I never would've gotten to where I am today without this sub and the conversations I've seen here! This is long but I’ll try to hit the high points.
I was working at a non-profit after school in 2020, making ok money at this point but had to fight my boss tooth and nail to get promoted and a salary that would sustain me living in a big city. With each promotion came more and more work. I was eventually doing the job of 3 people – in charge of finance, project management, and CRM systems. Oh and benefits like health insurance or retirement savings? Yeah that didn't exist there. We had 'unlimited PTO' which is a huge scam btw. Wound up not taking an actual day off for nearly 2 years.
I was ready to start my job search and then the pandemic hit. Put my plans to leave on hold and sat tight waiting for things to normalize.
Fast forward to August 2021 – I've weathered the storm with this company. I worked overtime, applied for the PPP loan on behalf of the organization and was granted forgiveness, pitched in everywhere I could to keep things going. Hell at one point I was working weekends painting a new school location. All while my boss, the CEO and founder, is off taking road trips across the country with her husband and is 'out of service range' when major decisions needed her approval.
Well at my August 2021 annual review I thought surely my hard work would be recognized and it was about to pay off. I hadn't had a raise since 2019 and now enrollment numbers at the schools were strong and the grant money was flowing in. I've now been at the company four years.
Nope – I got a 5% raise plus health insurance where the organization would only be covering 50% of the coverage. It was cheaper for me to be on Obamacare.
Now if that wasn't a big enough kick in the gut, remember that I am in charge of the finances and payroll at this organization so I see raises issued for all 8 of the full time employees. During the same month my boss was granted a 20% raise by our Board of Directors. 20 fucking percent. She basically used the entire pandemic to travel the United States and train for ultramarathons.
And that is where I broke. In between sobbing I was heavily drinking burning time on Reddit and I came across this sub. Reading through the stories and the comments I realized that no my job does not care about me and it's not going to get better. And instead of getting angry or storming out…I started strategically planning.
One small perk at this company was a small continuing education stipend. I invested in some courses and practice tests on Udemy to sit for my PMP exam. It took me 4 months of classes, studying and prep after work to take the PMP. Finally December 2021 I took that stipend and used it to pay for my PMP exam. I passed. I did it. And I used that meager stipend as my stepping stone to getting a better job.
End of year holidays kept my boss out of the office until January 2022 so I kept my head down and started updating my resume. The PMP opened up a new world of job opportunities for me and with my experience I knew I could land something eventually. I hired a resume writer and wrote my resignation letter. First day back after winter break I put in my notice. I have never felt more satisfied or afraid in my life. No new job set up and no idea where I was gonna land but I had some savings and my boss asked if I'd stay on until I got a new position.
3 weeks! It took me only 3 weeks to interview at a slew of different companies, get a couple of offers, and finally I am in my new job. Fully remote, benefits covered by the company, and a 50% raise. My workload is manageable and my boss is always available to mentor and guide me.
My point in sharing this story is that you can do this. Your path might be different than mine but you can get out if you start making that exit plan. Keep fighting for your rights and don't settle or expect your company to magically start appreciating you.
Thank you r/antiwork you inspired me to get a better life and I am finally feeling like I am getting ahead in my career!