The worst job to ever have

Ever since I was 15, it has been expected that I work no matter what or where it is. I have had the opportunity to do a wide variety of things, from preparing food and drink, working in a sports retail store, selling programs, to inputting data into a computer. While they all had their flaws, I believe my worst job was one I just recently quit as a barista in a big-name superstore.

I won’t give away the name of said company for confidentiality reasons. However, it is not a company that gives off any signals about mistreating their workers. I was ecstatic when I got hired for the exact position I wanted at a great hourly rate. I wasn’t prepared for what was about to ensue.

As a barista, the training is extensive because one needs to learn how to work all the machines, memorize the entirety of the menu, and learn how to clean and date everything correctly. All of this also has to be done in a timely manner as well. Naturally, I tend to pick things up quickly, yet it still took me almost two months to master everything. Simultaneously, as a new hire, I was expected to do it all by myself after being “trained” for a few shifts AND I was also expected to start training other new people. On top of that, add in a line out the door and customers expecting their coffee drinks to be ready and perfect in two minutes.

To my younger self, this was infuriating to the point of quitting, but I really needed this job. If I called the leaders to ask for help—which is what we were taught to do—they would ignore the calls or ‘forget’ to send help. The coffee portion of this massive store was the most profitable, yet we were always the absolute last priority.

Besides all of that, the management at the store was horrendous. There was a human resource representative let go due to an inappropriate relationship, team members were fired for sexual harassment and more. The management was practically a clique of friends who ran the store, and if you weren’t in with them, they’d make your life hell.

These are all reasons why I decided to leave after a year and a half of the nonsense. The job itself was not terrible, but the bosses and the atmosphere made it a place I dreaded going to. I am much happier knowing I’ll never have to go back.