you gotta do what you gotta do

This is a pretty random post,but I just gotta vent somewhere.

First of all,with winter finally arriving and making a presence,everything is just dull and boring. No more do I have the will or the energy to get up,go out and do anything. I'm always tired and sleeping in really late,basically waking up again in time just to go back to work...yet I work straight afternoons. I hate the snow,I hate the cold,I have to work outside occasionally at night while at work and it's just miserable. Driving in the crap is no better. I just get so down all winter. I basically hibernate.

So,while the season gets me down,my "good" job is also taking it's toll on my mental and physical health. I have a ton of responsibility at work,and I do a damn good job at what I do,and I'm sort of an invaluable piece of the puzzle to the company,because I walk a thin line between being a factory worker and being in management...I kind of do both. If I were to just get up and leave my job,I'd be leaving my shift and my crew in limbo...nobody has enough experience or knowledge there to fill in for me. I've been a supervisor for 4 of the 7 months I've worked there,and earned that position by learning quickly,doing an excellent job,having great work ethic,having good ideas and always helping out.

Lately I've been at work,and things just get me down at work. I've had to train a bunch of the guys that I work with,and for the most part,many of them do a good job,but even after 3 months there's still some guys that need babysitting and have their hand held and make sure they do things right. Ontop of my responsbility as a floor supervisor in one department,I also have to play Assistant shift supervisor,who is my superior,and I have to help him out A LOT. While doing that,I also have to be a design engineer,which I'm not educated or qualified for,yet I do a better job than the actual qualified engineers in house...We have many blueprints with engineering errors,and as the material handling supervisor,and assistant shift supervisor,I'm given the authority to modify and re-engineer blueprints to make them work properly,set within our guidelines of what we can and can't do in certain situations.

So,while I'm a supervisor and engineer,I also have to act as quality control,seeing how our QC department got canned. I also have to be a maintenance guy and janitor. So really,I'm doing like 6 jobs at once. I'm in way over my head at work. I'm totally unqualified to do anything I do there,but nothing gets done without me there. This is what brings me to being so stressed out and so exhausted and not having the will do do anything these days. I run around at work like a chicken with my head cut off with people calling my name from all directions with problems that need solving while I'm trying to do 10 other things at the same time.....and to make things even worse,my job is in jeopardy because I'm gotten in shit from management for repairing and modifying things without consent from maintenance or engineering,and then they go and undo the work I just did,screwing things up and making them worse than they were...and also because I'm supposed to be a production worker on the floor,my production numbers are very low because I don't have any time to do my actual job because I'm doing 6 other jobs,yet nobody in management except my supervisor seems to understand.

I know this is getting long,so I'm gonna wrap it up...basically,I'm thrown into a job that I know more about than the majority of the people there,so the saying "if you want something done right,you have to do it you have to do it yourself" couldn't be any more true.

So I guess that's why I'm so tired and don't have the will to do anything. I get home,stay up for like an hour or two and go to bed and by the time I wake up,I gotta go back to work again and do it all over again and clean up day shift's mess all over....

So yeah,I'm miserable,exhausted,somewhat depressed and just don't have the drive in me anymore...and it's all because of the weather and the BS at work. Things are pretty crappy right now.

not trying to be a dick but a straight up question you should ask yourself. what is the point in making money if all you do is go to work go to bed and go to work the next day? what is the point in working to have money if you never have any time to enjoy it? and when you do get a spare second you feel you need to ease the stress or recoop with some sleep?



-justin

After reading the whole post it sounds like myself years back. Is there work in your area first thing you have to ask yourself, or the job you have now is pretty much it for now.What do you owe the Co you work for? You sound like you are in debt to them for somthing! You were hired to do a job not 6. Do the job you were hired for and make them hire for the others or pay you for it. I am sure there are people above you taking full credit for the work you are doing and the fires you put out all day long with the problems. They want you to make the changes to keep everything going unless someone above doesnt like it then they have "you" to dump on and not themselfs. I have found that if you stand your ground and demand the pay or respect you deserve life is good. And think the sun will be back soon.

^ I think I've had this conversation with myself a few times. But I am still in the fast paced rat race I started in. Keep your chin up Mikey. And if possible, have a little chat with your supervisor. For that matter, print out a copy of whats above. You might find that those above you are willing to change inorder to keep someone good.

Alright, I gotta be the chump here.

No one is indispensable. EVERYONE can be replaced. Just because you’re the glue holding things together right now, doesn’t mean someone else isn't willing to do the work. I agree with the replies from above, what do you owe them? If your sick of the work, go somewhere else (like back to school). If you hate the weather and work, then move somewhere else and get a job there. Do you have any kids or any specific reason you HAVE to be where you’re at? Life is too short to be stuck in a rut, or to sleep/work it all away. Everyone goes threw moments in their life wanting more and not willing to work for it. You are the complete opposite. Your work ethic is phenomenal, and if your current company isn't willing to recognize that, the go somewhere that you will be recognized. One key piece of advice I can offer is to not act irrationally. Plan things out, save some money to make your next move, keep your head down and don't complain at work (because they have no obligation to you). Use your network to find something else that will make you happy. My grandfather used to tell me "your network determines your net worth." The older I get the more true it becomes.
Mike

I totally agree with all you guys. For the most part,I've enjoyed my job since day one,and that keeps me there. The money is really good,well,atleast I think my current rate of $17.50/hr is pretty good,considering I only have a high school education,yet I'm working at a place where I'm making enough money that pays my bills and pays for my toys and I still have some left over. I'm bringing home like $1500 every paycheck (biweekly). I like what I do,and I've advanced there quickly in the short time I've been there. I beleive my job and this company holds opportunity for me in the future. Not certain where it will take me,but I've proven to them that I have skills I can use on the shop floor and that I can also supervise the entire crew of about 35 guys and solve problems. I'm genuinely interested in my work,so I take pride in what I do.

The plant itself is brand new,but we're working with old equipment from the previous plant at the moment,but it's slowly being replaced with all new stuff. Basically,the plant is going through it's growing pains and this is one reason why everything is currently pretty difficult and stressful. I'm sure things will get better. I don't get up every day and say "oh great,now I have to go to work again..."

I only do what I do around there because nobody else will do it (on my shift),and I have the time to be able to do what I do around there. If a lot of the things I do around there don't get done,my shift gets reamed out by the day shift for not doing this and that,but like I said,sometimes I get reamed fo doing 'this and that'.

No,I don't owe the company anything.If anything,they owe me. I fell into this job entirely by chance,and this job has been a blessing not only financially,but for how it will look on my resume when I do eventually leave. I can add so many new things and so many new skills to my resume that will look absolutely fantastic to any potential new employer. I also kind of want to stay longer to get more seniority in my supervisor position,because the more experience I have for that,the better it looks on me as well. I already know I'll have excellent references from there too.

I'm tryin to plan things out for the future. Right now I'm trying to get financially stable,and this job is allowing me to do so. I'm making about $40k / yr at this place! In 6 months I've already made over $22 000! I'm 22 next month....for the last 3 years I was working $10 and 12/hr jobs and going nowhere. They were all dead end temp jobs. Now I have this job...I'm young,I'mmaking good money,I have full benefits and like I said,there's the potential for advancement.

I'd really like to move out of Ontario. I've always thought of somewhere between New Jersey and Florida,but then I have to go through the whole Green card application and that crap to get into the country and be able to legally work.

I think lately I'm just feeling bummed with all the BS that went on breaking up with my girlfriend not long ago,plus winter really setting in and I'm always miserable throught he winter because I hate snow and especially hate cold,plus I've also been exhausted. The other night I was so tried driving home from work I fell asleep at the wheel and I drifted across 3 lanes into the oncoming lanes and hit the shoulder,just in time to wake up and skid back across 3 snow covered lanes onto the opposite shoulder and fishtail back into my proper lane. I work 9 hours a day,but I'm out of the house for about 13 hours. I leave for work at 1pm and show up about 2:30 because I have meetings and stuff before I start at 3:30 and I finish at 12:30 and get home at almost 2am.

But I dunno...I want to see where this job leads...I've got a foot in the door,it's a unique product and we have job security because we are backlogged 3 years in orders.

I have no life during the week,but what life can I have when all normal people are at work when I'm at home? I have weekends to myself,so it's all good.

I think i'm just going through the winter blues,but it's only the beginning of December....I have to go through this crap till April. It's all good though,I have great friends who have my back and a good family to go home to,or call home to whoever I go to.

All in all,I had a fantastic year this year. many,many good things happened this year and it seems like things are beginning to come together. Unfortunately I don't have a very far outlook on things and I seem to be living day to day and week to week.

If i can lend a few words being there done that. (im 34) You sound like you really know what to do here is get all the experence you can. I know it seems like forever and you have no life but there are times when we have to give things up for a short time to be able to grow. The more we grow the more we learn and are able to allow for more time for ourselfs. the way i look at any job i have had is i make myself a needed not wanted. It takes time i have spent years at jobs giving 110% to one day just leave were i have felt that i was not getting what i needed and have not gone without work in 15 years. I know its hard somtimes but it sounds like you enjoy your job and thats makes it that much better. I feel you on the cold i wear long johns all year I HATE THE COLD!!! and i have a job that is dictated by the weather!!

I always bust my ass at every job I ever have,especially those temp jobs where I was there to prove myself I was worthy of being hired on fulltime. But did any of those jobs work out? Nope. Stayed at temp jobs anywhere from a day to almost 2 years.

The way I look at my situation is that like I mentioned before,the job is a blessing to me. Yeah,it's tough at times...well,every day...but I keep going back day after day and I'm able to fulfill my duties.

What's funny,is that I started out on day shift,and we only ran one shift for a couple months,and then we started an afternoon shift and we needed volunteers to go to the afternoon shift to train the new guys on the afternoon shift. I volunteered to go,but also wanted to stay permanently. Several months later,the new guys on the afternoon shift are kicking the day shift guys asses with our quality and production numbers. These guys work harder and do a better job because in the back of our minds,we know because we're the 2nd shift,we can always get axed when we're not needed,or not putting out good enough numbers.

Anyways,not like I have much going on in my life outside of work. I'm single,I don't have any kids to worry about,most of my friends live almost as far away as I have to drive to work,so during the week I can be a slave to make that good money that I can end up playing with on weekends.

Alright, my damn head hurts. Too much posty posty. I'll just reply. I tell all my workers the same thing. Why come to work to be miserable? Working here is optional. Money only carries you so far. If you hate it, find another job. If you don't then shut up and earn the $$ they give for what you do. To me, the place sounds like a clusterf*ck. Conversely, you said it yourself. You have no kids, and are single. Not trying to be a dick, but I don't give hugs.

If work sucks, change it.

No,work doesn't suck per say...I like my job,the money is good,but you're right,it is exactly the clusterfuck I made it out to be. I don't dislike my job,I'm more or less overwhelmed at times with the work load I have to do. A little hard work never hurt anyone.

All I'm complaining about is that I hate winter,my job tires me out and is stressing and overwhelming me,but I wouldn't change what I'm doing right now because I'm happy with what I do. I may not be happy with what goes on while I'm doing what I do,but that scenario changes day to day like the weather.