How to know when to walk away from your job: pros and cons

October 23, 2019

I have never had a job that I did not love. I could say that it is because of my positive outlook or something else inspirational but to be honest, I think I just got incredibly lucky.
In addition to attending college full time, I work three jobs.
For the past five years I have worked at a campground and it has taught me some of the most important life lessons. It also has given me friends that I will cherish forever.
I have also been fortunate enough to write for the Erie Times-News and to intern at the Erie Reader.
At least once a week I am reminded of how much I enjoy my internship.
Whether I am enjoying the evening at an award banquet or buckling down and writing an article, it reminds me how grateful I am to be surrounded with support on my journey to become a journalist.
However, I also know that there are people who are not as fortunate as me.
A friend of mine recently was forced to work a 13.5- hour shift after nobody else would come in to close the restaurant, and they were so busy that she did not get a single break. This is not the first time she has encountered this type of situation either.
Speaking with other students, it has become obvious to me that a lot of people are taken advantage of and do not even realize it.
Sure, there are parts of every job that will never be enjoyable, but beyond that there are some red flags you should look for.
Interns are not meant for constant coffee runs and doing the dirty jobs no one else is willing to do.
While setting up for an event a few weeks ago, a worker at the venue we were at instructed me to pick up each individual leaf, by hand, out of the courtyard because it looked messy.
As soon as my boss found out, she was enraged and made sure to tell them they were out of line asking me to do that kind of job.
No matter what your job is, you should respect and feel respected by your superiors.
Without that, it is very easy to be mistreated and lose sight of your purpose.
That leads me to my next point that whatever job you are doing, you should always be learning something.
That might be practicing a skill set for your future career, learning how to collaborate within a professional work environment or simply learning patience in the face of adversity (or an angry customer).
All the hard work you put into your job should pay off.
Even if it is not for actual pay, you should always walk away with a great deal of experience and new knowledge.
At the end of the day, you should not be so miserable that it makes you hate what you do.
You should not be a slave to your job: you should not spend every waking hour working until you make yourself sick, you should not be treated like your best is still not enough and most of all, if any of these things apply to you, you should not be at that job.