It started like any other day. The sky was dark because I hit the clock at 7 am on a Friday morning. But it wasn't just another day, it was the day. For six years I had come here over and over, punched the clock, drank the bad coffee, listened to the voices in my headphone drone on and on.
This was the end of it. I had dreamed about leaving. There had been so many versions, from the dramatic Dead Poet's Society version where I stand on the desk and make a grand speech to the Chuck Norris version where I kicked someone's ass on the way out and then every version in-between.
At one point, I reconsidered the Chuck Norris verson. My boss gave me a set of multiple trades that I knew would go wrong and then he coldly told me to remember why I was leaving. I told him he didn't need to worry about me forgetting that. He didn't speak three words to me for the rest of the day. I couldn't have cared less.
I told some of my customers that it was my last day, those that I had a relationship with. One of them, one of the hard-ass demanding people I had become used to, told me that I could call him if I ever needed a personal reference.
One of the girls from accounting brought me a bag of M&M's. Someone bought me some ribs for lunch. The girls on the floor bought me a cake. Finally, it was time to pack up. One of my best friends came over and spoke to me. He had been there the same amount of time I had. He was sort of emotional, and I could see he was sad.
"I know this sounds sappy, but I'm proud of you. You went after your dream of getting a degree, and now you are leaving this place."
We hugged and he was gone.
What I never told anyone on the blog was that I went back to school to get a degree so I could leave this place. I knew I had no skills that would translate to a better job. Half of the time spent here at Call Center Purgatory was spent biding my time until I got my degree.
I carried my cardboard out the double doors to the parking lot. I stood there and looked up at the ugly building I had hated for so long. I actually felt more than a twinge of sadness. How would I survive in a new job? I had been here so long, I had friends here, Now I had to start all over.
I remembered the speech Morgan Freeman gave in Shawshank Redemption, "These walls are funny. First you hate them, then you get used to them, until it gets to you depend on them. That's institutionalized."
But I also remembered the one quote from Shawshank that was the real message, "Get busy living or get busy dying." I'd had enough of this place. A life outside of here had to be better, no matter what. If I failed, at least I failed trying. And I would give all I could. If I stayed here, I'd always wonder what could have been, what might have been. There had to be a better world somewhere outside of this place.
I took one last look around, incredibly, it started to rain. I have made up details in my writing to keep you off my trail, but not this time. This really happened. I finally loaded up my car, and rolled up to the security gate. It rolled open on a chain and I drove through.
I turned on the CD player and found a song by Tom Petty that made the day complete...
"It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down
I had the radio on, I was driving.
Trees flew by, me and Del were singing,
Little Runaway, I was sublime.
Yeah running down a dream,
That never would come to me.
Working on a mystery,
Going wherever it leads.
Running down a dream..."
Thanks for reading,
AC
I had this ALMOST EXACT experience in January of this year.
I was an Copier Repairman for years and finally had enough, so I went back to school and now I'm a graphic designer and I love life again!
Enjoy your new job and congrats on Living.
The problem I always had with leaving some place is that you almost want to think that they won't be able to carry on without you, that you are an integral part of the machine, but the sad fact is that too often they just shove another gear in there and it squeaks until it wears into place. From reading your blog, and empathizing with you i can see that they will have a hard time filling your place in the machine congrats on that win as well, and the best of luck going forward.
Paul from the CaffiNation Podcast!
Jane
www.callcentercomics.com
: 11:42 PMi first saw your blog last july 2007. then i actually bookmarked it. hopefully we'll meet soon and get acquainted.
honestly, i am just celebrating my first year in this industry today.
: 2:23 PMThe first step is brave, but you have to find some way to do it. There are people who find fufillment in good call centers, but unfortunately, there are more people like you and me that end up living lives of quiet desparation because we let life roll over us like water and permit our soul to drown in the mediocrity of this kind of purgatory.
Make a little step. Go to a class, send in a resume, look at a website like monster.com.
The biggest thing is don't be afraid to fail, all humans do, and there will be no success without failure.
After I got my degree, it took a year to find my dream job, I had so many close calls of jobs that did not measure up or did not want me, but I kept at it, because life was not meant to be what I lived through at the call center. Your life can be so much more than the call center, do the bravest thing you can and start making steps to leave.
Thanks for reading, AC
: 11:45 PM : 4:24 AMThere are people who enjoy working in call centers, there are nice call centers with good bosses, but they are the exception and not the rule. Hope you enjoy the hits (if any) that publishing your lame little comment may bring.
: 6:35 AM : 10:39 AMlove your work and it will surely love you back... whether its from a degree or not.
: 10:57 AMThanks for sharing your thoughts.
I never was able to keep a diary of sorts as i am pretty lazy person. Anyhoot, i hate my call center life.this is a new job. been there since sept 2009. i passionately hate it. the pension is great but the question is will i even make it to that point of my life with this job killing me softly every time my prerecorded greeting begins!!!
The week of the five mondays is upon me yet again. There is no friday where i work because monday is just around the corner and is ever so omninous. Ive been working mostly in call centers since 1998. I am going bananas. I have an unfinished business degree and never even liked the program. im 32 this week friday. I feel a slave to my bills and crappy life.
I admire you but i guess its fear combined with other factors control my every being. i always felt i had something to give but never figured out what it was. Ive been sedating myself now for years and dont even know how i got into this mess in the first place. anyways thanks for the blog. i know it was written awhile back but its like a lost scroll to me. now can i decypher it and make life better....
: 12:22 AMI'm glad you liked the blog.
I've been in your shoes, I really, really identify. Don't give up hope that you can find your purpose. I don't know what sort of relationship you have with God, but that was one of the things that got me through the long 6 years.
your previous boss was probably the same as these two!
Good Luck to you and stick to your idealisms and principles. You're not alone.
I do find it humourous that so many of you want to get a link in to advertise your call center service to the world, but you do it on a website that talks about how its awful to work at a call center. The irony is so thick that you need a machete to cut it.
Listen, in all seriousness-email me if you want to advertise here and we can work something out-as long as its not immoral-I will consider it.
Regards,
AC
Bpo india
I've never worked for a call center yet but I've been in the same place as you have been, probably longer. The insufferable bosses and customers, the overtime, and the hate! Hating the people and the job and the company. It seems harsh to say so, for a long time I didn't want to use that word, but there was no other term more accurate to describe it.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that people forget that call center operations is the same operations you will find in any company--only, outsourced and more heavily IT-supported.
It happens to the best of us, in any job. Even for me who already has a master's degree to boast. I'm glad to here you are embarking on a new challenge--a new job. Many of us are still searching for that job that will bring us career fulfillment and not just the financial security and success. Until we find it, we just to have endure one unbearable job after another. We keep searching, as I still am.
I wish you the best of luck in your career and to all readers of this blog!
: 11:03 PMCurrently I'm working at a call center company from the Philippines
I'm going back to school soon and I'm trying to quit my job...It's not bad as I thought it would be but there are just somethings in my life I need to straighten out before work eats me whole.
I can say that it is a really stressful job but after reading your post I realized something in me that made my day :)
Bless you and your new job and have a great year ahead!
: 6:36 AMI recently got out of the serving industry and I can tell you that felt like a hell hole most of the time.
