I withdrew my application this morning.
What!?!?!?!!??!?! Are you NUTS!?!?!?!?!!?!
No. Well, maybe a little. But it was a carefully considered decision. Look, I know I need the money, the benefits were great, and the insurance part was crucial. (I'm officially uninsured as of tomorrow.) But there have been a number of little red flags about this job. Yesterday there were not only flags, but bells, sirens and flashing signs that said, "RUN AWAY."
I won't go into details, but it became apparent yesterday that the boss is not a trustworthy person. I had heard as much from other people here, but now I've seen it for myself, and I didn't appreciate it. This job is really hard, lots of work, and definitely requires overtime hours. I'm willing to do the hard work, even on something I'm not interested in -- hey, I did apply and I've been here a month -- but in order to sustain that energy and dedication over any period of time, I've got to at least be able to trust the boss.
I was super-stressed out when I got home last night because I was quite angry. I did some yoga, I meditated, I prayed, I took a hot bath, I talked to my mom, I emailed my dad...and all were in agreement that, financial issues aside, it was better to back out before I got stuck here.
When I arrived this morning, the other secretaries were gathered around the xerox machine drinking coffee and gossiping.
"Hey, you look kinda stressed out," said T.
"Yeah, I didn't sleep well last night, " I said.
"Oh, well, if it's about yesterday, don't worry about it. He does stuff like that all the time. You can't take it personally." Then the secretaries began to regale me with stories about things he's done to his previous assistants. (He's had four in two years.)
So...if there was any doubt on my part -- and there was -- that little conversation cemented it. I know some of my friends will think I'm CRAZY to turn down a job with this kind of compensation, but to my way of thinking, what's truly crazy is taking a job when you know there's a big huge problem.
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7 comments:
I'd be worried about the money (being unemployed myself just now, I can relate, and I do worry), but I have to applaud your smarts in walking away from a job that you could see was going to be a problem.
You did the right thing kiddo. Others may not understand your decision and the fact that your family supports you 100%. Just tell your friends who think you made the wrong decision that you are so important to your mom and dad that money is not an issue when it comes to values...
JF
I'm proud of you :)
Richie
I'm sure it was a tough decision to make, but getting stuck working for this guy would be worse. I hope you are able to find something that fits soon.
Best of luck!
It sounds like you made the right decision, Andy.
Kudos for having the integrity not to take the position, for the reasons you cited.
Hope you find something better soon.
Take care.
I understand your feelings on this issue. However, you could have kept this job while you looked for another. I know this would compromise your values but it would have kept the paychecks rolling in while you found a job more aligned with your values. Its a tough call and ultimately you have to be true to yourself but an income is an income. i have read your blog alot and you are very intelligent. I was wondering if you have a degree? I don't know the specifics of the job you just left but I would think that being someones assistant would be a step down for someone with a college degree. I don't live in New York and have absolutley no clue about the job market there. Maybe you aren't marketing yourself as effectively as you could be. Have you thought about trying to find employment within the field that you have a degree in?
Well, you've asked the million dollar question.
I have a master's degree in vocal performance. Why I'm not singing anymore is a long, sad story.
I am looking to work for a company I'm more interested in, but my professional resume is apparently too thin to get me any interviews. Whenever I temp, I get offered the spot. However, I only seem to be able to find temp work in finance companies. (Probably because they're so awful people are always quitting.)
You make a great point, and it's one I really, really wrestled with -- in fact that was the motivation to apply for the job in the first place. I sure as hell didn't want it! But I regarded it as yielding to practicality.
I have done temp work in New York for 11 years now, though, so you have to trust me when I say I know what offices are like and what I can reasonably expect of people. His behavior this week exceeded what I consider reasonable. I do not appreciate being lied to and left holding the bag because he's irresponsible. Frankly, I'm glad he did what he did when he did so I still had an easy exit.
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