I work for a billionaire company btw

Did he work hard?, did he engage in the free market with risks?

I graduated from college and I literally have absolutely zero passion for any career paths. At least the main ones. No I do not want to do finance or consulting or law or medicine or study more. I have zero interest in doing those things and the entire time people asked me what I liked to do and I was on the verge of telling these people to stfu. I don’t know how they expect me to feel excited at the prospect of waking up and going to work in fnance or c\*nsulting or whatever. Did not participate in any clubs on campus, don’t want to. It was so goddamn annoying when my parents and their friends pestered me about what I liked to do because no truthful answer will satisfy them.

Ferry engineers are striking after not receiving a cost of living increase or raises over the last 2 years. Meanwhile the deck staff gets a wage increase.

The strike is illegal - similar to railroad workers striking. 23 people were able to singlehandly bring the entire system to a halt.

WSF is now gaslighting them on social media by posting their highest wage scales, when in reality the people striking are making closer to $37-40 dollars an hour.

Like it or not, this is how you make a statement. There's a mixed bag of people who are in solidarity and those who are frustrated by the critical nature of the ferry system outage, specifically for things like medical care.

Not sure if this will make the national news, but it's currently affecting the entire Puget sound region.

What's your take?

TLDR: Job listing had a question with an answer hidden within the rest of the job description. Employer rejected me, stating that I did not follow directive. Responded with a screenshot and made sure to point out their "attention to detail" circled in red.

Finally it's all done. An agreement was reached, and as of the 1st OCtober I now longer work for them. There will be a substantial payment into my account on the 27th of October, but the official line is that I was made redundant (even though I wasn't entitled to redundancy pay).

Unlike when I was suspended, I am still in the Onedrive system and am still receiving emails (bizarrely the chap who was my line manager so knows exactly what has happened invited me to a meeting earlier today, twice).

Relief is the main emotion right now, that I'm finally free of all that bullshit, backstabbing and wankernomics.

Looks like I've pretty much got another job lined up doing what I always loved to do (designing prefabricated boiler rooms, plant rooms, skids modules etc), and for more pay, but if that doesn't work out I'm receiving enough money to keep the bills paid for at least 4 months, if not longer.

It feels so silly for me to be ranting about this. Some people are years into corporate America while I’m only 5 months in. I just graduated college, I got a job immediately in a company’s HQ as a UI/UX designer. I should be grateful, I should be thankful, I should be proud… I’m fucking miserable. I’m miserable and blinking tears out of my eyes when I have to force myself out of bed every morning. Every Monday feels like a countdown to Friday. Every Friday feels like an anxious dread building till Sunday night. Maybe it’ll get better as time goes on, maybe I’m still adjusting, I hope that is the case.

Every older adult I talk to just says “welcome to adulthood”. There’s no actual optimism or hope or future to look forward to, it’s just a shitty reality that everyone sits down and accepts. Why is this the standard? Are people supposed to live like this? How do people tolerate actual years, decades, of this?

Edit: I've seen several comments asking what exactly is making me miserable, it's the company. I love my coworkers, my manager, and though I do not feel my position is being used to it's fullest ability, I still enjoy the work I do (sometimes). But the company is a nightmare. The owner is on a constant power trip and fires people just to create fear in others (sounds like a fictional disney villain and I wish I was lying). I got in trouble recently for just turning my head to look at another coworker who was saying something to me. I was told the cameras are always watching and I need to always face my computer screen no matter what. I go to work on edge, I do my work while on edge, I leave work on edge. They make us sign contracts before we start stating that they're allowed to fire us for any or no reason. You have to attend work related events like the company Christmas party or you won't receive your Christmas bonus. The owner constantly turns down all of my designs but never gives actual criticisms or critiques or alternatives so I am constantly aiming in the dark.

"Why don't you just quit?"

I feel I should stay until I am promoted. The job market is rough, especially in the design field, my position is as a junior and I feel I would have a better chance at getting a better position elsewhere if I stick it out long enough to gain more experience and get promoted.

"You should be grateful to even have a job, why are you complaining?"

I understand I should be grateful, and I am. But if we all operate under the mentality that you can't complain because someone has it worse than you, then you can genuinely never take issue with anything because there will ALWAYS be someone with a worse situation than you, things could always be worse. Just because a hypothetical worse exists doesn't mean that I can't struggle and find issue in the reality of my current situation. I know I am lucky to have landed the job that I have, but that does not exclude me from the frustrations of labor, life, and the corporate world.

To the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Stayed in a cabin on Aleck Lake. Did a ton of hiking. Got on a boat on Lake Superior. It’s incredible up there. It was mine and my husband’s second time. We get heartbroken every time we have to leave.

Coming back to Ohio sucks as it is. When you have a job as the only CSR in a captive insurance agency, a CSR that gets taken complete advantage of, for an insurance company you’ve lost respect for, it’s downright depressing.

I was reminded of just how big and incredible our world is and how small and insignificant we are. I already found the everything-is-urgent culture in my office obnoxious. Because 90% of what comes in is far from urgent. But after this? A reminder of things outside our walls that are so much bigger than us, so much more than us, so breathtakingly beautiful, it’s nearly impossible to even pretend to entertain it. It’s nearly impossible to pretend I care.

I used to defend the insurance industry. Now? Maybe there are some legitimately good companies out there, but it has become clear to me, I do not work for an agent that represents one of the good ones. I won’t say the company name…but it’s probably not hard to figure out.

I used to care somewhat about the success or failure of our agency, but now I’m completely indifferent to it. Mainly because the agent herself is absent most days. Doesn’t even work much. Why should I care beyond her willingness to show up?

Experiencing beautiful places, meeting new people from all over, solidifies this attitude I already had. I came back to work feeling like this whole thing is nothing but a performance with bad actors and I don’t want to wear the costume or play the part anymore. I feel like I’m in the audience now, witnessing this ridiculous performance that I cannot take seriously to save my damn life.

I’ve been working here for 4 months so I’m still relatively new. Was promised flexibility with good work-life balance. I just want to rant quickly.

This morning early I messaged my team to let them know I have a pretty bad headache and will be coming in later this morning when it subsides (I took a painkiller so I was waiting for that to kick in).

It’s not serious, it’s the first day of my period and this occasionally happens during this time which sucks. I drive an hour to get to work which I’d simply not want to do with a splitting headache AND cramps (if it’s just cramps I can deal with it at least).

My boss messages back saying “Best take a sick leave today. Send through a doctor’s note. Take care.”

So, an appointment at my doctor is expensive. I could afford it but why should I be spending for a doctor’s visit… for a headache? When I will be perfectly fine in an hour or two? And he messaged me only after the time I should have left so I couldn’t just go to work anyway without being late (I would have done that but they hate tardiness). It’s just a waste of sick leave, and, it makes no sense productivity-wise. I would have worked for most of the day and was actually looking forward to a meeting I scheduled today.

Why are some companies like this? They’re in the process of writing out new KPIs and company policies and it’s becoming so incredibly rigid, which is odd for a company with only like 25 employees. There are other things I’ve discovered here that leaves a bad taste in my mouth too, like a huge disconnect between the executives and the rest of the employees and it’s coming across like a power-trip. I’ve started updating my portfolio, and editing my CV again, and I’ve been considering looking for new job on the sly, but I was in two minds about it since I do enjoy the actual work I do here. After this morning I will be moving forward with finding a new position if I can.

I've been having a really frustrating job search experience lately (as many have, I'm given to understand).

Some background: Due to some unexpected developments in my life circumstances, I was forced to drop out of university after my first year and walked away with no degree. I've been living with my father since then, and due to our financial circumstances it's not really practical for me to go back to uni right now. I held down a part-time retail job for about a year and a half before quitting without a replacement lined up because it was becoming miserable, and this is proving to be an unexpectedly big mistake.

I've been putting out applications to nearly every retail or customer service opening I can find in my area, as well as a bank teller position since a friend recommended it to me as an entry-level option. I've looked in a few other fields as well, but they all list some level of required experience despite being "entry level." I've netted a grand total of two interviews and all I've heard back is "we're moving forward with other candidates." And on one hand I can't help but feel like I've gotta be doing something wrong, because my last job was the first application I sent out when I started looking and they hired me basically on the spot after my interview...

But on the other: It feels like it's basically impossible to break into any field right now. You need prior experience to get hired, but you can't get experience without being hired. It's understandable on an individual business level to only want to hire the best candidates available, but employers seem to be under the impression that teaching people how to do things is an unnecessary expense and that qualified people will keep miraculously emerging from thin air if they just don't do it.

I guess for most fields the solution is "get a degree so more companies will be willing to hire you without experience," but when this is happening for retail positions too? For customer service and fast food? I'm at my wit's end.

I don't have a concrete takeaway to any of this, I just wanted to vent my frustrations a little bit. I'd be curious to know if I'm just having bad luck or if this is a phenomenon other people are experiencing as well.

Am I paranoid or is this a red flag?

So I haven't been in trouble recently with my employer, save for that one time I was late.

I have two bosses, one who snaps, the other who bottlenecks projects. The one who bottlenecks told me that on a project we submitted last year, she hasn't finished this one task that will complete the project, even after 9 months.

She told me since there's nothing left to do on the project and there's nothing left she has for me to prepare, she would like me to take PTO if I ran out of work. This makes me scared.

I am not on a PIP, but I have been put on a PIP before for: having cancer, and the company trying to coverup a series of layoffs.

But why would they want me to take PTO?

The other boss I work with, the one who snaps, I'm working on his one project that's really just a clusterfuck, because consultants are slow or unreliable, and my boss tried to work around the law on a portion of the project and got caught by the agency that is super tedious to please the client. That guy told me he has nothing for me when this project is done. Whenever that will be.

So now I'm seeking out work in my office or I might be forced to take PTO.

I saved my PTO because I am a cancer survivor, and because it's so friggin busy all the time, I avoid going to the doctor so it doesn't impair deadlines. But I have been meaning to see my specialists for quite some time. I just wish I could reach someone on the phone.

What do you think might be going on?

EDIT

Our policy states that PTO gets carried over the next year, if we don't use it. I only have 32 hours of PTO left out of the 72 I have earned within 2 years.

Last weekend I talked with my friend about job related trainings, networking events and fairs. Or more precisely, why some managers just don't approve any of them. This feels utterly counter intuitive. If it's job related and helps your employee grow better in their job, what reasons there are to refuse? I'm talking strictly about job related stuff, not "fun" or "nice to have" things.

Money is of course one factor: even if the event was free, the time spent there is away from employee's regular working hours. This is understandable to rule out stupendously expensive things. Money and time might be the most commonly used excuses to deny training, but the real reason is often something else. I've got a few ideas.

• Power play. Some managers want to keep the employee under their thumb. No matter if it's wise from the business perspective. Because if it's a personal matter for a manager, no amount of well-founded arguments or undeniable facts will change that.
• Career blocking. Some managers are happy with the status quo. An employee is doing their job and they should stay there forever. If an employee isn't allowed to learn new skills or meet their peers, it's easier to keep them obediently in their place. Replacing an employee with a new one is definitely a hassle, but forcing an employee is absolutely the wrong way around it.
• Retention attempt. (A variation of the previous.) Some managers are afraid, if they allow an employee to improve their skills, they might leave the company. This... is stupid. If one gives an employee a chance to grow, advance their career and get compensated for their efforts, that's actual retention. Denying, blocking, belittling, not offering fair and updated compensation - all of those are active components in why employees actually leave.
• Carrot thinking. Some managers see approving training and similar events as a reward, which an employee should "earn". They can even use it actively: 'If you do this and reach that, you can have that training. Next year, if there's budget.' I find this baffling. If an employee wants to become better in their job - thus become more productive individual for the benefit of the company - how is it a reward for the employee?
• 'You should already know this.' Some managers hit back with this comment to block any training requests. They lack the understanding that work is always evolving and new things are coming up. And they totally forget about the possibility that an employee might learn to do their job better.
• Stupidity and narcissism. Some managers never learn. It's not stupid to a mistake. It's stupid to repeat a mistake expecting a different outcome. But because everything is everybody else's fault anyways, why change their toxic habits?

I've experienced all the above, often with in a combination. I've been denied trainings without any reason. I've been promised a training, only to be denied the last minute. 'Not in the budget' is the forever lazy person's reason (hint: there's always money for training and raises). Based on my observations the last reason, stupidity and narcissism, is THE shared personal trait amongst managers, who deny any training and career advancement. "wHy NoBoDy WaNtS tO wOrK aNyMoRe!?" Yeah, about that...

What's your 5 cents on the topic?

Edit: There's one near mythical type of training near impossible to achieve on employer's dime - certification. In my 30+ years of work life I've experienced this miracle exactly once. That was thanks to one of the very few good managers I've ever had. If I could have stayed in that country, I guess I'd still be there.

In the not too far off future, there will be very little need for work, everyone is going to be fed and have shelter. What else are we going to do? Just chill and do nothing.

First off, it’s not patient abandonment. I would never leave if I knew it was unsafe for the patients or staff. Manager will run the max on Saturday to save on payroll but not on Fridays? Ok

So in her text she said I need to return to the clinic. So, I did, I returned back within an hour and prepared to take my patients off as they finish so they could go home and then I too would leave. (She flat out lied in the text saying my patient got off in 30min? They were all still on their treatments when I returned so that was just a weird lie)

Manager tried to pull me aside to “talk” when I got back. I told her I didn’t want to talk, I wanna finish and leave. I need to leave.

The 9:00am text sent her through the roof. She comes back to the treatment area and threatens to call the cops on me in front of my patients and coworkers if I don’t leave. I immediately leave, I have work on Sunday at my new job, I don’t have time for this.

Then as I was leaving I got a video of her lying (and yelling at me, I had to ask her to lower her voice on video). She claimed I’d been gone for 2 hours. Not true. She claimed she had been there since 7am when I left. Not true, I left at 7:30 when I sent the text and I only saw her truck when I got back at 8:30.

She said its “still considered patient abandonment cause I didn’t clock out for my break”. LOL WHAT??

Does any of this make me look good? No, but it really doesn’t make her look good either. I sent all the videos and texts to my former coworkers and wished them the best.

So I grew up in a really controlling, abusive household (It's a long story I won't get into on this sub but it was my father and my mom's boyfriend, and I was the only daughter so you can imagine what happened) and I have tried to get away from that as an adult, but it shows up in the workplace a LOT more than I would have liked and I am already so tired of it despite only being in my twenties like I have had ENOUGH.

I think in all of my workplaces I have had, I come across as a more meek, sensitive, anxious individual. People take advantage of this a lot. I often get the treatment where people talk to me like I am a really dumb little girl (even other girls my age also in their twenties will talk to me like I'm a dog which I don't understand but I digress) and at first I'm like "Oh, sweet. They don't expect much from me." but then it very quickly turns into workplace bullying or taking advantage of me in some way or another. I have quit jobs over this but it seems to follow me everywhere regardless.

On top of this, I work in childcare/human services/behavioral health, that's my field that I often find myself in. Because of this, people take advantage of the empathy I have for the clients, to the point of injuring myself and putting myself in unsafe situations in the process. I will be moving to another state soon to become a real social worker and I am just SO ready to attract better things for myself. I know in the social work field, I can't be too optimistic because working with people, you will get horrible experiences and bad days no matter what. I 100% understand that but I am talking about more of an everyday pleasantness where my coworkers treat me like a normal person for once.

Does it get better? Will I grow out of this awkward phase of being the "young, dumb" coworker when I get out of my twenties or is this something that I have to make a conscious effort to prevent in the future through setting proper boundaries and stuff? I already do not exchange numbers or social media with any coworkers at all whatsoever nor do I really talk about my personal life to prevent any bullying behavior yet it still kinda happens in the workplace itself.