TLDR; going to college feels like an absolute waste and what the actual FUCK is wrong with the United States and our disgusting corporations that rake in billions upon billions while treating people like garbage?
So about year 8 of bartending, I decided that I wanted to change career paths, or, at the very least, explore other avenues that didn't involve working virtually every holiday in tandem with grueling shifts for people/managers that never seem to be happy no matter how exceptional your service is.
Thus, For the last 6 years, I've been studying and going to school while bartending – undergrad is in political science and newly finished master's is in public policy. After graduating in May, I started looking for careers with my degree(s) and landed on a private medical firm that is in the top 25 of Fortune 500 companies. This particular firm is growing at a rate of about 18% to 22% each year and generating vast amounts of new revenue and profit. This may have been an ambitious first job out of the gate, but ffs, I graduated with honors and had an in with one of my regulars at the bar.
7 weeks of interviewing and countless questionnaires and assessment tests later, I get an offer – fuck yeah! Flash forward to today when the recruiter is set to call me sometime shortly after 8 am and I am over the moon with excitement. Spent the last 3 days doing market research and pouring over countless points for potential salary ranges for the position, assessing salary ranges for people with this degree, and eventually arrive at (what I consider) an extremely reasonable figure.
After being assured via email from the department head that the recruiter would call by 10:15 am, it's 11:45 am and I haven't gotten shit. So, I sent a message to the department head who interviewed me to ask what gives. 30 seconds later my phone rings:
“Hi, I'm looking to speak with (my name).”
“This is he!”
“Okay yes, hello. I'm calling on behalf of (company) in regards to your application for (position). (Company) would like to extend an offer to you. My apologies for being late but I've been in meetings all morning and am actually in one right now.”
“It's alright, I'm just glad to get a call and that's great news! Thank you for the consideration and for trusting me to take the position.”
“Uh huh. We are prepared to offer you $62,000 with a 2% annual salary increase.”
::me, stunned::
“Oh wow! Okay. Thank you again for the offer. If you don't mind me asking, what is the budget for this position based on?”
“Experience.”
“Okay, well based on my research on the market and similar cities while also considering my education level, I was expecting a salary more in the range of $75,000.”
“Well, you're only a bartender and the midpoint for people with experience starts at $72,000 so you aren't likely to get your asking; but, I'll let the manager know and we can talk later. Goodbye.” ::click::
I don't even know where to begin. The condescension in her voice, the pissing on an entire profession, the unbelievably low ball salary that takes over $90,000 in tuition to even apply for, and the 3.5 hour tardiness that only became remedied after something was said all point me to skipping out on this job altogether. Fuuuuuuuuck that.
I've been behind the bar for 13 years and this less than 2-minute phone call takes the cake for rudeness and belittlement. Unreal.
I guess this is just another story of “the grass is always greener” and someone needing to vent about something shitty that happened.