I don't post quite often so I apologize for the formatting. TL;DR at the bottom for those who want the short story as this will be a long post.
I worked at a relatively large company for a year (I won't name them). When I started, it was a decent job for me. I was making $17.00 an hour at the time and for me, that was good. I finally stepped into a full-time position where I was getting benefits, and I also got PTO. It was my first step into a full-time role. Unfortunately, a few months later they eliminated the position I was in. The company assured us that we would still have jobs if we chose to stay with them.
I decided to stay with the company as it worked well for my schedule (I work full-time and go to school part-time). I was given a really good opportunity to work in another area that would cultivate my professional skills, the skills I would need post-graduation. I got promised that they would open a role for me where I can solely work on projects and get experience in the field I'm going to school for. I was extremely excited about this opportunity and took it. The only issue is that the role wasn't yet created, so I came in as a regular employee.
When I started the new position, I learned as much as I could while waiting for them to open the promised role. I kept in contact with my supervisors and managers. At the time, they had told me that they were putting in a review to get the role approved for 2022. So I waited and still worked as a regular employee, except I wasn't treated like one. I was given many projects to do, but no time to work on them. I got constantly reminded of my title, and that “if we give you special treatment, we have to do it for everyone else.” The thing that made me frustrated was that they had others who were in the same boat as I was, but they were given the time to work on their projects. They were rarely given grief about what they were doing, and it was extremely frustrating. I felt like my voice meant nothing.
2022 came, and I was told they had the green light for the position, however, it would take a while since they had to open it with another department. I decided to be patient and wait. Then, a position opened, but not the correct one. I had been told they would find out more information as they had no information about the position that was posted. About 2 weeks pass, and I was told that the “company” wanted someone with experience in the field and that the position required a bachelor's degree, the same degree that I am going to school for. I was angry, hurt, upset, and more than anything, I felt betrayed. Everyone else got in the position they were going for, but I was the only one that had yet to get into that position. I went to go talk with my managers, and they understood where I was coming from, but that they had no power over the choices of the company.
Shortly after, we had our compensation review. We had been told that they were doing this to adjust our pay to reflect inflation. We had been told that everyone was going to get a good raise. We already had our yearly raise, and many asked if that was going to be a problem. We were told not to worry about it, and that everyone was going to be given a raise. When the review came, we got told something different. “80% of you will get a raise,” was what got communicated that week. When the time came for my review, I was told that I was getting nothing. Salt in the wound. I had done so many projects, busted my ass to make a positive impact, and still outperformed others with my “regular” job duties, and it meant absolutely nothing. I went to HR to fight it and laid out all the work that I had done, but it meant nothing. I was absolutely done. At one point during the many conversations that I had, I was told to look for other jobs. So I did.
I started looking at other roles, and within a month, I had got offered a new job that was within my field of study. Better pay, better benefits, and better quality of life. I stayed with the previous company because the carrot was being dangled in front of me, and I believed in them. I wanted to believe in them, but the writing on the walls was clear. Never put your full faith in a company, especially for those who don't value you as a person. Always do what is best for you. This subreddit has taught me so much about workers' rights and setting boundaries, and I plan to use what I have learned with this new job. Do not settle for less, and never have the expectation that a company will do something unless it is right in your face and in writing.
TL;DR || Worked for a company that promised to open a position for me, but then got strung along for over 8 months being told they'd open it while working on projects and also doing regular job duties. The company opened up a different position that I did not qualify for as I did not have my bachelor's, but it was the same thing I was studying for and doing as well. Got told that everyone would be getting a raise, but I did not get one. Ended up being told to look for a new job, so I did and I got a better job.