Story Time With Ali! Vol. 2

Hello and welcome to Story Time With Ali, where I tell true stories about random and sometimes strange things that I have done or that have happened in my life.

Today is the story of the time I quit my job because I was sick.

Back in 2012, I had this job working as a cashier/receptionist at a motorcycle shop. The job was alright. I honestly didn’t care for it too much. Working the computer register was weird and I wasn’t used to it at all. My job consisted of working the computerized register and ringing up customers, greeting and assisting customers, and answering a multi line telephone and directing the line where they needed to go. It was a simple job, but the system this place had made it awkward and harder than it needed to be.

The hours were the worst. It was 9-7 with a freaking 2 HOUR LUNCH BREAK. Which was paid for thank goodness. But the hours as a whole were just stupid. My whole day from morning to night was gone. I had to open, and during my two hour lunch break I would just go home and take a nap because I only lived about 7 minutes away. I would take a nap, then go back to work after my break was up, and resume working till I close. It was a ridiculous system honestly.

My coworkers were all decent for the most part. Some were just strange and really awkward, some were cool, and some were douche bag guys; but it was a motorcycle shop, so what can I say really. My managers on the other hand were terrible and not nice or helpful at all and basically put me down every time I did something wrong or didn’t know how to do something, even though no one taught me how to do them in the first place. Even the other workers there told each other how much they disliked our managers, but they’re our managers so we just have to deal with it even though no one there liked them.

So it already wasn’t a good or ideal environment to work in.

Within my 6 months of working there, I experienced certain things that made me rethink some aspects of life and how people think and work. I sat there depressed at work because I thought about what this all really was and what these people were doing and how I was becoming one of them. Sure, I had a full time job at the young age of 18 and was making good money, but I wasn’t happy. It sucked, the job sucked, these people sucked and I just wasn’t happy at all. I had no time for myself, let alone friends or family. And I thought to myself, ‘Is this how life is?’ You wake up, go to a job you don’t even like or enjoy, just to make money and afford things. You just work miserably for someone else your entire life? You become a pet to your employer and are trained to do exactly as you are told. You’re a slave. And you’re talked down to and bossed around.

I realized all that after awhile. And that’s not what I wanted. That’s not how I wanted to spend my time. My precious time in exchange for money. Doing a job I absolutely hated. No thanks.

I always had a more unconventional way of doing things, especially when it comes to making money. I didn’t NEED this job anyway. Especially not a full time one. It was just something for me to do and not be bored at home. But going from barely turning 18 and getting a full time job three days later without having any job or experience before, was a little much. And it’s not what I wanted, so I planned to quit my job. I was going to give my 2 weeks notice at the end of December so they could find my replacement. But before I could do that, I had gotten sick and had one of the worst sore throats I’ve ever had. My throat was scratchy and inflamed, I had swollen lymph nodes, a really bad wet cough and mucus all over my throat making it very difficult to talk. And when I tried I just sounded like some swamp monster with a disease.

I told my manager that I was really sick and would need to have a few days off to get better because I didn’t feel good coming to work like that. And also because part of my job is answering the phone and I can’t be on that phone all day if I can’t talk. I just sounded like I was dying. Well, she told me that she didn’t believe me, even though I was standing in front of her looking like complete and utter shit, all pale with my monster voice. She told me that I needed to go to a doctor and have his ‘approval’ to give me a few days off of work. And I looked at her like WTF are you joking?

I told her I had no intention of going to the doctor. I don’t run to the doctor for every problem that I have, especially when this is something I get all the time. That would be wasting my time and money going to a doctor and paying him $50 to just repeat back to me what I already know. And that’s when she said if I didn’t bring in a doctor’s note to prove to her that I am sick, then she’s going to fire me. And honestly, I was pissed. A part of me wanted to smack those tiny glasses off her face. And after I thought about it for two seconds, I just told her that if this is that big of a problem to her, then she doesn’t have to worry about it, cause I quit. I told her she could mail me my last check and W2, then I just took my stuff, walked out, and that was that.

Looking back, I’m glad I left that place. It was bad and I hated it there. I didn’t care about all the money I was making or that it was full time. I wasn’t happy. And above all, that’s all I really need in life; to be happy.

And that’s the story of the time I quit my job because I was sick.

Hope you enjoyed this Story Time With Ali!

Have a great day everyone!(: