woman that ate at the food court everyday and then complained about her weight. Also crap jobs, also low-stress.

Then I go into the office job thing. Again, worked for very bad managers whom I disliked, but was able to sit rather than stand all day and browse the internet or message my friends and look like I was working. The major difference at this point: school finished, still working for crap wages – no way to console self as this appears to be the “future” you were dreaming about whilst making lattes. Begin to tell self you will go back to school. This doesn’t happen. Start looking for new job.

And here I am. And I hate it. And I work for an asshole.

As for the second question about the assholes? The answer is no. No such place exists where there are less than 3 fuckwits per department/cubicle section/floor etc. This is only my opinion though, as well as information I have gleaned from other office workers over beers in my backyard. These usually end up in drunken rant sessions about how much we all hate our jobs and how short the weekends really feel. Welcome to adulthood.

The final question I have been pondering is, can I tell my boss goodbye if I am offered another position. Well, on the days where she is being an extreme bitch (which is pretty much every day she is in the office) I feel like I would not have a problem. Then there are days where I think about pregnancy, maternity leave benefits, and reputation. Imagine starting a great new job and then finding out you’re pregnant. Kiss that job goodbye because no one will respect you for that.

So I figure I will just keep handing out resumes and see what happens. Who knows, maybe karma will smile upon me this year. I don’t think I can last where I am much longer. This job is turning me into a miserable, stressed out freak.


Office Girl