It's time for a new job.

[Flea]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]I've been working as a customer service agent from home through a virtual call center for three years now. They love me, and I'm really really good at it. I'm the second most productive person in my division when it comes to generating sales, and I'm one of the most reliable agents used for "live calls" when client business reps want to listen in to make sure they're getting their money's worth.

Since getting sick last month, I find I've felt very testy and impatient with callers. This is new for me - so far I've resisted the urge to get sarcastic with anyone, but I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out. Last night I hit the wall with one woman - my company contracts with the feds and several state government agencies, and the policy clearly states that if you do ___, you'll be charged a $10 fee. She did ___ three times, and she was really pissed at the triple fee. After arguing with me for several minutes in a vain search for loopholes, she gave a very theatrical exasperated SIGH and said (I'm not making this up!) "Our government cannot be that stupid!!"

I narrowly avoided blowing snot all over my monitor, but that was a turning point for me. I've had worse callers to be sure, but I just knew yesterday that I can't do this any more. [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]The odometer has officially flipped over.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]
The pay is very low, which is a mixed blessing because it doesn't jeopardize my disability stipend (I do not want to jeopardize my disability stipend.) This has given me a safe haven where I can experiment with my personal working capacity. My threshold from a health perspective seems to be 25-30 hours per week. I don't really know what I'll do next. I did get an interesting email about a business opportunity - I can pick my own hours and there's lots of travel potential - it's a company based in Nigeria. :highfive: Seriously, I'd like to try my hand at freelance writing/editing. I think I'd be pretty good at that.

Any other ideas are welcome, but I call dibs on the Nigeria thing.[/FONT]

 

[Drac]

Sorry Flea, I have no ideas to offer..I just wanted to let you know that I am in the same boat...After 21 years in Law Enforcement I am going to retire on a medical disability..I consider myself too young to sit on my butt and do nothing, but the conditions of the retirement are strict.. You could look into private security work, the pay is low so that shouldnt provide a conflict..Keep us posted...

 

[terryl965]

Flea wishing you the best

 

[arnisador]

Sounds like a classic case of burnout, so don't close the door on coming back to this type of work after a breather. Are there positions for trainers who get people ready to do your job?

For the hours you're talking, and your concern about not making too much, part-time office help through a temp agency--which can sometimes be done from the home--or teacher's/health care aide come to mind...writing can work, and people make a surprising amount per month from blogging, but it's certainly a risk, and now are not boom times to be starting out.

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

When ever you have work that deals with people you are bond to catch some in bad mood. We all play the part of the fool when we are on the recieving end of this fury we must keep in mind that it is that person's time to play the role maybe later will be your time to play the role.

As for jobs everywhere you go or do there will always be a degree of friction even doing things you love. Learning to roll with the punches and understand empathy will help you immensely.

Good luck in your job search may fortune smile on you.

 

[Flea]

You could look into private security work, the pay is low so that shouldnt provide a conflict..

Thank you Drac. It's a bizarre irony, isn't it? Nobody could benefit more from the short-hour-potential of a high paying job more than us. That, and it's completely impossible to live on a disability pension without moving back in with your parents, forcing one to work anyway (which I'm sure is quite intentional.) The end result is that there's this Line In The Sand that one dares not cross, because we don't dare let go of the little we have in order to hope for something better. The whole mess is frustrating as hell.

Yes Virginia, the government can be that stupid. :tantrum: (And for the record I'm not biting the hand that feeds me. But the system really does need work.)

 

[Flea]

After posting the above, I got a chance to read the other replies. Yes it is burnout, but maybe it's still time for a change. I know my personal parameters for what kind of work I'm best suited to - I'm smart and creative, but my synapses are best geared for grindstone stuff. I went to Vocational Rehab once, and it was a disaster of biblical proportions.

Jadecloud, I'm all bout patience and empathy. When I'm not slaving over a hot telephone, I'm volunteering for countless social services - soup kitchens, animal shelters, you name it. And that patience and empathy is one of the reasons why I'm so good at my job too. But I'm only human, and even I'm desperate to tell someone what they need to hear sometimes.

There's an agency with an employment specialist for people with disabilities. I may give him a call this afternoon. I know there's a good solution here.

 

[Flying Crane]

perhaps part of the problem is that you are working from home. If you are by yourself, you have no venue in which to vent. If you are working with colleagues, often you can cut loose and vent AFTER you hang up the phone, while keeping the phone call professional.

I don't work in customer service, but at times I need to speak with clients directly on the phone. Sometimes they try my patience immensly, and I know that I could not do customer service as a full-time profession. But I keep the phone call professional, and then when I hang up I cut loose and swear and call them all kinds of obscene names, and my colleages and I all laugh and let the frustration go.

Maybe if you can find a situation where you are working away from your home, with a group of others in the same position, it helps get thru the day and deal with the pressure and frustration that such work is bound to bring with it.

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

Jadecloud, I'm all bout patience and empathy. When I'm not slaving over a hot telephone, I'm volunteering for countless social services - soup kitchens, animal shelters, you name it. And that patience and empathy is one of the reasons why I'm so good at my job too. But I'm only human, and even I'm desperate to tell someone what they need to hear sometimes.

I suppose wrathful actions are needed at times.

When someone has a good heart you have to use caution when tainting it even to unleash a wrathful action. Anyway good luck and fortune on your next job choice I am sure you will find some peace in it.

 

[LuckyKBoxer]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]The pay is very low, which is a mixed blessing because it doesn't jeopardize my disability stipend (I do not want to jeopardize my disability stipend.) This has given me a safe haven where I can experiment with my personal working capacity. My threshold from a health perspective seems to be 25-30 hours per week. [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica].[/FONT]

This comment makes me shake my head.
Anything that keeps people held back and in fear of trying to do more with their lives is pure crap.
I am not completely clear how the disability stipend you mention works, but if you can possibly do something that will replace that stipend you should be encouraged to do it. If that stipend is something that goes away when you reach a certain amount of money every week/month/year then maybe it needs to be looked at and adjusted to give people the opportunity to make more then the limit for a short term to try to get themselves out of a dead end.
I am curious... and please tell me to go mind my own business if I am crossing a line here... its not my intent..
But I assume they give you XX dollars as a disability stipend, with some stipulation that you only get it if you earn less then XX dollars a week or month or year....
so you are doing this job now for xx dollars that still qualifies you for your disability stipend.
My curiosity is whether you can pursue a job that pays more and maintain it with your disability, and whether that higher pay would work out to be more then you are making now with your job and the disability together, or if that higher pay would just work out to being less after it cancels your qualifying for disability?

I would not even know what to recommend for you to look at doing without knowing your disability, and pay requirements, and qualifications.. /shrug but my suggestion for people has always been to find what you are passionate about and find a way to make the money you need to make doing that... in the end it is going to be more like living, and less like working...
Good luck to you whatever you decide.. and sorry if my post is offensive, it is not meant to be, I am simply curious as I doont exactly understand that process...

 

[Flea]

and sorry if my post is offensive, it is not meant to be, I am simply curious as I dont exactly understand that process...

Oh, not at all! Social Security is very confusing, and everyone responds that way. Even (especially?) those of us who depend on it.

Basically, one's stipend is based on how much work they did, and their earnings as a separate factor, before becoming disabled. So if you worked faithfully as a janitor for 40 years before getting cancer, you're not going to fare as well as the pro football player who only played one season. Tough break. Also, your assets don't factor into your benefits at all. The moral? Play pro football! Just play it carefully ...

Once they've determined that you're eligible (a process that can take years; many people qualify posthumously) you can earn up to a tiny amount through work. I won't bore you with too many details, but ultimately you can match whatever your monthly stipend is. If you work too many months (cumulatively, not consecutively) surpassing this amount you get a review where you risk losing your benefits. That is the Big And Scary Thing. With Social Security being in the mess it is, they're really cracking down and looking for excuses to reduce their rolls. Sure, you can reapply, but don't forget the hell you went to in getting qualified the first time. Considering how sick you have to be to get the time of day from Social Security at all, it's only a given that you will inevitably get incapacitated again. And then where will you be with no job and no stipend?

That's why most people on SSDI are afraid to go back to work.

My curiosity is whether you can pursue a job that pays more and maintain it with your disability, and whether that higher pay would work out to be more then you are making now with your job and the disability together, or if that higher pay would just work out to being less after it cancels your qualifying for disability?

Good questions all. Basically, my own stipend just barely hovers over the federal poverty line for a single adult. With the job I double that amount for a stratospheric income of $18K a year and change. I've been overshooting my doctor's advice by about 10 work hours a week because I know that the ultimate benefit of moving out of this sleazy neighborhood is more therapeutic than any pill he can throw at me. But I've also checked with a disability lawyer whose told me that I'm taking a risk earning as much as I am. It's a delicate balance.

Anything that keeps people held back and in fear of trying to do more with their lives is pure crap.

Nooooo kidding. :angry: I'd give anything for the space in which to find my peace, on my own time, and in my own way. I think the more relevant point here is that the ultimate "anything" in your statement is the disability itself. I don't know a single person with a disability who doesn't do everything in their power to live a full life, and work is an essential part of quality of life for anyone. In a very real sense the center has been bitten out of our lives with the pride of self-sufficiency. For myself, I've made what peace I can with volunteerism, and it means as much to me as my former career did.

Hope this makes sense ...

 

[SensibleManiac]

Have you thought about web design? If you're creative this might be for you.
You can do it part time from home as well.

 

[searcher]

Flea-life will get better for you. I have no doubt that something will come your way.

 

[Drac]

I considered private security myself until I saw the restrictions..Working in the private sector of law enforcement is a real pain..Many of the companies here are owned and staffed my individuals that were never cops, and aquired their knowledge from sitting on their collective asses in college.. They have a lot of book smarts but no street smarts...

 

[Flea]

They have a lot of book smarts but no street smarts...

Heh. I don't think any industry corners the market on that.

I spoke with my immediate supervisor this morning about tweaking my duties to take some of the pressure off. She said she was open to it, but through no fault of hers it probably ain't gonna happen. It's only 9:40 and I've already taken one chill pill. If I were a doctor or a journalist (I was, actually) or some other job where this level of stress were warranted, I could see going to lengths like that. But not for customer service. They're not paying me enough to need to self-medicate.

So that's that. If I feel awful enough this afternoon I have no problem with knocking off brazenly for mental health reasons. I'm sure they'll let me get away with it.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I've been trying to change my career for years but I recently realized that I am fighting a battle I can't win. Not that I cannot change careers but I can't get to the ones I feel I want, at least not in the traditional manor and not quickly. However I can, quite easily, get to the one I would likely be best at so I am going to stop fighting it and go that way.

And someone already suggested web design also there are a lot of medical records people (transcribers) that work out of their homes and jobs not at home that pay rather well that are also not full time like court reporting are pretty good to but that one would mess up your disability stipend it can pay rather well.

 

[Flea]

I finally had a chance to make some calls this morning and found that the employment specialist I used to work with is gone since a grant fell through. :hammer:

Some friends have made other good suggestions, one of which involves trying to sell some of the tchotchkes I enjoy making as artwork. Someone else suggested web design or blogging. I can blog, sure, but how does one make money at it? Can anyone elaborate on that for me? I'd appreciate it.

 

[arnisador]

Some friends have made other good suggestions, one of which involves trying to sell some of the tchotchkes I enjoy making as artwork.

Etsy.com is good for that, I understand!

Someone else suggested web design or blogging. I can blog, sure, but how does one make money at it? Can anyone elaborate on that for me?

Google ads, Amazon affiliation, driving customers from it to another of your businesses (e.g., technical writing), or ads/sponsorship from a specific industry if that's what you're writing about. It's not much different from what this site does, actually.

 

[Big Don]

I've been trying to change my career for years but I recently realized that I am fighting a battle I can't win. Not that I cannot change careers but I can't get to the ones I feel I want, at least not in the traditional manor and not quickly. However I can, quite easily, get to the one I would likely be best at so I am going to stop fighting it and go that way.

And someone already suggested web design also there are a lot of medical records people (transcribers) that work out of their homes and jobs not at home that pay rather well that are also not full time like court reporting are pretty good to but that one would mess up your disability stipend it can pay rather well.

You should look into Millionaire Playboy as a line of "work"...
I would, but, I don't like going to parties...

 

[Flea]

You should look into Millionaire Playboy as a line of "work"...
I would, but, I don't like going to parties...

It worked pretty well for Shel Silverstein! Lucky bastard ... :ultracool