I've been doing computer tech support for over 16 years and have finally reached my point of burnout. I can no longer handle the BS of the corporate world and don't know what to do.

For over 10 years I worked at a company I loved with people I respected, doing work I enjoyed and was always learning and being challenged. 5 years ago that was brought to a screeching halt when they decided to "re-structure" and fire 75% of their employees. Since I was one of the best and most experienced technicians, I was practically given a job at the IT company they "outsourced" to. (Oh how I hate those corporate-speak buzzwords) They offered me the same salary and grandfathered me in for 10 years so I continued to get 5 weeks paid vacation and amazing health benefits. I also get to work from home several days a week and whenever the weather is bad. (This is a life saver during a Chicago winter!) How could I pass up this offer? Everyone else was being fired and having a terrible time finding a new job so I figured I HAD to take this one. I had a mortgage to pay. Oh if I could only go back in time...

In the past 5 years I have been at this new job I have suffered panic attacks, high blood pressure, migraines, stomach ulcer, anxiety, and severe depression. Sometimes I no longer want to live and I cry every morning when my alarm goes off for work. It's a roller coaster of emotions... one day I'm bored to death doing nothing but answering wrong numbers, and the next day I'm clutching my chest and hyperventilating because of a major network outage that has hundreds of angry people jamming the phone lines. There is no consistency.

My biggest problem is that I am no longer mentally challenged. At my old job I was taking training classes, getting professional licenses, ripping apart laptops and repairing them, and doing other very advanced Level 3 type technical work. At this company I have none of that. I am chained to my desk, every second of the day is Big Brothered by someone (even bathroom breaks), and the only thing I do is answer a phone. The worst part is I'm nothing but a glorified receptionist. I basically get people's information and create a ticket, which is then sent back to the caller's own company and own IT department for them to handle. What is the point of this? I know how to fix the problem but am not ALLOWED to do so. We are first level only, which means basic mindless crap such as resetting a password. A chimp could be trained to do this job if it could talk. I don't mean to be a snob but this job is an insult to my intelligence. I have so much more to offer, so many skills, so much education... but can't put any of it to use. Unfortunately there are no opportunities to cross-train or move into another job/department as our headquarters is in another state and this location is just a tiny annex.

Most days are so stressful I feel like I'm going to explode. I deal with angry aggressive people who won't listen, won't pay attention, and spend most of the time complaining about how much they hate computers. They are unreasonable, demanding, and cause unnecessary stress. Or they are horrible users that are terrified of computers and it takes 20 minutes to get them to type one word. The worst is that I have to kiss their butt and can't tell them off. If you sound even the slightest bit unhappy or stressed on the phone the bosses will come down on you for it. The arguing is out of control. If I tell someone the sky is blue they will argue that it's green and won't take NO for an answer. It's exhausting dealing with these people and I cringe every time the phone rings. I have been screamed at, threatened, hung up on, etc. every single day. I can't tell you how many times some jerk has treated me so poorly on the phone that when I hung up I ran to the bathroom sobbing.

As for my coworkers, there is ZERO morale. They are lazy, incompetent, unqualified, have no work ethic. They constantly call in sick or come in late, etc. They scam the phone system so our boss sees they are "working" when reports are run, but they are really out getting lunch or hiding in the bathroom. There will be a huge network outage with hundreds of calls pouring in and where's everyone at? On a break, out to lunch, messing around on the internet, or in the bathroom. If they need help I better drop everything immediately, but if I need help nobody is ever around. I have no respect for any of them.

Now granted I get paid a friggin fortune to sit here and do virtually nothing but I'm miserable. The salary is the only thing that has kept me in this job! I am single and have a huge mortgage to pay so I need every penny. I have been on many interviews in the past few years and have been offered many jobs, but thanks to the economy they pay 20k LESS than what I'm making now. That is way too much of a pay cut.

So basically I am stuck at a job I hate that is making me sick, but I CANNOT quit. Has anyone else had to deal with a situation like this?

Several times a week I have to talk myself out of quitting. My bosses are no help... they are the ones usually hiding out in the bathroom when the crap hits the fan. Useless.