Hate my job need cheering up

[Chrisoldinho]

Hi all,

After leaving college I decided not to goto uni and get a job straight from college for the quick money. I got into call centre work and slowly moved from job to job. I've found myself 6 years later working in a specialist recoveries department as a team leader for a debt recovery agency.

The problem is that i've chosen the wrong career and now i feel like i'm stuck, I really don't like my job and could seriously do with more money. My employer is pants, I work long hours for relatively little money for what I do (no pay rises in over 2 years - not even an inflation rise), sick pay is discretionary but never really gets paid, there is some kind of school mentality that if your not "in the gang" then your not going to get anywhere. An example of this is that I am the only person in a Senior-ish role that doesn't live under the same roof (bar the MD). The female who is 2nd in command is shagging the 3rd in command and he in turn with all of his flat mates live in the same house and are all mysteriously Team Leaders

I've always been passionate in IT, in particular web design...I can make some really neat web sites and can code in PHP and various other scripting languages. I'd like to get involved in this but have no qualifactions in Web Design (I have various A-Levels), consiquently i've applied for loads of job's all to no avail.

I could go to Uni and get a degree but I cannot afford to do that and with my current working hours i'd struggle to fit in an Open Uni course.

So that's where i'm at currently, stuck in a job I hate with people I hate earning relatively peanuts for the amount of work I do. I don't want to grow old doing the same old **** but because of my commitments I can't do anything else, i'm just stuck.

Can any of you cheer me up

[Sonic67]

Originally Posted by Chrisoldinho

Can any of you cheer me up

Life's a bitch and then you die.

[Chrisoldinho]

Originally Posted by Sonic67

Life's a bitch and then you die.

(I did see the funny side to that one really )

[krish]

Team Leaders ...

[Chrisoldinho]

Originally Posted by krish

Team Leaders ...

That's better!

[JohnG]

Most people I know hate their jobs

[Chrisoldinho]

Originally Posted by JohnG

Most people I know hate their jobs

Which is so sad don't you think? You get one shot at life and you spend half of it working so you might as well make the most of it when your there. To do something you hate depresses me immensely.

[pave]

What about this for a job..............

[IAN P]

God,that looks dePRESSING,

[mattrixdesign2]

Originally Posted by Chrisoldinho

I work long hours for relatively little money for what I do (no pay rises in over 2 years - not even an inflation rise), sick pay is discretionary but never really gets paid

Not having a pay rise and no sick pay = TIME TO LEAVE, that is truly shocking - basically you earn less than when you started, and they don't trust you when you are off sick!!! Also I am not sure I could work for "debt recovery agency"... the amount of grief I gave one person because the were chasing me for a debt I didn't owe, was shocking - but I couldn't get them to understand that they had the wrong person.

Do you have family or housing commitments? If not I would seriously consider doing a full time degree, as it could be last chance, I don't doubt your I.T. skills, you are perhaps better than most qualified IT people, but its difficult to prove on your CV. If you are applying for IT/Web based jobs, may be worth on the cover letter explaining your passion for web page design and pointing them to some of your best examples.

So... nothing to cheer you up ... but I would like to motivate you to make a move... go on, GO FOR IT!

[Beetlejuice]

Become a gigolo? Hours are good...

[kavanf1]

Very few people I know enjoy their jobs. Most have found something they hate least and do that. You've mentioned your love of/skills with IT a few times in the past. IMO, it's all about drive and ambition, or the flipside of that coin, desperation. Those ambitious enough, or desperate enough to do well, will do well. I know if I didn't have a family to support, I wouldn't have progressed in my career anywhere near as quickly as I have. I fall into the desperate category.

A friend of mine works a 9-5 as a programmer, and as soon as he gets home in the evenings, spends four or five hours on his laptop working out how to get rich. His aim is to become a millionaire, and I don't doubt he'll do it because he works so damn hard. He has already got himself a second income taking in ~£3k a month on top of his main income, through 98% hard work, a bit of ingenuity, and some shiny balls of brass. He's married with a young kid, but he makes the time to do it because he's so driven. Me, I like my Xbox too much to be bothered about getting rich.

Some people are millionaires, and others spend their time bitching on forums (not a dig at you by the way - I'm as guilty of it as anyone ). If I were you, Step 1 would be CHANGE YOUR JOB! If you're at the point where you think this can't get much worse, then even working in another call centre will provide you with some relief.

Hmm, I seem to remember you asking to be cheered up, not a sermon on empowerment by a hypocrite...oh well.

[pave]

Originally Posted by IAN P

God,that looks dePRESSING,

That was there lunch break, they were having duck.................


Coat on......................

[tomson]

Originally Posted by mattrixdesign2

If you are applying for IT/Web based jobs, may be worth on the cover letter explaining your passion for web page design and pointing them to some of your best examples

If you've not got any decent examples online then you could try contacting some local small businesses, organisations etc etc and offer to build them a site for free. You obviously wont get paid for it but it'll show people you can design/build to a clients specs and to a deadline. Also you could trawl the freelance forums looking for people wanting little sites built - it's all good experience.


edit: btw, I like my job.

[Naqv]

Now's your chance. Either DO SOMETHING NOW, or be a team leader in a ****** job for the rest of your life.

Sure you will encounter hardship, especially, if you do a degree (I would recommend that you do), but you rather suffer for 3 years, than for 30+ years.

You will really regret going to uni as you get older, especially if you hate your job.