How stressful Is Your Current Job

[Chthonic]

It's no secret I'm in possibly the one job I'm entirely unsuited to. In the beginning I found little niches in the role to fill with my talents. But over time I'm just becoming more and more stressed. There is this pervasive low level stress I constantly feel from doing something I naturally suck at.

Just wondering how many other people are slowing killing themselves in careers or whether career satisfaction is actually a thing. Feel free to vote, vent or vascillate on why or why not your job is awesome or awful.

 

[Coriolis]

Career satisfaction is a thing, and I used to have it. Now, I am applying for a new position because my present work environment has deteriorated so much.

 

[Chthonic]

I think what stresses me the most is that I'm the end of line fixer/accomodator/apologist for an unwieldy logistical machine where things frequently do not go to plan. The spanner in the works phenomenon is difficult for me to deal with because I rely on routines for my sense of well being. When things go awry I *need* a few moments to myself to clear the head, the emotions and formulate a plan. It's rare that I have those few moments out of the public view.

Career satisfaction is a thing, and I used to have it. Now, I am applying for a new position because my present work environment has deteriorated so much.

This is exactly how I feel. I used to love this job, I used to do it easily. Now I need to move on to where the satisfaction is higher. Too many variables are just beyond my control in this job and I lack the level of rapport necessary to make a silk purse out of a pigs ear. It irks me that I cannot effectively make good with the bad. I need to create a job where the variables that matter are within my control or at least influence.

Logistically, I'm a machine. But in all the ways that really matter....I am not useful.

 

[sprinkles]

I was part of the dot.com bubble. The part that burst. I helped design some of the first commercial websites and e-commerce systems, and convinced people they needed them. I often worked 100 hour weeks and took work home which drove me into the ground and early insanity.

I burned out and went rogue at around 24 years old and have spent 10 more years after basically sitting in my cave talking to myself, doing mad science and plotting world domination.

 

[ceecee]

I work from home so it's substantially less than it would be if I was still on-site. The job itself, deadlines and such can be but those time crunches aren't too frequent. Audits, visits from governing bodies and things like that are really the only things that get stressful for me.

 

[Lark]

Most of the time I like my job, even when its stressful, although what bothers me about it generally isnt the stressors involved in it but how others dont respond well to it or handle it as I do. That bothers me and I guess that's stressful. I'm naturally relaxed, even in stressful situations, I find stressed out people hate that and consciously or unconsciously want to fuck up your calm.

 

[miss fortune]

I hate it less than I've hated most of my jobs, if that means anything

I can say that I enjoy some parts of my job and that I hate the fact that to get anywhere further it requires that I play politics... the type that involves sucking up to people

some contrary streak in me refuses to let me do that, so I'm pretty much stuck at the level that I'm on, because to get any farther requires the approval of my boss, and for the approval of my boss I must kiss ass

lucky for me, work also will pay for school and it will let me build my schedule around my classes, so I'm just biding my time until I graduate

 

[á´…eparted]

My "job" is graduate school (organic chemisty, PhD). I don't need to say anything else.

 

[LonestarCowgirl]

My current job requires patience, persistence, and brains. I love, love, love it!

 

[Firebird 8118]

I'm over-qualified for my current job - must find one better suited to my skills within the next few months, OR I'LL GO CRAZY!!!!

 

[Cellmold]

In relation to the low pay and lack of responsibility, surprisingly high.

It's the typical retail hierarchy though; one big spider's nest of people shitting on the people below them because the spider in the middle is the one with the biggest cheque. That....plus the customers....OH LORDY LORD THE CUSTOMERS!

 

[ygolo]

Most of my jobs currently are stressful in different ways. Most of the stress is good in different ways. I'm learning a lot. I seem to be much more satisfied working multiple jobs than just one.

One thing I know for sure now, is that the main source of lack of productivity at a workplace are the assholes at work that demand everyone else be productive... rather than just inspiring others to be so by being productive themselves.

 

[Fluffywolf]

The only part that I find minutely stressful about my job are the hours.

But then again, my job is much less stressful than my own free time. So I guess there is an oxymoron in there somewhere.

 

[Saffrogen]

My current job is about a 4, but 9 strongly resonated for my last job.

I used to work front desk at an economy motel in the Disney area that was marketed as a boutique hotel. Throw in the entitled guests, poorly maintained property, endless blame game, micromanagement, big brother bosses, and backstabbing, and, well... There's a reason why when my coworker and I worked the late shift together, we would take turns enabling each other's bad behavior. One of us would be away from the desk for hours, but still clocked in while the other covered. He clambaked in his truck, and I got wasted at the bar.

On Sundays when management wasn't around, my coworkers and I would all get wasted together in the breskfast room, sometimes completely abandoning the front desk during slow times.

Oh, and my coworker actually got caught being clocked in when he wasn't really there. (This was when he was "working" with someone else other than me.) Management took away his shifts for a week, but otherwise kept him as a full-time employee. The place was so miserable to work at that they had trouble retaining any new hires; for example, within one month of being hired, three out of four new hires quit, and two of those walked away from their shifts. Everyone who stayed passive-aggresively abused the system as much as possible, somewhat expecting to get caught and fired. But, it never worked out that way...

Why didn't we all quit? I guess we had no self esteem. (I finally did quit.)

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

It's no secret I'm in possibly the one job I'm entirely unsuited to. In the beginning I found little niches in the role to fill with my talents. But over time I'm just becoming more and more stressed. There is this pervasive low level stress I constantly feel from doing something I naturally suck at.

Just wondering how many other people are slowing killing themselves in careers or whether career satisfaction is actually a thing. Feel free to vote, vent or vascillate on why or why not your job is awesome or awful.

There're lots of shades of work that aren't covered in the poll. Mainly, sometimes it's cool, intellectually satisfying, and socially fulfilling; other times, it's a nightmare and I want to jump out the window. I think that's how a lot of people experience work.

 

[Such Irony]

I find the whole aspect of job searching much more stressful than the job I have. My job isn't particularly that stressful (Librarian) except for the occasional difficult customer that comes in. I'm looking for another job because this is only part-time.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

My job is stressful as fuck but I like it, and happen to be really good at it. I'm 100% commission and don't make any money unless I walk that money through the door. Some pay periods I make nothing, and others I made more than I used to make in a year. Sales is a bitch, but pays really well if you can hack it. Something like 90%+ of people who get started as Financial Advisors don't make it.

I happen to be one of the ones who did. It's the most competitive industry I've ever been in, with bosses always asking what have you done for me lately, and pitting my production levels against my co-workers. I'm actually moving to a new company that is going to fast track me to management and pay for my MBA. I'm happy to play politics or whatever it is else I have to do. I like this dog eat dog business. Stress is good for me, and I'm doing something my talents were made for.

 

[Luke O]

I'm currently in the most enjoyable job I've done yet (data analysis) which is better suited to my talents. Prior to that (in the same company), I used to work in their Complaints department, which I just really hated more and more over time. Customer service only made enjoyable when they gave me problems to solve.

My current stressors are just people - people wanting stuff done in a short space of time, and not understanding that I may have other stuff I'm doing for other people too. So I'm negotiating time. I've felt a greater need to plan my days out - I'm still not a good planner, and it can frustrate me when things don't go to plan. But I'm learning.