The Economy and Other Terrorists

I quit my job a few days ago, an old friend informed me that I had made a cardinal mistake;

"Never quit a job until you have another one lined up." He told me with a salacious smirk.

I have no idea what was so salacious about his smirk but it was, trust me. Personally I felt I had to quit the job or stab someone with a bread knife. Someone besides myself, I'm not suicidal but I have cut myself on the job before. One of the many hazards of working the 'fast food' industry.

Right away I had all these idea's running through my head. I was happy to be done with the place, excited about the future, and terrified I wouldn't be able to make my rent next month. Still don't know if I will but all of it got me thinking about what a waste it's been to work there.

As far as positions go I was a goon. I didn't enter the job thinking I'd just linger at the bottom, I had aspirations, even if they were as menial as becoming a non benefited 'crew leader'. This 'lofty' hope of mine had been brutally crushed a few days previous when a co-worker informed me that the manager had stated to him that I was not promotable material.

I busted my ass for over a year at that store, worked harder and did more than just about anyone, only to have the position I was aiming for taken by a new hire. Frak that, horrible reality set in on me for the next couple of months where I tried to justify what had been done to me.

I didn't come to any grand realization because I already knew the rules of low-end employment.
Simply stated;

"The harder you work, the more work they will assign you. The more ass you kiss, the faster you'll be promoted. "

Well I'm just not an ass kisser, and I don't think anyone should have to be. I am however capable of fooling myself into believing whatever is prudent to my situation. I had convinced myself that this job would pay off in the long run and improve my life, but it didn't and it wouldn't have.

Maybe you're reading this right now and you think I'm just a whiner. Well I'm not. I'm writing this for all the people like me stuck in dead end jobs, afraid to face the first of the month and scared that they'll never do anything better.

Doing nothing at all is better than doing something that makes you unhappy. This flies in the face of everything I was told my entire life;

"Everyone needs a job."
"The majority of life is work."
"You can't succeed without suffering."

That's all BS. Just thought you'd like to know.