baby steps to a new life
So, enough with the bitching about my work-life. That in no way means that my moaning will cease - I still need an outlet. It just means that I've made a decision regarding my future, and that decision is: I can't make Tp a career.
I know that some of you out there are thinking, "well duh, Stephanie. Tp is the pits!" Some of you would be undeniably correct. I have always thought of Tp as a jumping off point - a place to get my feet wet in B2B sales so that I could move on and "make the big bucks" in another industry. Now I see Tp as a chore. I see the sales people (two of them, anyway) as the slimeball used-car sales types that they are, and I can tell that they want me to be like them. (Of the other three salesfolk, one is severely jaded, one is brand new and gung-ho, and the other is a die-hard Telepresser who truly believes she's helping the world one business card at a time.)
The epiphany came after a week in which nightmares of Tp occupied my days AND my nights. It was either in one of the dreams, or perhaps in the shower one morning, that I realized that we were as low-rent as you can possibly get in the sales world. We are going out to our customers, and prospective customers, and lying to their faces. I can't say that I'm guilty of it, but that is only because I am extremely careful to not promise more than I can delivery. Others (sales) have gone with me to visit customers and flat out told them we had capabilities we do not. We're unable to keep on top of things in our well established niche with our oldest clients, yet we're bringing in new highmaintenance small accounts each week. I have 31 accounts now, soon to be 32 (a new one just got added to my plate) and upper management wants more more more.
For seven months now we've heard "things have to get worse before they get better." It's been 7 months. It's time we stop sittin' on our asses and start making it better already. That's not how we roll, apparently. Upper management doesn't seem to care because 1) they're greedy, 2) they're not having to deal with upset end users, and 3) they're off having what appears to be questionable rendezvous.
In any case, it's been making my life hell. So, I've made a tentative decision. I found a program that I think I want to enroll in. I'd be getting my MSN at Seattle U, and I'd also get my RN license at the same time. I'm not sure if you're aware, but RN's make good money, and if you've got a BSN or MSN you are qualified to do administrative work (supervise) and that makes REALLY good money, as far as not having a PhD is concerned. So, I have what appears to be 4 courses I need before I can apply. The good news is that enrollment isn't until next December, so I have time to make it happen. I've done the legwork, found the TCC courses that correspond to the pre-requisites at SU, and I've applied to TCC for the Spring quarter. If all goes as planned, I will be extremely poor, but I will have two of the pre-req's done by Spring Quarter. That leaves one summer class (if it's offered) or potentially a fall/winter combo. Either way, I will be qualified to enter the program regardless.
I think you should all keep your fingers crossed! Becoming a starving student once more is definitely looking prettier than the Tp alternative.
oh, and my mom is cancer free. Thanks to all for your kind thoughts!