Scared To Get A Job

Sooo, I'm 19 and I've only had 3 jobs in my life. 2 in fast food and one being a Nanny. My first job, at Hardee's, I quit within 3 days of working because my managers were all constantly telling me "You're too slow! You need to work faster! You need to do better!" and I ended up having a panic attack and in tears while I was working and really just wanted to be with my husband. It was a terrible fight to go to work because I'd spend all night before crying and wake up all through the night with chest pains so eventually I just quit.

My second job, at Wendy's, I was fine throughout my training but as soon as I was on my own things got hectic. I spent the entire night before panicking that I was going to mess everything up and get fired, and when I went in the next day, I couldn't remember half of my training. So my boss started telling me what to do but it was backwards from what I had been trained to do so needless to say I spent a lot of my day crying in the freezer. When the girl who trained me came in he told her I "set the record for slowest." I spent the whole night panicking about going back to work and eventually didn't.

Anywho, it's time for me to get a job again or we might lose our apartment. And I am petrified. I've been trying to get a cashier job or something lower paced than fast food but that isn't working. So my mother is pressuring me to do fast food again. And I just can't. Whenever I think about all of the pressure and noise and people I have to deal with, which is already terrifying on it's own without having to serve them, it makes me so panicky and scared and I literally don't know what I should do. I just want to stay home with my dog away from scary people and work.

Hello darthdukes: It's been a few days since you posted this. I'm sorry you are having this difficulty. Yes, the world of work can be difficult. I'm an older person & I've aged into my retirement years. Getting old isn't the greatest thing in the world. But one thing I am immensely grateful for is no longer having to work... or even consider the possibility that I might need to go back to work.

It certainly seems to me that you've had enough experience with working in the fast food industry that you know this simply will not work for you. Not everyone is "cut out" for that kind of work. I guess if one is desperate, one will try anything. But if there is any way around it, it seems to me you'd be wise to avoid another fast food debacle. From what you wrote, trying another fast food job would border on self abuse. It's really unfortunate that your mother is pressuring you to do so. I really hope you can hold out & find something else to do. I send you my best wishes...

For whatever it's worth, what you experienced is common in retail (fast food, gas stations, grocery stores, etc).

As far as receiving terribly inadequate training and be expected to perform amazingly after like 2 days.

As well as far as having managers/supervisors with no people skills or even real management skills (there are some good ones out there, and they are diamonds in the rough, because most managers get thrown to the wolves just like the lower level employees do, so they are about as lost as everyone else, and since turnover is so insanely high, in many cases the managers are not exactly cherry-picked).

Also if you Google things like "retail sucks" and so on, you will find countless stories that echo the same experiences.. crappy training, understaffed chaotic environments, crying on the job and more.

A humorous list: 25 Things You Learn From Working A Crappy Retail Job | Thought Catalog

"24. If you don’t smoke before you start working a customer service job, you will probably start. “A crying in the bathroom break” doesn’t have the same ring to it."

So just try to understand that your experiences in retail should not determine your confidence level, because retail is generally a nightmare.

Hey and welcome to PC. I'm just wishing you well. I've worked retail and cashier jobs for a good part of the last five or so years. The only thing worse was being a communicator, which was the company term for a glorified ******** telemarketer!

Work can be scary. I worked a high pressure teaching position for twelve years. Many days I felt like I didn't deserve what I had earned through all my hard work. And then I went on a manic rage when my department was being cut to 30% and it was all over. I started my own company shortly after (talk about scary!)and although I struggle (bipolar disorder) daily, we have been open almost three years. Do I get scared from time to time, hell yeah, but its on my own terms, not some group of bean counters with no perception of reality. Fast food probably just isn't for you. Don't give up.

Sounds like fast food is definitely not for you. Just keep trying to explain that to your mother and maybe she'll eventually understand. I am looking for work myself right now and it makes me anxious just thinking about it. I hope you have good luck in your job search and find something that is not as stressful!

How about cleaning offices after 5, that way you wouldn't have to deal with anyone trying to hurry you up. At some point I would imagine you will need to find a job to support yourself? I joined the army at 18, and I am now a Sophomore at 69!