Forgive the venting. I need it.
I have a ton of skills, but no clear path to monetizing them or getting a job that isn’t soul-crushing, much less both.
I’m an actor in Florida, which of course means I have a day job. It pays the bills, and…leaves me mentally drained at the end of the day.
It’s not the work itself. I’m a business analyst who writes and edits procedural web pages for several lines of business for a major corporation, and I honestly enjoy writing and editing.
Unfortunately, the rubbish software, Byzantine workflow, lack of support at almost every level of management*, and having procedures returned with changes made by internal customers who cannot write.
As with many corporations, our CEO has insisted on implementing a “return to office” initiative, despite the fact that most of us adapted easily to remote work and our productivity went up. I suppose if I had a company car, helo, jet, drivers, and pilots, I’d wonder why everyone else isn’t eager to go back to the cube farm too.
I realize I have it easier than close to 90 percent of the planet, but that just means it sucks more for them, not that it doesn’t suck for me. Everyone deserves better, except the C-Suite.
*My executive VP met with my team face-to-face. Thankful to be in front of him for the first time in months, we participated enthusiastically in the discussion topics he brought up, until the end when he asked if we had any issues or concerns.
There was nearly a full minute of silence.
He asked again. More silence.
Finally, I brought up my issues, and he answered, “There are other places to work.” When I objected to that, he doubled down, saying “That’s why they call it work.”
(Not all of our terrible writers come from outside the department. The second shitty sentence should have come first for maximum impact.)
I need the money, even if it’s about $20,000 less a year than other writers, but I get home with no drive left to do anything, much less audition or look for a less garbage job for a less garbage employer.