I took a job after the military working as a laser operator at a metal fabrication shop. The pay was decent ($17 an hour) and the best I could get at the moment. The job was tough, dirty and stressful but nothing I wasn't already used to. A normal work week was about 10 hours of work a day with an hour lunch. I got comfortable for a bit on this pay but continued to keep looking for jobs in the Avionics field as thats what I used to do previously.
Fast forward a year later and I'm starting to hate this job. The higher ups are demanding we work more weekends and at a faster rate. The thing is, you can only work as fast as the laser will cut out parts. So the speed of the job is entirely on the machine itself and management new this. Their solution to this was to purchase a new laser that works at about 4 times the pace of the old one.
Here's the problem, they weren't hiring anyone to work the new laser. They were going to have ME work both the old and new laser. I can't even begin to explain how impossible it would be to keep up with all of this on my own. They needed to hire at least 3 more people to load material, unload parts and program the laser to keep up with this machine.
When I expressed my concerns with my employer and the floor supervisor, I was told I needed to work 7 days a week 12 hours a day for 4 months while the company finds employes and all for the same pay. Thing is, I knew it wouldn't happen. These guys were going to see what I would do when presented with all this work until I drowned and then hire people to help and see how much further they could push me.
I quit that day, I was told I was inconsiderate, lazy and greedy. Thankfully I had a better job lined up working in the field I did in the military and I'm doing so much better. Not just the pay is better l, but the environment and pace is better and I'm saving so much money now and can't wait to travel with my wife when I build up some PTO.
Lesson learned: I will never let another employer take advantage of me again.