Nixx N Dents

I am incredibly unhappy with my current job. In fact, I’ve been unhappy with all of my office jobs. For years, in every field.

Now, for a long time I thought it must be me. Something is wrong with me. Why else can’t I be happy or satisfied at any job, ever? So, I decided to make some changes, tried to find something in some place where I fit.

Needless to say, this hasn’t happened yet. I get my joy from writing – venting – whatever you want to call it. I get it out, the only way I can, quietly. Because if I open my mouth about this, I’ll probably lose my job. And I don’t want it, but I need it. I’m kinda stuck.

Looking for ideas on what to write next, I Googled unhappy administrative assistants.

OMG! I never thought I was the only one, but I never thought it was this bad. I’ve met and worked with people who have been admins for forever. And I thought, it couldn’t be that bad if these people could stick it out. But according to Google, it is that bad and people are sticking it out because they feel stuck. Ouch!

If you click on that first link, it takes you into a world of hurt and pain felt by Admins across the country. It’s an INDEED forum. (It’s so ironic because that’s one of the main sites for finding jobs. Yet, people are venting here.) And it started 61 months ago, with the most recent comments posted 6 months ago. People are incredibly unhappy at work. But Admins in particular go through a special kind of suffering.

And don’t get me started on REDDIT.

Apart from that first link, poor thing actually wants an Admin gig, the stories here are incredible. Why is it allowed? I get that not every manager is going to be Simon Sinek. But why is it company culture to mistreat everyone in an Administrative position?

It’s a bigger problem than this particular company, that a**hole manager, or this specific situation. It’s a company culture that needs to be changed – across all companies. This was something I had not taken into consideration when I was torturing myself trying to figure out what was wrong with me. When I knew I needed to leave, but the fear of just leaving was so overwhelming that a lot of my plans never got carried out. Or worse, I did leave, I found something else, but it ended up being the same exact thing. Same torture and suffering – different company name.

Regardless of where the problem started, who is responsible, and how it got so out of hand, there needs to be a SOLUTION. I don’t know if being in the thick of it blinds you to a solution, but I honestly can’t see one aside from running. Get out!

I’m in the middle of starting my own business. I just don’t believe that there is happiness in working for someone anymore. I want to be the boss because I know I won’t mistreat my Admin – me. I want to do my own thing because, succeed or fail, I’ll own it. Whereas succeeding for someone else still results in a fail for yourself. It doesn’t get you anything in the end. A paycheck, insurance? Those things are a given with a job (or should be). There should be something more for a job well done. Not gold stars on your shirt or your picture on the Employee of the Month board, but something substantial that you can walk away with.

And no matter what trinkets you get from a job, one of the main things you walk away with is how it made you feel. How you were treated while doing that job you loved, that job you hated, that job that was just a stepping stone, is actually a huge part of what you do next. It’s not the only part. You can’t pay bills with the job makes me feel good. But it does matter.

I wish I could find the answer on a large scale. Maybe, Simon Sinek training should be mandatory for every company out there. Because he starts on top with the leaders, where the awareness is most needed. But for me, the answer is running. It takes a lot of planning, a lot of hard work, a lot of determination to start your own business. But so does a job you’re doing for someone else every day, especially if you’re an Admin.

Why not do it for yourself?