I get it in a different way. I'm in the U.S., and I finally found a part-time minimum wage retail job at Christmas. I still have it--not many hours per week though--and my employers are very, very critical and constantly let me know they think I'm not good enough, even though I work really hard and never call in, never give them a minute of trouble.

Yet when I see (some) relatives, they're always like, "Don't lose that job, be sure you keep that job, you need that job," and so forth, as if this is the only thing going on in my life that matters. And since I'm not doing so well at it (by my employer's standards) it just adds more stress. I'm 58, I have two degrees, and six years ago I was making $20/hr with an annual bonus and benefits. Now I'm not good enough for minimum wage and feel constantly on edge. I don't want to be out of work again, but come on. I'm not that big of a loser--they are just jerks. Employers can be as demanding as they want to be now. We are all as disposable as tissue.

It took me two years to find this job after losing my last one in the crash of 2008. But it's a BAD job. It certainly isn't who I am, it's just something I do for money--and not much money either. I get so tired of people acting like they have to tell me to desperately hang on--as if that's even within my control. All I can do is show up and do my best.

It gets frustrating, yes. Very, very, very.