Stuck at a job I HATE

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.

I also had a phone support job, so I feel your pain. Nothing but 60-80 annoying calls back-to-back each day and, yes, a stupid email waiting for me every time I got back from the bathroom! It also gave me high blood pressure, panic attacks, and depression. I was also not brave enough to voluntarily leave the salary, but my performance began to suffer so much from my general misery that the company made the decision for me. Thank God.

Honestly I sometimes WISH I would be fired! Then I could collect unemployment and go to school for something different. This call center is killing me.

Thank you Bluesday for letting me know I'm not alone.

Your company must make huge profits if they're paying you 20% higher than other companies would pay. If I was you I would have to change my job and my lifestyle in order to be happy. I'd find a new job and a new place to live. I worked for the Military as a civilian for several years and I could not put up with the arrogance, ignorance, lying, passing the buck, personal attacks by co-employees/supervisors, etc. so I quit, sold my house and filed bankruptcy. Constructive criticism didn't exist where I worked (and doesn't exist in most organizations). Can't say I make a good living now but at least I'm not around those game-players and psychos anymore.

Hard to believe all of the slacking that goes on in your workplace. I worked as a temp for a few days at Verizon and I could not believe what was going on in the office - women walking around in slippers, playing solitaire on their computers, etc.

Coming from someone who is struggling to even find a job and has to work an on-commission at-home telemarketing gig that feels like I'm prostituting my soul - please do not quit. I only say that because I can tell you just how hard it is to find any decent jobs out there right now. It's an every-man-for-himself brawl out there in the economy right now just to find a job that pays over 25k. You have a LOT of experience and maturity, and like you said, you're getting paid a pretty penny - that's a BIG DEAL.
You are one of the lucky ones who are earning a good pay check. Practically all of us out here who aren't so lucky are practically drowning alive.
Is there anything you can do to make your job more tolerable? What about not taking anything the caller says seriously or personally, since all they hear is a voice on the other end anyway? How about looking at your job that is "beneath your intelligence" as being easy and less stressful? How about doing little things to make your day worth while at work? There's a number of stress relieving things you could do at your desk.
Think about all the people who can't even sit down at their job. On their feet 12+ hours a day and they aren't young. That's literally something I have to think about to make me feel luckier about having my stupid job. If it's really that bad to where you can't stand it anymore, keep going on interviews and finding positions that pay wages closer to what you're earning now.
The fact that you can even go home some days whenever you want or whenever the weather is bad is a god-send by the way - that's unheard of anywhere in the corporate world.
How close are you to retirement? Maybe you can ask for a promotion later on and become the big brother who keeps an eye on everyone?

Believe me, I try to do all those things. But when you are getting screamed at every call, for 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, for 15 years, it really takes it's toll on you.

I liken it to rubbing sandpaper on your skin. It's not so bad at first, but when you keep rubbing that same spot, day after day, year after year, eventually it's gonna hurt and bleed.

I know I have it good, working for a stable company with great benefits, that pays well, and allows me to work at home. Believe me, I KNOW that. That is why this is so hard to deal with! I despise the work I do but can't give up the perks and benefits.

The job market in Chicago is terrible and there are virtually no IT jobs left. I cannot leave this job voluntarily. But it makes me wonder, what price is my health and sanity worth?

FYI most of my coworkers hate their job too, which is why they slack and why there is no morale. For example, this morning my coworker spent about 60 seconds running to the kitchen to get some coffee after getting off a very long and difficult call. Our boss immediately got on his case about taking breaks and being available for calls, and spent 20 minutes lecturing him about it. That 20 minutes was well spent, wasn't it?

Ugh. At least it's Friday. Not that it matters, because I spend all weekend thinking and worrying about going back on Monday.

hmm, I've had sucky jobs and was lucky to get out - I've now been job-free for 8 years though and it's no picnic, luckily I live with my parents though it's not always so awesome either

so take what I say with a grain of salt. But what would happen if you started to 'slack' and 'play the system' too? For at least some of the time? Call in sick now and then? (it sounds like you've been sick anyway, but did you go to work anyway?)
I'm sorry if this sounds a bit 'unethical', you do need to maintain your sanity though!
All those angry people at a power outtage - can you really actually do anything, or just 'take their anger' - maybe the bosses and others are actually smart to just hide and let people time to 'cool off'??

Also, could you start a 'side hustle' doing what you love - repairing laptops, doing techie things...? after work - even if just volunteering (for an NGO or for neighbours) if you don't need the money - though it sounds you'd like that morgage paid?

Just some thoughts...

I am in your same boat. uGH. I am only 2 years from retirement so I am sticking it out. Have you thought about getting a less paid job and then working a second job. I did that for 11 years. It paid the bills. I feel your pain

I actually woke up this morning thinking about how you said you wake up crying sometimes and it really broke my heart. Just know that people are thinking about you and really hope everything works out. It sounds like your bosses are nazis at work if they're on his case for just going to the kitchen for sixty seconds. I guess they have nothing else better to do because that's their only job description, to yell? That's really sad. Everyone knows you get better employees with support, not fear.
I guess you have a few options. 1) Wait for retirement if it's close. 2) Get promoted to Big Brother 3) Don't take anything personally and try to laugh at it and keep your same position but change your mental approach. 4) Look elsewhere for a job, go on different interviews, discuss pay and benefits and only accept an offer similar to the one you're currently getting.
Sounds sort of like the callers are using you as their personal therapist. People aren't really yelling at you, they're just taking their frustrations about their own lives out on a faceless voice. Therapists probably feel similar to you, since they have to listen day in and day out to whining people but they're in the same room as them.

Do you have any friends that could find you a job or maybe work for them like for a small family company or something? Working for corporations or the govn't is really cut-throat. There is no constructive criticism and nothing is ever explicitly implied - you're supposed to pick things up thru osmosis or something. It sounds like you have to get out of telemarketing for your well-being.

Wait, lots of people scream at you? The company has no policy and training to help manage keeping things at a sane level? Most companies seem to train their staff to manage customers and not accept abusive calls. I may "not get out much" but I've been around a long time and I've never heard of a place like yours. Is it really like that?

Totally agree with cool. I work 4 the govt and cool is right on.

I feel for you….the job market is still terrible. My actual job is great but my coworkers are miserable, mean, petty, some of them *stupid* people. I am so afraid to let go of what I have.

I've been trying to focus on anger management and meditation on my own time to help cope. I should have the best job on the planet but miserable people on the job sure do ruin a good thing.

And I had just the opposite! Terrible job but surrounded by great people. If we could have traded those, we BOTH would have had the perfect job!

Are you stuck in your job, or stuck in your house? Sounds to me like the only reason you tolerate the job is because of the house. You're a single guy living alone, so you don't have to worry about schools, etc.

Dump the house. Buy something you can easily afford on $20k less income. Then dump the job. Your discretionary income should be essentially unchanged, so there wouldn't be much of a lifestyle change, but you'll be happier.

i could have written your post....you are not alone!