I want to quit my job...

[Zeb]

I did OTR driving for 6 months. There's a lot of bullshit to the job you never think of before you get into it. Each place you deliver or pickup from has their own way of doing things and that can complicate your day pretty easily. I don't recommend being a solo driver. Being in a team is the way to go, as you get cross country deliveries at driving is where you make your money. As a solo driver, you can expect to get loads where you'll pick up a load 2 hours from where you dropped your last one off, wait 4 hours for the place to open, drive 2 hours to reach your delivery, take an hour to unload, drive another hour to your next pickup, take an hour to load, drive another 2 hours to your next destination. Meanwhile you're making a shitty $.30/mile, your logbook can only average 50-55mph or you'll be reprimanded for speading, the 10 hours on for every 8 hours off rule while end up fucking you in the ass a few times, and the people at headquarters will treat you like shit because you're 2000 miles away and they just installed metal detectors between the drivers and office back at headquarters because they don't trust any of the drivers, whether they're decent human beings or scum of the earth like too many of drivers are.

On the other hand, you can make money driving. The driver I had to train with at the company I worked for was making 100k/year (he got paid per mile for his miles and my miles, where I was only making $325/week during training), 5 weeks vacation/year and had a set route so he knew he'd be home every Saturday evening, have Sunday off, then have half of Wednesday off at home. I made 14k in those 6 months, but I was home only about 10 days of that.

[Meresgi]

shit... similar story with my dad, but he had 20yrs exp basically doing 1 skill(window framing, frame assembly, etc.). Hasn't been in full-time work since mass layoff in '06.

On a more related note, I have 5yrs retail/customer service exp., finished pharm tech school in July, and still no callbacks. Growing medical field my ass.

Medical field is only growing for Rad techs and nurses, everything else is washed up. And the medical field is having the same issue graphic arts had before, there was a big vacancy, EVERYONE went into it, now its too full.

Also Food Service > Retail in terms of shittiness. I fucking hate feeding retarded ass college kids who don't even know what the fuck swiss cheese or pepperoni are.

[BerenTebogo]

Being a waiter is definitely worse than retail but I'd never go back to either of them again.

[Viq]

Move to somewhere in Asia and teach. I moved to Korea to be a student, and on my second day here I was offered a job as a teacher for $18.75 an hour with no classes that interfere with my Korean class schedule. I teach conversational English classes to college students, and we get along so well that half a dozen of my students and I went out for drinks together tonight. Good times

[Secksi]

Don't want to deal with shit customers and be away from a GM who works during sales hours? Work in the warehouse.

I kinda did this. Worked overnight at a wal-mart stocking shelves for a year then transferred to the grocery distribution center. Holiday season is the time the grocery places are going to be looking for people as well(so many turkeys and pies....). If you don't mind some physical labor and kinda shit hours I'd look around and see if you have a distribution center close by for any of your local grocery stores.

[Aerides]

OP said: " Recently all no management employees had their hours slashed. This only resulted in more work being put on me. My boss has also gone from being reasonable to being a dick due to the stress on him too now."

In this economy, over the past 2 years, EVERYONE left standing that didn't get laid off will say the same thing to you in any job in any field. Grass is not always greener. Find something new first, and then graciously and professionally give your two week notice. Never burn bridges, shit always comes back around.

[notorious bum]

Move to somewhere in Asia and teach. I moved to Korea to be a student, and on my second day here I was offered a job as a teacher for $18.75 an hour with no classes that interfere with my Korean class schedule. I teach conversational English classes to college students, and we get along so well that half a dozen of my students and I went out for drinks together tonight. Good times

Seems like the real growing job market is overseas, not in this neo-slave trade called the U.S. economy. My brother took the leap of faith and went to china last year, still there and has moved from "living wage" to making 4 times that by networking and teaching private tutoring. I've heard alot of similar stories of people taking their degrees overseas to earn 2-3x what they would over here.

edit: Korea is one country I wouldn't mind going to, fuckin kdramas, kimchi, and the best hip-hop scene in asia. Sup TigerJK

[Heavencloud]

OP said: " Recently all no management employees had their hours slashed. This only resulted in more work being put on me. My boss has also gone from being reasonable to being a dick due to the stress on him too now."

In this economy, over the past 2 years, EVERYONE left standing that didn't get laid off will say the same thing to you in any job in any field. Grass is not always greener. Find something new first, and then graciously and professionally give your two week notice. Never burn bridges, shit always comes back around.

I'll agree with this. But seriously, get out ASAP. Retail is terrible and I can't wait to get out of it... The best thing about it is it motivates me to do well in school so I can GTFO.

[Holly Short]

Being a waiter is definitely worse than retail but I'd never go back to either of them again.

While waiters may take a lot of shit, my ability to take shit is directly proportional to the money. Tips = $$$. I've got tons of friends working as bus boys and etc that can't wait to actually wait tables because of that. Retail = no tips.

[oldoldman]

Ideal position? $14/hr starting probationary period, $18/hr after passing IV quality control tests, with room to move up to more responsibility/higher pay($20-22/hr).

My situation? Groveling at the feet of shitty retail chains for $10/hr starting with PT hours.

Seriously considering becoming a full-time student once I land a job. Yeah, I got gamed with the whole "fastest growing job field" marketing, treated it like a real degree, and acquired my first debt as an adult lol I wouldn't call it a total loss, I have lots of useless knowledge about shit I previously had no names for and simply referred to as "Poison". Still alot easier to just say poison tho..

Being reckless isn't smart. Might have gotten away with that 5-10yrs ago, but don't take your shit for granted anymore.

This is about as bad as hearing someone recommend The Secret to change my life.

People worry too much.

[SamanosukeShiva]

Servers working in my cafe make about $150 a night in tips+wages, and can go up to 200+ on a busy night. Not bad for a small place, dunno about at high end restaurants though, probably can make even more.

[Holly Short]

Servers working in my cafe make about $150 a night in tips+wages, and can go up to 200+ on a busy night. Not bad for a small place, dunno about at high end restaurants though, probably can make even more.

Last time I went to Ruth's Chris me/my brother and the waiter were talking about that. The place is only open like 5-6 hrs a night, but it's so high end and expensive it's mostly rich businessmen leaving him 50+ dollar tips and the like. Guy works like 35 hrs a week and makes bank. Of course, places like that only hire people who have been waiting tables like 10+ years.

[BerenTebogo]

While waiters may take a lot of shit, my ability to take shit is directly proportional to the money. Tips = $$$. I've got tons of friends working as bus boys and etc that can't wait to actually wait tables because of that. Retail = no tips.

My ability to take shit is about as close to zero as humanly possible. If someone is being a rude asshole / bitch to a waiter/waitress in my vicinity I'll instruct them to shut the fuck up even if it doesn't affect me.

I don't do well working with other people, lol.

[Korremar]

I must be some sort of inhuman monster, because I actually legitimately enjoy customer service. I currently work as a manager at a laser tag place in a tremendously awful neighborhood. I'm only a dollar above MD's minimum wage, courtesy of two raises in the ~1yr 1mo I've been there. I work about 28-30 hours a week. I deal with almost nothing but miserable, mouth-breathing retards all day. And honestly, I don't hate it. Yes, I bitch about the customers as soon as they're out of earshot. But really, the amount of goofing around we get to do, it's not so horrible, and having at least a couple of co-workers that can sort of share in the misery makes it not all that bad.

[Fhloston]

idk about you guys, but I work inventory/product process at a retail store. Shit's pretty dope. My supervisor is cool (we were friends prior to his promotion), I never work with my bitch GM, pay is decent for retail, I don't deal with customers.

Sure I work early mornings, but I'm out from anywhere between noon to two pm and have the rest of the day to do whatever.


Don't want to deal with shit customers and be away from a GM who works during sales hours? Work in the warehouse.

^This. Previous job was a supply tech at a hospital, had to deal with retarded nurses, department directors, and the occasional pompous doctor, and shit pay. (Made about $8.75 when I left, was a month shy of three years there.) Applied to a bigger hospital for the same position for better pay, lost the job to someone else, but got a call from their warehouse coordinator. Been there now for two and a half years, making almost double of my previous job, and I only have to deal with my co-workers, and supervisor on a nightly basis. (Which isn't bad since we're all pretty laid-back.) Hours are set, 3rd shift but I have become pretty fond of it. Great benefits, 401K, etc. I deliver to the hospital in our company truck, but that is only once a week, and no CDL required. It breaks the monotony of the work week, lol.

Patients/hospitals always need supplies, so I figure I'm okay for now. Try local hospitals and see if their supplier has any openings. Most of the time you have to make some calls and do some research to find out where their warehouses are, but it's easy work for decent pay. Best of luck!

[Holly Short]

My ability to take shit is about as close to zero as humanly possible. If someone is being a rude asshole / bitch to a waiter/waitress in my vicinity I'll instruct them to shut the fuck up even if it doesn't affect me.

I don't do well working with other people, lol.

Generally I just dealt with it in retail by knowing that anyone who does such things is just a lower human being and not worth my time to get upset over. Even if sometimes you just want to slap the fuck out of them for being retarded.

[Thefonz]

you know... this thread makes me think about many things. I had the same reaction as many when i thought hey.. stfu you got a job.. but i also got to thinking about my own job. I provide tech support and do alot of my companies programming and it sucks. I love what i do, but where i do it... yeah... it sucks. my boss is a dick and probably one of my closest friends... and everyone thinks we fight like a old married couple. oh well... if you really wanna try to get into something that pays well and can be fun at times i would suggest what i do. I attended school to be a MCSA which turned out to be totally useless in Arkansas since its really just walmart/jb hunt/tysons here. but Cisco... you are basically a god here if you got Cisco xp. just a idea...

[Zoolander]

Christ you guys make me love my life so much. Plan long term, so what if you live off a couple dollars a day for a month or two or whatever, its about achieving what you want out of life. No one can answer that for you though, and you just get into serious trouble when you try to let people tell you what YOU should be doing. Stick it out? Yea and what, be in retail/a job you hate for the rest of your fucking life? Or until you're 30, 40? What then? Fuck that noise, unless what you want is an unfulfilled life.

[Kerberoz]

Being a waiter is definitely worse than retail but I'd never go back to either of them again.

No way mang, waiters have the potential to move up and make a decent living. Even at the base level you can make way above minimum. Retail is shit pay unless you're sitting on the board of directors.

[Velgadess]

Work in IT for Navy 9+ yrs. graveyard shift, very laid back. pays well, great benefits. I agree retail sucks. never have personally worked in it but friends have and I hear all their horror stories. food service sucks too. about 90% of my family works in or owns their own restaurant business. having grown up in that work enviroment I understand alot where they are comming from. when I go out to eat, as long as you are not a total douche/idiot, I always tip well.