There comes a moment in every job when the BP, or Breaking Point, is reached. This, no doubt, varies according to the individual, the job, the industry, and maybe even the country. (I would stereotypically assume that the Japanese have a higher breaking point than, say, the Italians.)
When the BP is reached, the employee begins a frantic job search, suddenly convinced of the fallacy that she is underpaid/overworked/harassed/disrespected/bored and that it is only her particular job that has these drawbacks. Anything, the thinking goes, would be better.
There also comes a point in every job when the EOP, or Earning Out Period, begins. It takes, in my estimation, about six months to a year for an employee to be useful. Up until that point, you’re basically being paid to not know where the bathroom is and spill coffee in the kitchen.
During the EOP, you’re paying back the company for your initial stupidity, and, much like an indentured servant, working off the “debt” you have amassed.
By my calculations, it takes at least two and a half years to make it past the earning out period and become an investment of which your employer can be proud.
Unfortunately for my employers, my BP is almost always concurrent with the onset of my EOP. For example, about a week ago, I began to feel genuinely useful. Then on Friday, the sound of Perky’s voice made me want to gouge my eyeballs out, a sensation I have not experienced since the first few weeks of my time here, during the Adjustment Period. (Also referred to as the “Why Did I Think My Last Job Was So Bad, This Place Fucking Sucks” Period).
It’s actually worse today.
At my prior job, I was forced to stay past my BP due to the unpredictability of the job market and the fact that I was still very young with little to no experience. Other employers seemed rather skeptical as I traipsed into their offices, claiming to have learned all there was to know about the industry at my first job out of college. Thwarted in my job search, I became an extremely useful worker, as well as a miserable bitch.
And so it begins again. It would be nice if I could be both useful and nice/happy, but at least in my case, they are two mutually exclusive states.
Tuesday
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28 comments:
Cheer up, CB!
Shop for a book deal. Then you'll be not only happy and useful, but most likely venerated, adored, and filthy-stinkin' rich.
HELLOS!(:
I hear that finding a job you love and are good at can really happen! My husband works in the field on mountain tops, all alone. He LOVES his job.
I agree with the first response. You are a really talented writter.
A book deal would be cool. Just print out all of your blogs and submit it! LOL.
Not to be the bearer of bad news but I work for a publisher and can formally confirm that you will be neither rich or venerated at the mo. We're mostly looking for cheap mugs who don't understand the royalty structure so we can rip them off.
I agree that you should be published though.
If that helps at all.
It doesn't, does it?
It does seem kinda hard to really figure out when the BP is reached. I can't comment on my job situation for fear of being dooced, but I quite agree with your post. Very few people really, really love their jobs, in which case it ceases to be one.
I think I understand where your frustration stems from and I totally sympathize.
my bp is cyclical and i reach it about once every 3 months. i decide i jsut can't take it one more minute and spend all my free time searching the net for new and better jobs, then i realize its not so bad and i decide i'm not willing to take the gamble of going to a new place where i will freak out every 3 months (or maybe even sooner)
"the sound of Perky’s voice made me want to gauge my eyeballs out"
that would be "gouge"
(hey, if you're going to be published, you'll need an editor!)
Thank you Taza. *blushes*
You're a riot! Keep the job-hating up. What would we all read if you didn't hate your job???
Rhea
The Boomer Chronicles
So what you're saying is that I'm not the only one.
I've now reached my BP three times over and my job search is just kicking into high gear.
These days, the Company Slut and the Company Bitch (curiously, I am known as both) spends her workdays on Monster, taking occasional breaks to draft her letter of resignation.
I hear ya! I have my resignation letter saved on the hard drive. I have long since reached BP!
I reached my 8th BP last month, after the fifth round of layoffs and more political BS. I've decided though, that since they're paying tuition reimbursement and I actually get a pretty hefty paycheck, I'll suck it up and soak them for the cash until the next round when hopefully they'll cut me loose.
yo.
i've been there and found the breaking point can last awhile but like anything else, it will reach a saturation and explode. mine exploded by way of full fledged panic attack. really embarrassing. then not only had i reached the breaking point, but until i quit i was the unstable girl that couldn't "handle her job."
Man! You hit the nail on the head with this post. I've hit my BP and I've been interview non-stop, but I don't quite feel I want to leave, because of how much time (3 years) I have invested.
You have so much wisdom! I wish I had learned what you have and I've got four years on you.
Thanks for the good advice!
From my perch here in the rocking chair (being of advanced age and all), I can tell you that the BP in a worthwhile job is like labor (you know, the in-childbirth kind of labor). IF the job is worth it, work at pushing right through the voice which makes you want to pluck your own eyes from their sockets. You will emerge refreshed, ballsier, tougher, and with new resolve to kick Perky's ass down the elevator shaft.
If the job is not worth it, slap it on the resume a la Further Proof I Have Mastered My Trade and get out there.
Anyplace'd be lucky to have you.
I believe there are three factors that measure your happiness with the job: 1) boss(es) and coworkers 2) pay scale 3) distance (or commute).
My rule of thumb has always been "2 out of 3 ain't bad." While I would never go to a new job and take a pay cut, the pay scale has to be good for your current lifestyle. So the only other wiggle room is boss and coworkers or commute.
Typically, I would rather drive farther to work with better people.
But everyone is different.
By the by, I have always hit the ground running and my EOP does not cover learning where the bathrooms are. EOP begins before the offer letter, when I do my presentation with the design and how the project will run.
Within 3 to 6 months, I'm already getting people fired or making them quit by showing how much work can get accomplished by someone who knows what they're doing.
Just had a coworker turn in notice yesterday, after only 3 months here.
I learned the hard way that you can't reach your BP any faster than to work for 2 upper-middle-aged self-made men at the same time. This breed is ambitious and productive at first, but in their declining years they revert to childhood and demand you to stroke their egos and expect you to drop everything so you can track their latest win on Ebay - a brass coal bucket.
One way to help you ease off of your BP is to help certain others (Perky, I'm looking at you) toward their own BP-- and eventually over the edge.
Sure, you might pick up a little extra work for a while until the new hire hits their EOC, but the benefits are 1) removal of a major nuisance, which leads to 2)better quality of job life; and 3)bumps you up the seniority scale.
Even if you aren't able to actually drive Perks to quit, but just remember, life is about the journey, not the destination. Just attempting such an ouster can be great fun (to read about).
It sometimes takes a while to find and/or settle down with a job you like. Are there any other departments you would like to transfer to?
You are young enough to change your mind with out it causing too much injury to your resume or yourself. If you can stick it out for 2 years it will look better for you. If you are past the 2 year mark, start testing the waters. Just be discrete.
The Japanese do indeed have a higher Breaking Point, but when they reach it they tend to jump in front of commuter trains (Chuo line is a favourite). Or else they work themselves to death. Really. It's called Karoshi and is considered quite an honourable way to leave your job. Me, I'd just leave, but to each their own.
Fuck that job. Get the HELL out. You have no idea how much better it could be. If you've put in your time at a reputable company then you, especially should get the hell out. You may be more useful than you think. I'm getting paid more to do less at my new job.
However, consider Alanis Morrisette in your search for a new job. She really sucked at music after she got all happy. So I'll be selfish and hope that you stay in your miserable job so that I can still laugh out loud every time I read your blog.
Aw, I think we just had a moment.
Hell, my job is a means to and end. I am getting into real estate appraising, and the only real reason I chose it was that it will enable me to get what I want out of life -- be my own boss, have kids and still work (at home) if I want to, find houses and be able to buy and sell them easily... you know? I wouldn't have chosen this field of work if not for those reasons, and also because the appraisal/real estate business runs in the family.
Find something that will give you options, not tie you down! You are OBVIOUSLY more capable than I. So I'm sure you would have an even easier time finding something like I have.
UGH def at my own BP with current company now and I've only been there for 4 months! I hear ya loud and clear
Um, if you don't like what you do at your job finding another one where you do the same thing, but make a little more money, won't make you happy either. Bottom line - if you like the work you do, and you make enough money to live on, you will be happy no matter what kind of money you make.
How do you always know exactly what I'm thinking?
I remember you saying in a previous post about an odd nameless sensation that was a cross between acute stress and total boredom.
Now BP.
I think you're living my life.
The post was good, topical, and useful. The commentary was, well, stunning!
You got friends here CB.
Oh, God, I know how you feel. Keep smiling and thinking about how you'll spend your paychecks.
Yeah, hear ya. My first three jobs out of college nearly suffocated me with their retardation. I carried with me an air of bitterness and fuckoffness everywhere I went. I ended up in the same "any jobs better than the one I've got" habit and eventually ended up with a job that was, in fact, better than the job I had. It ain't perfect, but no one here is at risk of being mortally wounded with a stapler.
Luck!
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