Your job, your likes, and your gripes

[WilyWestbrook0]

What sort of job do you have? What do you like about it? What are your gripes about it?

I work direct support. This job entails working with the developmentally disabled. Pay is a little above minimum wage. We assist them where they need assistance (food, clothes, diapers, wheelchair and toilet transfers, etc.), promote independence where they can help themselves, and basically care-take for eight hours at a time each shift.

What do I like about this job? The clients, and the more relaxed atmosphere. We spend all our time serving them, whether it's assisting them at their homes or else taking them out to the community, cleaning their homes, watching movies with them, preparing their meals, etc.

I've learned so much about the "developmentally and mentally challenged." For starters, they all are highly variable in what they can and cannot understand or do. I have learned never to underestimate any of the people with whom I work no matter how profound their disabilities. Some of them can talk, some cannot talk but have good receptive language skills, some have neither but are ambulatory and can understand basic one-word commands, etc. Still others cannot communicate at all and need full-time care in everything (typically, these people are at "group homes"). No matter how severe their handicaps, they all have their personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, much like anyone else who is labeled "normal."

Gripes: high turnover rate. Little support from some of the primary caretakers and some of the coordinators. Little monitoring and teaching that is actually tested and observed by other parties. You have to rely almost exclusively on your co-workers and their knowledge, which may be spotty depending on how long they have worked in the field. You may get criticized and singled out for mistakes others make. And so forth.

I have been doing this since April. I like the job in and of itself, but not so much the social and legal dynamic. Co-workers all have their strengths and weaknesses, like anyone else, but we get so little support for what we do. It can be very maddening in that respect.

You?

[shrewsbury]

I am an engineer with non profit cable company, one of the few true cable cooperatives left.

I have been here for around 13 years.

likes = good pay, killer benefits(med/optical/life totally free plus vehicle I can use for whatever I want, and free internet and television including all paid channels and ppv), my office is 4 blocks from my home. I also do nearly every job required, which gives me a lot do to. Love the community and working with people. I have a huge office and spend a lot of my time in the air conditioned head end and when in the field it is often only when a problem arises that no one else can figure out, which I do enjoy feeling important (maybe a bit egotistical, but it is true)

dislikes = I have peaked the pay scale and top of the chain. my only way up would be GM, who is going no where for atleast another decade. I am on call every third week for the entire week and always have to work when on call. I also do not get along with the one other person who is an engineer we have been at odds for over a decade.

As a result I am back in school and plan to change jobs within the next 2-4 years, which will be scary but cannot see myself here to I retire.

[WilyWestbrook0]

I also get decent benefits at my job, which is important in my context given that I have two autoimmune diseases that require medication.

On call is always challenging. I was a float for the first two-and-a-half months at my current job, but now I have a regular shift where I rarely get called up now for odd shifts at multiple houses.

I am really hoping this one will stick. Pay may not be great, but I just have a few hobbies and a rather minimalist lifestyle without children to support, so it's sufficient for me.

[Rybowski]

I work at a Private golf course in the town that I grew up in, Fleetwood, PA. The course has been open since 1964 and has hosted the U.S. Women's Open back in 1968.

I have been at my job off and on since I turned 16. Worked there during the summer's when I was in high school, part time when I was in college, and then went full time because I just couldn't find myself leaving my job. I have been playing golf since I was 3, my uncle was/is a professional from the area, so he meant a lot to me when it came to golf.

The pay is pretty decent there, my wife and I own a house, so you can figure that I make enough. I get free food at lunch there and I can play golf any day after work as long as there isn't a golf tournament or outing going on. I went to school for computer networking/programming and can pretty much do whatever needs to be done computer wise. When college ended, I had many opportunities to have entry level jobs, but just couldn't leave the golf course. Nothing beats fresh air and the smell of grass to me, it must be a trigger for me.

What I do at the golf course is simple, I primarily cut grass. Greens, collars, approaches, fairways, rough, you name it, I cut it. There is a lot of litterer things that I do just for maintenance purposes too.

Only things that I don't like about my job is that I work 7 days a week from April - November. We are required to go into work from 6:30-9:30 on weekends to prepare the course on the weekends for the members. Basically, if I am out having fun on a friday night or saturday night, I need to remember that the alarm is set for 5:15 the next morning. The other gripe I have is the summer help that we have. They could care less if they screw up or forget to fully do a task at there, so it then becomes a babysitting event then, and it gets really old.

[stlcardinalsfan]

i am a service clerk at a major pharmacy/sales store...WG

what i like..some of the people are really nice, like talking to people. nice hours,opportunities to advance.....i get commission on suggestive sales.
what i dont like...........dealing with idiots,people who dont control their kids,couponers who dont know how to coupon.

[Oxxon]

Teacher....

Like - students, parents, coworkers, administration.

Dislike - see like.

[WilyWestbrook0]

lol, Oxxon. I tried to get into the teaching profession TWICE. If I ever had to do it again, I'd just be a sub. I didn't mind being a sub.

[tjmcb73]

WALMART-Retail

LIKE-Store mgr & my boss(2 diff people(both are women)) are both Cheeseheads.
All the co-workers from the dept party together on wknds.

I think some of the photos on "People of Wal-Mart" come from our store!!!
I saw a young woman(about 30?) that must've had a brain fart while getting dressed.
She had a sports bra AND your standard "granny" bra on underneath her tanktop!!

DISLIKE-Nights w/o stories like these to share!!!

[tjmcb73]

I have 3 stories I can share tho....

#1:
We had a clearance sale on boots a few yrs back.
Customer found a pair & asked if the could TAKE THE BOX WITH!!!
I almost lost it & said,"Of course, but may I make you an offer? If you buy another pair, I'll throw in the other box for free!!!" HE FELL FOR IT!!!
He came back the next wknd & asked if I could give him the same deal on athletic shoes on clearance!!! LOL

#2:
4-yr old girl's w/her folks & finds a pair of sandals she liked. She asked Mom if she could have 'em, but Mom said no.
Girl gets angry & whips em @ mom(down towards end of aisle)...NAILS HER IN BACK OF THE HEAD!!!
Dad busted a gut, gave her a high 5, & bought the sandals for her!!!
THE COUPLE'S SINCE DIVORCED!!! LMAO


#3:
While a mother was looking at athletic shoes, her 3-yr old daughter wandered off a few aisles over & then returned.
Girl had a puzzled look on her face & tugged on mom's shirt. She led her over to the aisle where she was previously & pointed at a plus-sized woman and asked mom, "Mommy...will my butt be that big when I get old?"

Mother turned 3 shades of red when the other woman turned around & looked back!!!

[mrveggieman]

I'm not going to bash my job since I am typing this from their computer Seriouisly though I can't say I have any major complaints about the job. The give me the work to do the tools neccessary to do my job and they let me do my job. It's pretty laid back and as long as I am doing my work no one bothers me. The only minor complaints is the commute time (not the jobs fault) and I would always like to make more money.