by Lisa Shaver

Created on: August 15, 2010   Last Updated: August 17, 2010

The reality of the world is that to live you need to work. Unless you are doing something you are totally passionate about then chances are you are not thrilled with your job.

Currently I work at a gas station in town and to say I hate it is a tad bit strong but, it's not what I want my life to be about. I don't want to wake up fifty years from now and discover that the only thing I did was be a gas station clerk. It's not my passion. I do this job and I do it well, but I do it because I have four children who depend on me for their survival, not because it's what I want to be doing.

In a given day I deal with a myriad of people ranging from sweet and quirky to downright unbearable. For each of us, unbearable can mean different things. For me it's those customers who come in smelling of pot or alcohol and hit on you. I have been called a snob and I will proudly wear that title when it comes to the type of people I can tolerate. People are fascinating to me, but certain individuals disgust me. The lowlife individuals who have wasted away their lives on drugs and alcohol baffle me and when they come into the store and then proceed to hit on me makes me want to vomit. Like I would actually give them the time of day. Now I know that circumstances in ones life lead them to where they are today and my current situation itself is not great, but I do not turn to alcohol or drugs to get by. So dealing with these people definitely makes me wish I had a different job.

Then there is the pay and the hours, these two together make me not like my job. Not enough hours equals not enough pay, especially on minimum wage and with four children. Now I knew when I took the job that I would be part-time and minimum wage, however, when you get passed up for full time by the new girl resentment can set in and you question why you put yourself through the crap you have to deal with. This is not say that the new girl is bad at her job or doesn't deserve the extra hours, but what about seniority? What incentive is there to do your job well when you don't get to move up the small ladder? None.

One of the reasons I was eager to leave Canada and move back to Sunny California was the cold. Now what does this have to do with my fabulous job? Well we have a walk in cooler where we keep the sodas, milk and beer. Guess who stocks this? We cashiers of course. So we have to freeze our butts off so that these wonderful customers of ours (and some of them are truly wonderful) can have their drinks and booze.

I hate to get dirty. Its another aspect of who I am that I do not apologize for. I am no Paris Hilton, but getting dirty is not high on my list of things I want to do. Taking out the garbage (and can I just say ewww), and the smell associated with doing so, make me sick. I do this task because it's part of my job but it is one aspect of my job I can absolutely say I hate.

So now that you know I don't overly love my job, let me say I am doing something to change it. I am planning on going back to school to finish my degree and I am looking for better jobs to get by on. Writing is one of the things in life I am passionate about and one of the areas I am looking into for a career. Everyone needs to know who they are and what they enjoy doing before they can find out what type of job they will enjoy doing. Once this is established only you can stand in your own way in achieving your dream job. Others can be pushed out of the way, although gently is suggested unless you want to incur a lawsuit on your journey to loving your job.

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