The past month has been a bit of a rollercoaster for your dear !i$@ bee. Since the beginning of July I have:
- Gotten a part time job at a major clothes retailer catering to the teen and up set
- Quit that job because it sucked
- Gone on, like, 6 interviews since quitting--fantastic!
I ordinarily wouldn't put this out there for any and everyone to read, but I figure a lot of folks are in similar situations and it couldn't hurt to have another story to relate to... the real reason I despised this position is, I couldn't get over the fact that I have a college degree now and was stuck doing retail work. I'd promised myself while working retail in college that once I graduated, NO MORE. Yet there I was, on my feet all day, organizing racks and racks of clothing that some inconsiderate person(s) would destroy again in a matter of minutes, working irregular hours that left me little time for a social life, making little more than minimum wage.
I tried to suck it up and deal, but each little slight--having to keep two whole sections of the store immaculate *by myself* because most people were quitting, then being yelled at by a manager to "do better" and "try harder;" having only 30 min. for lunch and a 10 min. break per shift, both of which you had to keep track of yourself and which had to be manager-approved before taking them (try traversing a 40,000 square foot store looking for someone to approve your breaks... that eats up your "break" right there); the sh*tty employee discount: a whopping 10%--made it that much worse.
My paycheck after two weeks was a joke. It was so not worth it to me.
Once I made the decision to leave, I hit the ground running in terms of getting my resume out there and securing interviews for positions I'm better qualified for and that pay well above minimum wage. I signed up with four temp agencies to ensure I get a steady stream of job opportunities coming in. I made sure to send a thank you note after each interview. And the response I've gotten so far has me optimistic about my future job prospects
Again, as much as I hated my retail job, I can't knock it completely because it gave me the extra motivation to go out and look for something better.
I thought humility was a lesson I'd already learned through my previous stints in retail and from the state of the economy in general. An in-your-face reminder every now and then can only make me stronger.
And yes, in case you're wondering, Steven Slater is my job quitting hero. In addition to myself, of course
