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The post where I rant about loving my job
Y'all know I was out of the real workforce for a long time. Between the parenting gig, and then freelancing, elected coop jobs and working for my ex partner, my last real job was at fucking dennys. So wasn't optimistic about returning to real work. But this job that I fell into (after applying for jobs I didn't want and couldn't do, a housemate mentioned they'd gotten hired at this place and quit bc they need something more physical) this job is everything I could hope for in an entry level spot.
I'm making almost the living wage for my city, which doesn't sounds great when I put it that way, but I'm making as much or more as friends who have been at their call center jobs for a couple years, or than friends in shit retail or foodservice jobs. With the lifestyle we've gotten used to, coop rent, etc, I can actually get by just fine once I'm getting 30 hours a week.
But beyond the pay, it's a job I feel like I can tolerate. It's an answering service, not a survey call center, or customer support, or god forbid selling shit. People call in to some office that's closed, or the after hours line for like, apartment maintenance, and I just get their info, find out the problem, and get the message to the right person. If somebody is mad because they have a problem, I'm not the one who caused it or can solve it, so I tell them "I'm just the answering service, I can get that out to the relevant person." And boom, they ain't mad at me.
And these calls take at most, a couple minutes, than another minute or 2 to dispatch out if I have to call instead of text it out. We have some more complicated procedures, but I'm not on those calls yet, and those are just time consuming, not hard.
And some parts are hard, trying to get people to just tell you the information you need instead of their whole life story, or people with bad connections or who are just hard to hear on the phone, or things where they are distressed and all I can do is take a message because whoever is on call just doesn't do what they need, but its all really manageable. The hardest part might be the boredom in between calls, but we can be on our phones, bring a laptop, snack, read, do crafts, whatever between calls.
There's no official break system, you can just go pee, or smoke, or walk around, or grab a snack whenever you want as long as there is someone else on. Sometimes the other person on might be remote, or you might be the only one on, in which case no breaks, but from what I can tell that's never more than an hour or so.
And its a tiny local company that's been doing it since the 50s. 14 people total in the whole company, including remote. I'm not working for some faceless corporation, I'm working for a tiny ass company. I don't work for the man,I work for some guy. And the owner doesn't really run it, his girlfriend (I think, according to the office talk) who has worked there since before I was born, runs the whole ship. And still takes calls. And her son works there, and the person who trains me is good friends with the managers granddaughter, and brought her boyfriend in to get a job. So there is a real casual, everyone is comfortable with everyone vibe because it's practically a family business.
Most call center jobs are the shit you do while looking for other work, but this one people STAY at, like one dude worked there the whole time his wife was at UW, and she graduated when he'd been there 12 years, she got a job out of state and he just kept this job and went remote.
Basically it's fucking awesome. I legit spend over half my shift playing games and reading fic on my phone between calls. When calls come in I have to be efficient and professional, but otherwise I am being paid to keep myself entertained. I probably should develop hobbies I can do there besides my phone.
And I got my first paycheck, which probably has a lot to do with how good I feel about the job. But I was ready to do things I would hate and would be too much for me for a paycheck, so this is amazing.
I know it's only been a couple weeks, but I'm feeling excellent about it.
I'm making almost the living wage for my city, which doesn't sounds great when I put it that way, but I'm making as much or more as friends who have been at their call center jobs for a couple years, or than friends in shit retail or foodservice jobs. With the lifestyle we've gotten used to, coop rent, etc, I can actually get by just fine once I'm getting 30 hours a week.
But beyond the pay, it's a job I feel like I can tolerate. It's an answering service, not a survey call center, or customer support, or god forbid selling shit. People call in to some office that's closed, or the after hours line for like, apartment maintenance, and I just get their info, find out the problem, and get the message to the right person. If somebody is mad because they have a problem, I'm not the one who caused it or can solve it, so I tell them "I'm just the answering service, I can get that out to the relevant person." And boom, they ain't mad at me.
And these calls take at most, a couple minutes, than another minute or 2 to dispatch out if I have to call instead of text it out. We have some more complicated procedures, but I'm not on those calls yet, and those are just time consuming, not hard.
And some parts are hard, trying to get people to just tell you the information you need instead of their whole life story, or people with bad connections or who are just hard to hear on the phone, or things where they are distressed and all I can do is take a message because whoever is on call just doesn't do what they need, but its all really manageable. The hardest part might be the boredom in between calls, but we can be on our phones, bring a laptop, snack, read, do crafts, whatever between calls.
There's no official break system, you can just go pee, or smoke, or walk around, or grab a snack whenever you want as long as there is someone else on. Sometimes the other person on might be remote, or you might be the only one on, in which case no breaks, but from what I can tell that's never more than an hour or so.
And its a tiny local company that's been doing it since the 50s. 14 people total in the whole company, including remote. I'm not working for some faceless corporation, I'm working for a tiny ass company. I don't work for the man,I work for some guy. And the owner doesn't really run it, his girlfriend (I think, according to the office talk) who has worked there since before I was born, runs the whole ship. And still takes calls. And her son works there, and the person who trains me is good friends with the managers granddaughter, and brought her boyfriend in to get a job. So there is a real casual, everyone is comfortable with everyone vibe because it's practically a family business.
Most call center jobs are the shit you do while looking for other work, but this one people STAY at, like one dude worked there the whole time his wife was at UW, and she graduated when he'd been there 12 years, she got a job out of state and he just kept this job and went remote.
Basically it's fucking awesome. I legit spend over half my shift playing games and reading fic on my phone between calls. When calls come in I have to be efficient and professional, but otherwise I am being paid to keep myself entertained. I probably should develop hobbies I can do there besides my phone.
And I got my first paycheck, which probably has a lot to do with how good I feel about the job. But I was ready to do things I would hate and would be too much for me for a paycheck, so this is amazing.
I know it's only been a couple weeks, but I'm feeling excellent about it.
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