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Old Apr 20, 2010, 06:52 PM
Emily_Strange Emily_Strange is offline
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Member Since: Aug 2009
Location: Jersey City, US
Posts: 71
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martina View Post
I am also Borderline, so some of this comes from that, but here's my long story if you really care.

When I lost my job in January 2009, I sat down and wrote down every single job I have ever had, including temp jobs I only had for a week or so. I was 28 years old at the time, and I had held at least 28 jobs. Sad.

The longest I have held any one job was my first job in high school - a movie theater - I worked there from my 16th birthday until I went away to college, when I was almost 19. So not quite 3 years. The longest I have held a "real" job (post-college) was 2 years.

I graduated from college in 2002 and I have had 6 jobs already since then. Six jobs, in 8 years - and that's post-graduation!

And I have only ever been fired, twice. Both times I was fired it was because of my mental illnesses. The first time, I had been skipping out on work doing crazy stuff because I was manic, and when I refused to tell my boss where I was, I got fired. The second time, I had a serious mental breakdown and landed in the hospital multiple times over a several month period, and missed so much work that they just let me go for too many absences.

Just yesterday, I called in sick. Why? I don't know. I have a standing doctor's note that tells my boss I have a "chronic medical condition" and I might miss work every once in a while. (So far, this company does not know that I'm mentally ill yet....let's hope it stays that way) I woke up feeling crappy and didn't go in. Stupid. I really should have worked.

What sucks is, this job pays really bad. But I can't afford to have another spotty job history on my resume. So my goal is to stick it out for at least 5 years, crappy pay or not.
I actually heard most of us in this generation will have held at least 8 jobs by 30. They will last an average of 1.5 years. As you get older you'll stay in them a little longer...4 years was the average during a lifetime. Your numbers are high, but people arent really keeping jobs long, period! I wouldn't feel so bad about it.

None of this is your fault, lovie. If you need time off, you need it off. You don't need to tell anyone anything, as long as they let you take time off here and there, IMHO. Thanks for the story.