A little bit of backstory… I was a former barista through high school and a little bit after along with a job I held at a public library that was way more than I was qualified for and very STEM and community involved. Then I moved to a call center job at a small company. I was a top performer and got promoted quickly. As far as companies go, they were decent. Pretty chill, salaried job, literally never worked past 4:30, ceo gave us plenty of days off, pay and bonuses were reasonable but nothing to praise. Stayed there for a while and didn’t absolutely hate it.
Then I moved.
Came back to being a barista. That was ok, got paid shit so I looked for a “real job.”
Found said job at a LARGE company. Phone based job, whatever. I was hired mid June and only started training at the beginning of August. They have insane expectations for you to stick to your schedule (so if you’re helping a customer and cut into your lunch time, you’re penalized). If you switch your auxiliary status (which I’ve never had to do before) too much you’re penalized. So going to the restroom “too much” could very well get you penalized. They count that as #1 priority for raises and assessments. I have to be in that building for 9 hours with an hour lunch.
But it’s not just 9 hours. Oh no, we’re about to get into ~mandatory overtime~ season.
This job has been killing my mental health and no one seems to understand why I think it’s so terrible. I have so many transferable skills, tech experience, and a fantastic personality (may be unbelievable lmao). I’ve applied for so, so, so many jobs that I’m overqualified and under qualified for. One interviewed me but ultimately didn’t hire me.
Why the fuck is it so hard to find a job that treats you like a human being, not an open phone line? I’ve been trying to apply for jobs for tech/startups and smaller businesses but I guess I lack the required Stanford degree and San Francisco zip code. Reception jobs, office jobs that are customer facing? Nah, not pretty enough to coerce creepy men into coming into the business (my hair isn’t waist length and my teeth aren’t exactly Hollywood straight). I have some physical issues, nothing major or requiring accommodations, but enough to where factory/warehouse work would break me.
Is there an end to this? I don’t have enough money or credit to invest, I don’t believe the TikTok affiliate marketers (it’s giving pyramid scheme), I don’t have a degree, any good ideas, rich parents… etc.
How do I get out of this???
I don’t feel like giving almost 50 hours a week including commute to some soulless payroll company forever. Or even tomorrow.