I give up. My mother is a 1st generation American, her mother came over speaking no English. My parents never paid off their house, investing in my education in hopes of a better life.
Now I have a Master’s degree. I’m not yet 30. I’ve set up a cutting-edge one of 10 in the world research laboratory. I’ve made incredible discoveries this year – and I’m still not “safe” yet.
It’s still not enough to guarantee my ability to take time off after complications from a minor surgery. I am going to be fine, there will be no long term effects. But I am here at my desk, I’ve been here bleeding and in pain.
My company offers 3 weeks less leave than anywhere else in my city. We get half of the holidays too.
I can either take this time off now and rest, or skip spending the holidays with my family. Or beg my boss to slip unpaid hours onto my time card, and hope HR doesn’t notice and fire me.
This is a demanding job and I am burning out quickly. I don’t think I can survive 40 years of this. I’ve been working since 14, but at least the hourly jobs I’ve had (waitress, retail) DGAF and you could call out sick when needed – or just find a new job, it was never hard in the service industry.
I haven’t had a single day off this year that wasn’t because I was seriously ill. Being salaried feels like a lie and a trap, at least here.
I’m looking for a way out, even if the tech sector is contracting. I have Python big data experience and I’m trying to study machine learning and cybersecurity in my spare time.
I’ve brought my biggest project to a close. That project will bring in more than a year of my salary to the company. I will likely not see a bonus. In a few months, I’ll have been there a year. With those completed I’ll be able to move to a new job more easily.
Or just pay me a fair rate, dammit.
I know I have it better than 90% of this sub but it still feels impossible, especially because I’ll need to help support my parents.
hopefully someone else needs a research scientist in my neck of the woods.
My partner tells me the way I’m treated here is unacceptable given the work I do. It was my first job out of grad school, oops.
I’ve made an effort to be a positive influence in the workplace and develop good relationships with my mentors and mentees- I don’t think they have any idea how unhappy I am there, or how close to gone I am.