I have been a lifeguard, a line cook, a host, a busser, a mix engineer (sound), a lighting tech, a rigger, an engineer at a TV station, a traveling meteorological tower technician, a climbing instructor and an arborist.
I have quit and walked out of more jobs in my life than anyone I know. I have NEVER ONCE let any of my bosses control my life, or put my body, my mental or my emotional state in harms way for the sake of a paycheck.
I want to talk about my experience, because I believe that adapting this mindset is the way to finding an increase in wages, better treatment at jobs and an overall happier society.
Firstly, you don’t owe ANYONE anything. It doesn’t matter if your grandma got you the job and you don’t want to let her down- if they treat you like shit, you do not owe them your labor.
Secondly, you are able to exploit employers for training and benefits just as they exploit you for cheap labor. I’ve been hired at gyms stating “I just want to work one day a week,” so that I can have a free membership, calling out on days I simply don’t feel like I need to waste my time for some $50 shift. I milk this (for membership) over the course of 6 months until they finally decide to let me go. I give zero fucks and why should I? When I work, I give free guest passes, rentals and a blind eye to everyone who gets checked in by me.
This brings me to my next point-
The working class needs to help each other. If you work for some mega cooperation and you have the ability to hook it up for your fellow human, do it! You cannot imagine how many thousands of dollars of free food, rentals, day passes and other amenities I have given away on behalf of the companies I have worked for. It is no sweat for me, especially because I’m not some miserable bastard that ties my identity to the company that’s bending me over.
Thirdly, you can gain amazing skills from diversifying your experience.
We are only on this earth for so long, and if you take the opportunity to try many different things, and make many different friends, you will find yourself making the “jump” much easier when the next opportunity presents itself. I have an incredible, diverse resume with plenty of fantastic references.
You are 100% in control of your path and how you are treated. You set your own limits and create the “norm” on the first day of work. Even if you don’t have many options for places to work in your area, you can find traveling jobs that will pay you to work in other parts of the world. I found my tower job on Facebook which paid me to travel to IN, WV, PA, NY…etc.
I am currently 23 years old, a part-time arborist for $35/hour whenever I want to work and will be a certified Stick/TIG/MIG welder with a fabrication associate’s deg once my classes end next summer. My community college pays me a few grand each semester to go to school because I qualify for grants and keep a 4.0 GPA.
I’m here to tell you that disappointing other people is necessary while you figure out what works for you. Quitting is a form of growth. My parents used to worry about me after leaving a string of jobs before I turned 20 and moved across the country, but now I have the skill set, life experience and most importantly, the confidence to do practically anything, in any major city on Earth, creating environments for myself to thrive.