Today is an Anniversary · 10:10am Mar 22nd, 2018
A year ago, I quit my last job. My last job ever.
I left the corporate world, exited the workforce. Partly on my own terms, partly having been forced to the edge by my failing health and a boss that forgot how to be a decent human being for a while. It was a clean break though. It was something my wife and I knew was coming and had discussed. We didn't have a plan in place at the time because the time table of events wasn't under our control.
Since then, my health has improved. I'm still dying in fast motion, but now I am not killing myself and poisoning myself just to try and keep up. I've gotten a lot of writing done. Drawing too. I've actually managed to tackle big chores around the house, even if it leaves me limping and bedridden afterwards. It has been a net positive from my perspective, but only because I have found a new way to define myself as a person. Doing that was incredibly fucking hard. It hurt. It took months and there were times when I felt subhuman, but I climbed out of that.
And now, a year later, my wife is about to start that same journey. Her job is killing her. It is ruining her health. She has been instrumental in shaping the marketing of the company she works for for the last decade. Yesterday, she was insulted by the CEO in front of other co-workers as they were reviewing the new brochure she's been working on. Bubble Boom has a degree in technical writing. She has a decade of experience under her belt in crafting content, both images and writing for these people. She was told that the way she'd put the pages for the brochure together, the words she used, the arrangement of those words on the page, were wrong and all her experience and schooling was merely an 'opinion.' That her 'perspective' on the project was unimportant, if the CEO thought as much.
We aren't taking that any more.
So here, a year down the road, my wife Bubble is going to be awesome and tell them where they can stick their opinions and good luck on getting the right marketing to the right audience. She's not going to let them coast on her ability and treat her like an intern. No one is going to be her boss ever again.
Bubble Boom is Awesome and she is going to be her own boss forever more.
I.... had no idea you were that bad... Can you share what's happening?
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Bubble's situation is painful, frankly. Her emotional and mental health have been pushed beyond the breaking point. She had to spend a few weeks in therapy due to the stress this job was putting on her. Her physical health isn't the best either, there are chronic pain issues at play, and just the effort of pretending to be a normal functional human has been too much for her.
Originally, for most of the years she's been in this position, the job was a good one. It payed well enough - even though it was way below the industry average - and had side benefits that were convenient, as well as a boss that was understanding when it came to health difficulties. It is no longer convenient. The side benefits have become anchors, and the boss has become less and less understanding in erratic and unbalanced ways. Sometimes the boss was cool with Bubble taking time to deal with stuff, then would later forget that there was an issue and what they had done previously.
It's complicated and goes back a long time, so I'm sorry if this sounds vague. Additionally, I don't really want to demonize the company or Bubble's bosses, as they HAVE been helpful and even wonderful people in the past. But now we have reached a point of critical mass and it's well past time to pull out.
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i understand. And what about you? Are you really dying that fast?
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Whatever you and your partner decide; I wish you both the best. Keep going strong.
I for one am glad that she is doing that. I don’t have it anywhere that bad at my job but at times it feels like it to me.
I’m glad that both you and your wife got out of those situations. The amount of stress from a place like that can put just as much stress on an relationship and nobody wants that in their relationship.
I wish you both a happy life.
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I have a condition called psoriatic arthritis. Long story short it causes constant pain and fatigue as well as warps the bones so that it's entirely possible in 5 years or less I could be in a wheelchair and unable to type. I was taking a medicine 2 attempt to put the condition into remission because there is no cure, but that medication also weakened my immune system. Couple that with some sleeping disorders and a life lived pretty hard and it adds up to a likely early grave for me.
I am no longer on that medication so my immune system has recovered somewhat. I need to see a a whole host of doctors in order to progress any sort of other treatment.
There are days where I cannot stand under my own power, or walk more than a couple of yards on completely flat ground, or do the simplest of day-to-day tasks like dressing myself or cleaning myself. I am not even 40 years old but my body acts like it is twice that age. Psoriatic arthritis has an incredibly high percentage chance of being crippling and is one of those conditions like cancer or Aids that can be contributing to lesser complications to bring about an end to my life.
But I try to ignore that! I am trying to live as well as I can while I can.
I hope the best with all of this, and that everything goes according to keikaku.
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well... I ain't no praying man. I'm Atheist actually, however... even I know you need God, if not A God to watch over you somewhere... Best of wishes to you good buddy. See you in the (after)life and beyond.
My sympathies. My wife went through a similar issue with her old work about 4 years ago. After about a year later, she found a new job in a new place where people really appreciate her. Sometimes, it's what you have to do to survive, because the old workplace is toxic. I understood and supported her in her decision, and I'm glad you're supporting your wife. Best of luck to both of you.
I had a fun little sarcastic reply all typed out making fun of said CEO... but I was re-reading the post and it hit me. CEO.
Bubble was an important enough asset of the marketing team to be making the presentation to the CEO, and it sounds like this wasn't too far out of the ordinary, and she was STILL treated like that?
Jesus tapdancing pony Christ, what the hell?
Dunno how the place ever became big enough to warrant a CEO with that kind of leadership.
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He family'ed into it. His dad is the founder, and the CEO is himself a former programmer. Sadly, he knows nothing about making marketing materials or how to write at a professional level for what they do. He knows code, and despite being a generally personable guy, thinks that anyone 'can make art/write.' It's annoying. In the years she worked there, rising to be the head of their marketing department, we had to go through a whole series of steps to prep stuff for him to review (I used to work there too as their animations and voice-over guy), because we knew and Bubble's direct boss, head of Sales, knew he was clueless.
All those steps were followed here and he cut into it anyway. I wasn't there so I can't give you a blow-by-blow, but it boils down to him not understanding why the marketing writing aimed at customers who know less than nothing about how software works wasn't written like the technical essays he reads. As well as dismissing Bubble as just an 'artist' and that her learned perspective was just an 'opinion' mixed with him seeming to refuse to talk to her directly, addressing other people instead.
To say the guy is more than a little sexist would be an understatement. It's shit like this that has lead us here. This is just the most recent example.
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Sounds like he's not the "ruthless god awful" CEO of popular culture, just a normal flawed person (whoda thought?) who happens to be an asshole.
Sorry y'all had such a horrible experience.
Best of luck to yourself and the wifey in this new step in your lives!
Based on this blog you guys should totally call this your Awesomeversary!
Geez. Good thoughts.
Worth celebrating the anniversary, at least! And regardless of what's ahead, it will reduce stress levels considerably, and that's worth a lot.