
Why Hating Your Shitty Job Only Makes It Worse - hamey
http://www.smaggle.com/2013/02/25/hating-shitty-job-worse/
======
CodeMage
Too many words to express a worn out platitude: "See every day as an
opportunity to learn something that you didn't know yesterday".

Here's the only part of the article that I really agree with: "Don't waste
your time hating your job and doing it badly." That right there is the real
reason why hating your shitty job only makes it worse: because you're wasting
your time hating it, instead of looking for a way to either change it or quit.

As for the idea that "at the very least you'll make your days more pleasant
with a positive attitude", I wish I could construct and program an army of
little robots whose only task would be to kick the people who spout this crap
in their shins.

If you subscribe to this "positive thinking will solve all your problems"
mantra, I encourage you to watch this RSA Animation of a talk by Barbara
Ehrenreich: <http://y2u.be/u5um8QWWRvo>

Finally, I'd like to answer the _last question_ in the article. Did I _enjoy_
this article? No, _I didn't_ , because it had _too much emphasis_ and I found
that _very annoying_.

~~~
ams6110
Ecclesiastes 9:10 is more concise.

~~~
mhb
_Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm
of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor
knowledge nor wisdom._

[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+9%3...](http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+9%3A10&version=NIV)

~~~
6ren
Sounds like an atheist, more so in the KJV version. I thought the bible was
pro-heaven?
[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+9%3...](http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+9%3A10&version=KJV)

    
    
      Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work,
      nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

~~~
philwelch
Ecclesiastes is in the Old Testament. The possibility of eternal life in
heaven was only offered by Christ.

~~~
acqq
No, it's not something introduced by Jesus. There is "everlasting life" in Old
Testament:

"And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth _shall awake, some to
everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."_

[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=daniel%2012:1-12...](http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=daniel%2012:1-12:4&version=ESV)

However, any reader of Old and New Testament should know that both "books" are
in fact the collections of the hand-made copies of the texts written by
different authors in different times. The idea of everlasting life is more
recent, so it isn't present in the older texts, unless some copyist decided to
"correct" that. Book of Daniel is believed to be quite "recent" compared to
the most of Old Testament texts:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Daniel#Authorship_and_d...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Daniel#Authorship_and_dating)

Still it predates the times of Jesus for up to 200 years.

~~~
philwelch
Theologically, that would probably be a prophesy that was fulfilled by Christ.
Historically, you're correct.

~~~
acqq
Also "theologically" according to the Jews their (older) Bible simply mentions
"everlasting life" in the "Book of Daniel" at least century before the birth
of Jesus. But they believe that the texts about Jesus written and collected by
that newer sect that called them Christians simply don't prove that he's
Messiah, as they are often based on misreadings of the Hebrew Bible, see for
the example how NT came to use "the son of man" expression:

<http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10342-man-son-of>

Of course, there's more than one "theology," even among different
"Christians."

~~~
philwelch
I'm just saying you can easily reconcile Ecclesiastes with the Christian
notion of heaven by considering its context. I don't know if there's any such
problem to be reconciled in Judaism.

~~~
acqq
My response was always to your claim that "the possibility of eternal life in
heaven was only offered by Christ" and all my responses were to demonstrate
that it's not "only by Christ" but an older and very known concept. They
weren't supposed to help you reconcile that fact with your favorite theology.

~~~
philwelch
I'm an atheist. I don't have a "favorite theology" but I understand some
religions better than others, the original point of this discussion was a
supposed inconsistency in one of them, and I find the subject interesting as
an intellectual exercise. Now will you stop being needlessly confrontational?

------
blackhole
There should be a disclaimer here that, if you are involved with a shitty job
that involves _customer service_ , hating it and not doing a good job will
almost certainly make it worse, because most people actually _like_ being
helpful. Helping someone out and noticeably making their day better is one of
the most surefire ways to make yourself feel better, even if you currently
have a job you absolutely detest.

Unfortunately, there are also a lot of jobs that really suck where you have
absolutely no interaction with any customers or anyone whom you are indirectly
helping. In this case, how much better you feel after doing your job properly
depends largely on how shitty the job is. If your manager takes all the credit
for everything you do, because, well, _it's a shitty job_ , then doing your
job well really won't make anything better at all.

Of course, in all cases, you should be trying to find a job that isn't shitty
so you can stop hating 40 hours of your week. Maybe not your dream job, but at
least one you don't absolutely hate.

~~~
Evbn
Sadly, most CSRs are punished for helping people, as that takes time or costs
the company money in other ways. Instead,they are forced to try upsells when
customers call for help. Startups, Please don't do this.

------
6ren
My view is that if you focus on the things you like in your job, they become
resources that you can build on. Not necessarily for a promotion in the job;
not even in order to enjoy that job, but as building blocks of what is
meaningful to you. A resource; an asset.

There was a conversation on reddit about this, with people expressing
hopelessness about bad jobs - even saying that to find any worth in them was
pathetic. This onion story was brought up, with people agreeing with it:
[http://www.theonion.com/articles/man-ashamed-of-own-joy-
upon...](http://www.theonion.com/articles/man-ashamed-of-own-joy-upon-
receiving-new-mop-head,1454/) I really think the attitude in that story, of
hopelessness, is a terrible approach, and that the problem with it is it sees
that world as fixed, with no unknowns, no progress or change possible, that
everything you see is everything there is - that what you see of the world
_is_ the world.

I think it's simply mistaken; in reality, we see only a tiny part of the
world, and all else - good, bad, neutral - is unknown to us. Looking out for
and noticing what _is_ good in ones opinion is a resource one can build on; a
stepping stone to other things that are good. Often, things that did not exist
in our world-view previously.

------
dzamie
This might be a bit petty, but I find the frequent bold-text rather visually
unpleasant and distracting.

~~~
Xcelerate
No, it's not petty. I found I almost had a headache by the time I finished the
article. If the blog makes money from those sponsor links on the side, I think
she'll profit a lot more without the frequent boldface.

------
jval
Sad to see so many negative comments on this article and on the site, totally
uncalled for and unfortunately very common with HN comments these days.

Give the OP a break. The story about the boyfriend was fascinating. Get over
the bold sentences, they're fine. I can't believe we live in a world where
someone says something nice and the first three comments on the article are
regarding bold text.

And yes, some people can't quit due to circumstances outside their control.
Fact of life. There's a reason 99% of famous startup founders are white
American males - often they're people who come from circumstances where
'quitting fast' on their 'crappy job' is an option without severe
consequences. Try finding me a group of famous founders who quit their job
when they had dependents in order to go chase a startup dream and I'll be
happy to back down on that one.

Some people do it tough. It's nice to read something like this that encourages
us to cheer up and look at the good side of bad situations. That might not be
enough to make life good, but it certainly won't make life worse.

~~~
vellum
>Try finding me a group of famous founders who quit their job when they had
dependents

The "Traitorous Eight" who founded Fairchild Semiconductors.

"Most of the founders were married, busy starting their families and raising
small children in addition to all the time and effort they were spending
building Fairchild "

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traitorous_eight>

------
scheff
tl;dr - "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade!"

I disagree with just about everything in that article and my rejoinder would
be "when life gives you lemons, realize that you don't have to accept them.
then go and plant a tree for something you prefer and years from now you will
be having mangoes, or whatever it is you really wanted."

In answer to the question "What’s the greatest lesson that you learned from a
job that you hate?" it's that working in a job for someone else is the least
productive utilization of my time, skill and energy.

~~~
hakaaaaak
Agree, but would add that sometimes the reason you hate the job is _in part_
because there are some other factors. I used to completely deny that my
problems with work were anything other than my sucky job. Then I switched
jobs, and the problems didn't go away. Here are some things that cause
problems that can make a job (good or bad) seem terrible:

* Depression - maybe a parent died, maybe you had someone hurt you (mentally), maybe you just feel like you can't escape your profession but have no idea what else you could do, maybe you can't even find a way to function properly

* Being overweight- even if you aren't obese, some people have more adverse effects than others and doctors will gloss it over saying you are "within normal range"

* Sleep problems- sleep apnea - do the breathe right strips, sleep study, CPAP (greatest chance of working, but didn't work for me), dental appliance, and several made-for-T.V. products that don't work. Axe all caffeine, then you feel like you can't concentrate, etc.

* Attention issues- whether you've got ADD, ADHD, other executive processing or other processing issues, it really sucks. If you feel like you're doing all you can, you can try to just write down the items you need to do that are immediate vs. not, you can add sites you need to ignore to /etc/hosts to point at localhost, etc. but if you have some of these issues, you just aren't going to do what others do. Just switching jobs may put you into an even worse position.

* Past history- some people have really awful family situations. Unfortunately when you grow up in a toxic environment, you may have to work 1000x times harder and may just have to accept that you'll always have that pain and just have to manage it.

So, WTF are you supposed to do? Don't give up. Do try to work on the issues,
and looking for another job is good. Try to fix the health stuff. Do what you
can to enforce healthy behavior, but don't do diets- you will lose weight
maybe even for months, and then you'll be even more overweight. Find some way
to exercise that you like and doesn't make you uncomfortable. Hang out with
friends and do things that you enjoy, and if you can, try to get better at
them. No matter what it is, there is a chance you could make a business out of
it, or at least a fun hobby. Just don't hurt yourself or anyone else doing it.

Anyway- I still dislike what I do. But I know eventually things will get
better, and I know how to get better. It's just a matter of doing it.

~~~
scheff
This is good. I apply these to ALL aspects of my life, not just the work place
- "something here sucks. what is it? how do I fix it?"

I fixed my sucky job by identifying the main factors, then finding a job that
doesn't have those.

I identified issues with my energy levels and concentration and addressed
those with sleep/diet/de-stress methods.

Ultimately my problem is - work is unsatisfying. Nobody has a paid job for
things that interest and fulfil me. So I need to find a replacement for
"something that pays the bills" and that's what I'm working on. Then I get to
work on whatever I want, however I want.

I imagine I'm not unique in having that goal.

------
moubarak
"Winners quit fast, quit often and quit without guilt" - Seth Godin

~~~
yen223
Sounds a lot like what losers do too...

~~~
moubarak
quit as in quit your job, it doesn't imply giving up here.

~~~
kamaal
If you do as what Seth Godin says, you will end up being a super job hopper
who does/adds nothing valuable to anywhere he will ever work.

Because I'm yet to see a job/work place/company that doesn't suck and
everybody around in every possible place says so.

------
josh_fyi
Learn everything you can from your job -- but sooner or later you will exhaust
its learning potential. When that happens, invest all your energy NOT in the
job but in getting a better one, or in lieu of that, building skills to open
up opportunities.

------
jcc80
Glad the guy who didn't smile & didn't respond cheerfully (but actually went
and found the answer!) didn't have to hear this speech in person. Twenty
seconds without a beaming smile at the auto parts store (not exactly a place
I'd expect to be greeted w/ big wide smiles) and we learn this employee
apparently has a lot to learn about life. Reads like a "This young generation
is going to hell, but let me tell you how we did it!" talk.

Maybe the employee should just find a job he likes better and not give a
second thought to the auto parts job if he truly does hate it. In some cases,
life is just too short to eat the shit.

------
learc83
I was a Geek Squad employee, and before that a Best Buy customer service rep
for several years. Something I noticed was that the worst days were the ones
with the fewest customers.

When we were busy I couldn't be lazy--there was just too much work to do. But
on slow days I hated every single customer who walked up to the counter
because it felt like they were interrupting me.

I've noticed this from the other side as well. Ever try to order something
from McDonald's at 1:00 am?

~~~
Evbn
I feel opposite. On slow days, it nice to have something to do, but not
exhausting overload.

------
kghose
Actually, I would like to chime in for the side of the platitudes and the
article.

Sometimes, people can't quit their job. Its a tough scene, but some people
have obligations they can not shake.

Sometimes, enduring and surmounting an annoying job is a test of character.
Failing this test of character repeatedly (going from one job you hate to
another) probably indicates you need to change your attitude.

------
10dpd
I remember seeing a matrix where the axis were attitude and skill/knowledge:

Promote - excellent attitude, excellent skills/knowledge Train - excellent
attitude, poor skills/knowledge Manage - poor attitude, excellent
skills/knowledge Fire - poor attitude, poor skills/knowledge

------
smoyer
I like the unspoken challenge ... and it's one worthy of life-hacker! If you
don't like your job, find a way to turn it into something better. (If you
can't, then find something else to do)

------
kentwistle
This is some rich dude bitching about the bad customers service he received at
the weekend while shopping.

------
mikecane
>>>Roses literally grow in shit ... but only if they eat it.

That is the best thing I have ever read.

~~~
ctdonath
Mushrooms do too.

Being told by your manager, more than once, you are one just sucks when he's
dead-on right and enjoying the metaphor.

Imagine that rose having its petals plucked every time it started blooming,
used for compost applied years later to cultivate something which looks better
than a stripped rose but much worse than a nurtured one.

------
globalpanic
tl; dr "Let's all learn to love being exploited for the convenience of others"

------
adnam
Mr Smaggle is too "up his own arse" to understand wage slavery.

------
CleanedStar
Some wage slave making minimum wage doesn't hop to attention to the second a
college educated "lifestyle website" owner walks in the door, let me break out
the violins. Then she's going to give some condescending life advice to the
guy who is supposed to wait on her hand and foot.

Lowly wage slaves have their ways to deal with annoying, self-important
customers. I have friends who are waiters. Believe me, the people serving you
your food have all kinds of ways to get back at obnoxious customers. If I ever
have the misfortune to sit at a table with someone who acts obnoxiously toward
my waiter, or sends food back to the kitchen, you can be assured that I am
finished touching any food that will come out of that kitchen again, destined
for my plate. You can search the web for blog posts about these things if
you're interested.

~~~
crynix
Reactions to obnoxious customers is strictly unprofessionally and shouldn't be
tolerated. Someone is paying you to do your job. Do it right.

~~~
CleanedStar
If I am doing all the serving, and the cooks are doing all the cooking, what
then is the Appleebee's CEO and stockholders doing? The people working at the
restaurant are the ones creating the wealth. They're not "paying" me, I am
"paying" them.

