369
Hello FairyGodBoss community,
Just putting this out there. From my lips to God's ears :)
Anyway, I have been working at a bank call center as a vendor for 14 months. While I like the company and I am thankful to have a job that I get to work from home with a decent wage. I am so not satisfied with the job. Nor am I satisfied with still being just a "temp".
I am so much more than a customer service agent. Yes, I have 20+ years in customer service. But alot of my previous jobs also included more. I have worked for an airline, have accounts payable experience, including Quickbooks. I was a VA for 8 years for several small companies and handled everything from bookkeeping, travel arrangements, recruiting, admin, etc. I have built my own websites, heck even built my own computers, and taught my sons to do the same thing lol. It was out of frustration after a tech fried my motherboard. Currently studying Java and May 26th, I start a tech support bootcamp.
I am getting job offers but not what I want and the pay is just laughable. I want to stay working from home and I want something more challenging.
Thank you for reading and letting me vent :)
Michelle Loke
41
05/12/21 at 1:53PM UTC
Hi Darla, what about starting something on your own as a kind of side hustle or creating a professional blog and joining a networking community? It sure sounds like you have plenty to offer and maybe just need a way to build your own brand. You can start sharing tips about how to appease angry customers or think about what you want to be the “go to” person for! Networking communities that meet regularly (even online!) can be a great way to find better avenues too and find ppl who hold you accountable for new goals!
DarlaMI have worn many hats in different industries.
369
05/12/21 at 3:12PM UTC
I actually just let my websites go about 2 years ago. lol I had them up for years, like the oldest one was up since 2000. But they weren't cost effective. Hindsight is I am kicking myself now. lol One of the websites is where I would sell my jewelry, paintings and other artsy things I do. Another one was on natural healing and the 3rd one was about ways to save on cooking, links to companies that hirer work from home and other gigs, tips for a home office, etc..
Michelle Loke
41
05/13/21 at 4:50AM UTC
Love it! Never to late to revive some of these! We all gotta prioritise so pick the area you love the most and you think ppl may wanna learn from and you see some demand on and maybe it’s just time to rebuild!
User deleted comment on 05/12/21 at 3:09PM UTC
Jodi McCall
27
05/12/21 at 1:49PM UTC
I completely understand your strife, and have been amazed at the job offers and salaries proposed! Of course I’m not interested in being overworked and underpaid, and why can’t you read my skills listed, not just what I have a degree in!
DarlaMI have worn many hats in different industries.
369
05/12/21 at 3:36PM UTC
Exactly!
User deleted comment on 05/12/21 at 1:47PM UTC
Paulla FetzekTeacher, Lighting Expert, 35+ Yr Office Pro
3.17k
05/12/21 at 12:42PM UTC
Hi Darla, thank you for feeling comfortable to vent. That's what FGB is all about: sharing and uplifting.
I read some of myself in your post. I have over 30 years in the Customer Service sector. If someone came up to me now and said something like, "Oh, so you just do customer service"... I honestly would have to be restrained from slapping them. *laugh*
Joking aside, I also love computers & have build a few in my day. And I've built websites as well. This is where our similarities end as you're much more advanced than I in terms of Java, etc!
With Covid, I fear a lot of companies have to lowball salaries as they've lost revenue. This is the second year in a row I haven't gotten a raise. I'm bummed, yes. But do I really need the money? No. I'm fortunate that right now I'm doing ok.
I personally hated working from home (had to for 10 weeks during Covid lockdown) and am glad to be back in the office.
Katie is right in that this site is great for networking and opportunities!
DarlaMI have worn many hats in different industries.
369
05/12/21 at 3:35PM UTC
I am just now learning and struggling with Java lol It is just a basic course. But thankfully I have lots of programmer friends for when I do get stuck on an assignment.
I had one recruiter tell me yesterday that most of the employees work 50-54 hours a week, but you can work as much overtime as you want lol. My diplomatic filter was on so I just responded with thank you, but I can not work for that low of pay :) The job would be working from home and in a new job field, which I love learning new things. But I can not afford to work for low pay and I need a work/life balance.
I understand about working from home. It just isn't a good fit for some. I LOVE quiet(when I retire it will be to the country). Just the idea of going back into a busy, noisy office makes me cringe ha.
Katie Baird Helping Women Traverse Transitions
81
05/10/21 at 3:01PM UTC
Love that you're motivated with a real career vision in mind Darla! This community can probably be a great place for you to network further to find contacts in roles that do excite you, likely once you have a bit more clarity around specific roles after starting the java courses
