I really need a new job

[smileyeagle1021]

If anyone here on the Wasatch Front knows or hears of any part time accounting jobs or internships, please let me know.
I'm at the point with my current call center job where I wake up every morning and ask myself, if I were to die today would I have done what I wanted to do, and I have to honestly answer, only if I haven't gone to work yet. I find the idea that the last act I could do on this earth (the world aint a safe place and we never know what the next hour will bring) is spending 7 hours having someone else's conversations for them to be truly terrifying.
I think that is a good sign it is time to look for something else to do.

[Rapscallion]

Reframe that. For the genuine users of your service, you do make a valuable contribution to their lives.

That said, what do you actually want to do? You're an intelligent guy - what skills have you got that you could put towards working for yourself?

Rapscallion

[smileyeagle1021]

Sadly, without certification I can't work for myself, and the only way to get certification is to work under someone who does have their certification.
And I know for legitimate users it is an invaluable service, that doesn't mean I'm happy being a piece of living equipment, there are plenty of people out there who are damned skilled at typing and nothing else who would love that job... I'm not one of those people who can be content turning off my brain for 7 hours a day and pretending I don't really exist.

[Seshat]

Smiley,

Often, my interpreter is my husband or my wife. Frequently, I am cared for by them. That doesn't make them living equipment in my eyes.

Similarly, my doctor, my mental health nurse, my masseur, the rest of my medical team... they're not living equipment. They are specialists who give of their time (admittedly, paid) and expertise to make my life more liveable.

I find it tragic that you're thinking of it as 'having other peoples' conversations for them' rather than 'making it possible for people with a sensory lack to participate in normal activities'.

But you are who you are, and perhaps you're right - this isn't the right avenue for you to make your contribution to society.

Just please... remember that some of us find your work admirable.

Seshat.

[ParkingWitch]

smiley, your job is NOT who/what you are, it's what you do so that you can be yourself.

You are such a sweet kind wonderful loving person, your husband's love, your mother's son and a beloved friend to so many people (even if we have never seen you in person).

[smileyeagle1021]

Seshat, I know from our users point of view we are incredibly important, but how the FCC treats us, we are nothing more than interchangeable parts. The FCC drills into us from the beginning, this is not your call, you are nothing but a tool for communication, you are not involved, you should be functionally invisible.
Some people can do that, but I know that I'm all but washed out in the company, I can't progress and where I am will drive me mad. Despite the good we do, I just can't shut myself down and not have it affect me.

[Seshat]

Ahh, I see.

Hrm. If you want to try continuing in the facilitated communication field, have you thought about becoming an interpreter of some sort?

Or do you think you might get the whole 'you are living equipment' drilled into you in that field as well?

[smileyeagle1021]

At this point, i'm a year away from finishing my accounting degree and it takes two years to become a certified interpreter in Utah, so not much point in pursuing that route.
besides, i'm burnt out on the whole industry, I'm tired of the FCC treating me like a living piece of machinery (and being damned grateful they even include the living part), tired of managements bs (and I will say the management where I work is overall very good, but some of the bs like marking me down for not relaying a call verbatim when I got two homonyms confused is wearing me pretty thin), tired of our deaf users who have unrealistic expectations of us (find me the live representative I need, but don't you dare ask me for any information that could be used to actually go through the menu to get that person), prejudiced hearing users who think they are too special and important to be patient in assisting a deaf customer, and even the nature of the job, because we do have to say some horrible things on the deaf user's behalf, and as much as I can rationalize that I didn't say it, the deaf user did, at the end of the day, I'm the one who spoke the words.
right now, I don't think I can do this very much longer.

[Seshat]

At this point, i'm a year away from finishing my accounting degree and it takes two years to become a certified interpreter in Utah, so not much point in pursuing that route.

Aside from all the other valid points you made... yeah. This alone is the key point to me. If accounting is what you want to do, and you're that close? Stick with it.

[Moirae]

Seriously, you just took the words right out of my mouth. I work a call center myself. I hate it. And not just because of the customers, but because of my managers. I hate this. I just hate it. I've been applying, but have only been called back once in the last six months, and they gave that job to someone else.

I'm trying to find a way to work for myself. I can't keep this up. Its why I've been thinking of work at home stuff.

I just wanted you to know that you are not alone in feeling this way. I can't imagine doing this for the rest of my life. I feel like pulling my hair out. I'm just very lucky that I have yet to have an anxiety attack. I don't get those often (like maybe once or twice a year) but they do happen, especially if I feel like I'm under severe pressure from something.

I just keep telling myself to keep looking.

I wish you luck, I really really do. I wish I had a solution for you but I don't even have one for ME.