It’s too soon to call it, but not too soon to start making plans: it looks as if my Huge Difficult Effort at work was not successful. My supervisor came back with a new plan for doing things that is LUDICROUSLY WORSE IN EVERY WAY, to the point of looking to me like if it’s not payback it’s dementia; and my boss’s boss doesn’t know enough about the job to see anything wrong with the plan, and told me with some light exasperation that I would need to talk to my supervisor if I didn’t like it; and I did talk to my supervisor in a sit-down meeting, and my supervisor said uh huh, uh huh, tough shit we’re doing it this way; and also my boss’s boss didn’t ask any of my affected colleagues if they agreed with me that the new plan was bullshit, she just made it into a my-word-vs-the-supervisor’s-word situation, which of course my supervisor won because she is the supervisor. The new plan has a significant negative impact on every workday for me and for several coworkers, with no benefit to anyone.
So I have learned once again (how many times will it take??) that going up against this supervisor leads only to regret, so I am considering my other options. It is stupid and terrible that she can take a job I love and singlehandedly, pointlessly ruin it; it is stupid and terrible that she would take a dedicated employee who loves her job and make her miserable for no good reason. But here we are. And I can’t work for a boss I don’t respect, a boss who makes stupid/mean decisions that are backed up by a boss’s boss who can’t tell that the decisions are stupid and mean. So again: here we are.
There is still slim hope. I have a few cards left to play, but they are only the last-ditch, gamble-everything-and-almost-certainly-lose kinds of cards. There is also one remaining staffing issue that may help, but it looks unlikely: theoretically I am getting a new supervisor—but the new supervisor will be part-time and will be completely under the jurisdiction of my current supervisor, so it sounds to me like it is an “all the work, none of the power” position. But maybe! Maybe they will be the one to slide in and defeat my current supervisor! Even though the last person who held that position was relentlessly bullied by my supervisor and then fired! I can still dream that this time it could be different! I can choose to hang in there awhile longer to see what happens if for no other reason than The Drama, while I consider my other options.
One more encouraging thought is that I can depart with a full report to my boss’s boss (and to the board of trustees, if I wish) of WHY I am leaving. In another job long ago, I went to my supervisor’s supervisors again and again about issues with my supervisor, and they kept trying to reassure me (“Don’t worry about her, you’re doing a good job, just ignore her!”), and they encouraged me to talk about it with my supervisor, and so on, so that they wouldn’t have to deal with it, and they did not want to hear me that my supervisor was BATSHIT. I eventually quit, leaving a letter explaining why, with copies to the supervisors and also to the owners. My replacement quit after several weeks, also mentioning the supervisor as the reason. The owners then hired a friend of theirs to fill that position, and after a week the friend went to them and said “This supervisor is BATSHIT. It is impossible to work with her and here’s why.” And the owners fired the supervisor. Too late for me, but satisfying to have been retroactively vindicated.
What I am looking for now is my next interesting job. At this point, I don’t expect advancement, or career, or whatever. I have had one entry-level job after another, and that doesn’t seem likely to change at this point. I expect low pay, no benefits—but in exchange I don’t want to encounter resistance (including “find your own replacement”) when I need days off, nor do I want to be pressured into taking on extra shifts, nor do I want to have to fight hard for my 15-minute break; and I need the job to be satisfying and interesting at least in its own way on its own level; and I’m not willing to add a long unpaid commute to my shifts. I especially like jobs where I get a behind-the-scenes / insider-information look at something, or where I can learn a skill I can use in my normal life. I have done:
• waitstaff / ice-cream
• doughnut shop
• receptionist
• nanny
• cleaning
• label factory
• college library
• different label factory
• bakery
• greenhouse
• infant daycare
• pharmacy technician
• in-home eldercare
• library page / assistant
Of the things I’ve done, I’d maybe be willing to do again: library; infant daycare; pharmacy if it wasn’t customer-facing (but the nearest hospital pharmacy is a 35-minute drive, which is too far).
I have a (very old) college degree in business management / human resources. This has helped me get jobs (“ooo, a college degree for this position that doesn’t require one!”), and has also prevented me from getting jobs (“overqualified”). I would be willing to acquire some additional education—but let’s be frank, it’s probably not a good investment at this point. I’m good at numbers, and writing. I can type, and I’m good-in-a-normal-way with computers but I would not say I am techy; the only way I can solve a tech issue is to turn it off and turn it back on again. I’m self-directed, and diligent, and careful, and I will persistently work to improve myself at the job. I hate the phone. I’m not good at anything confrontational. I am great at fixing problems if I know how to fix them—that is, if a customer has an insurance issue and I am a pharmacy technician, I will work at it persistently until it is solved or until I have reached the limits of my ability; I won’t shrug and say “I dunno, ma’am, you’ll have to call your insurance company.” I don’t have a projecting voice, and my voice shakes if I do any sort of public speaking. I have poor fine-motor skills. I can’t cut a straight line with scissors. I am very good at keeping track of things that need to be done, and when. I would almost rather die than do sales or fundraising, I find them so agonizing.
I am starting to encounter some age-related physical issues. Kneeling/crouching is a problem with my replacement knee. I have progressive eyeglasses and have trouble seeing things on the bottom shelf now that I can’t easily kneel. I get tired out more easily than I used to. My veins and I don’t want to be on my feet for eight hours. But one thing I appreciated about my library/paging job is that I did get some automatic physical activity: I typically got 5,000-7,000 steps during a 4-hour shift, not to mention all the going-down-to-one-knee-and-right-back-up-again I used to get before I had my knee replaced. THIGHS OF STEEL BABY. This seemed very advantageous for an otherwise indoorsy, sitting-in-a-chair-reading-or-at-a-computer person like me. I know Am@zon is supposed to be TERRIBLE to work for, but the idea of rushing around filling orders is VERY appealing at least on the face of it. The go! go! go! feeling of industry is one of the things I like about my current job. I find walking MUCH, MUCH easier than standing, or even sitting.
One possibility is doing infant care again. I might enjoy it, and I’d like to refamiliarize myself with babies before I and my friends start seeing grandbabies, and I think “mother of five” is a pretty good selling point—for the employer, and for parents considering the daycare for their infants. But I remember when I did it before, it could be frazzling and exhausting, and of course it depends on the boss: I quit that job in part because my boss’s boss said the babies couldn’t be crying. That’s like a good chunk of what babies DO, as anyone with baby-knowledge knows. And if you put one caregiver in charge of four babies / two caregivers in charge of eight babies, there’s going to be even more of it. Imagine telling a single parent of quadruplets that you are going to close the door and you don’t want to hear ANY CRYING FROM THOSE BABIES.
I could do eldercare again, but I would need to be paid much, much more. When I did it back in 2015, the agency I worked for charged clients $28/hour and paid me $10/hour. That was for changing adult diapers, helping adults to the toilet and wiping adult bottoms, giving adult showers, doing housework and cooking and shopping, handling medications, supporting client emotions/moods, getting yelled at by clients no longer in their right minds—and getting constantly nagged by my supervisor to take more shifts and to drive an unpaid hour round-trip for a two-hour shift. Newp.
Another possibility is going to another library. There is a library 10 minutes away that is advertising a similar job for $5/hour MORE than I get paid now. But they have a reputation for being unfriendly and unpleasant. Patrons often come to us even though the other library is their home library (we’re in a library group, so the library cards work at any of the libraries), saying we’re so much friendlier and more helpful. Maybe it’s not worth considering. Or MAYBE I COULD CHANGE HIM.
Another possibility is the post office. That’s one of the Richard Scarry Town jobs I haven’t yet done. And I’m curious about the inner workings. And I would love to feel less baffled by mailing options.
Another possibility is something medical—but again, the nearest hospital is 35 minutes away. That’s too much commute.
Another possibility is substitute teaching. Our district is so desperate, no teaching degree is required; there’s an online training course and a background-check, and you’re in. I suspect I would not be good at it (I don’t think I have natural crowd-control, and I think the children would sense fear; and also my voice does not Carry), but I also think it’s the kind of job where the only way to find out is to try it.
In some ways, my lack of career/advancement makes this process easier. I know of women my age who have advanced careers and are trying to change jobs, and their options are severely limited by their age and by the scarcity of the job-level they’re seeking. And there’s William, with his fresh computer science and linguistics degree—he doesn’t want to get a job at the post office sorting mail, he wants to Start His Career! But me, I have never had a job other than entry-level, so I have the freedom to choose among alllllllll the crummy options, purely on whim! Yay!
I would absolutely go to the other library that is close and pays more! It already sucks to be at your current job so even if the culture isn’t a great fit, YOU COULD CHANGE HIM. I read Ask a Manager a lot and I feel like people are so much happier at just the fact of being able to escape a bad supervisor. Ie… It might suck but it might not, whereas the current situation definitely does suck.
This! If it doesn’t work out, you can always quit and read this post again lol.
You didn’t ask, but I strongly think you should start a newsletter (not at Substack though) and monetize THIS writing.
Yup
Or potentially turn your many years of blog into your memoirs – I think you have some good takes that people (maybe parents, maybe fellow nervous peoples) might find useful. So many help books and memoirs are from super confident people that I can’t really take advice from as it’s so far from my personality.
Absolutely this. I feel like parenting has done a 180 in the last 20 years, and there are not many first-hand accounts of parenting that actually works!
Oh, and Swistle has so much wisdom around baby names, too! That could be its own book, even.
Seriously, you have such skill with writing, and I have been reading you for 15 years at least! I would subscribe to a substack, and I would love it if you would write your parenting memoirs. There just isn’t a lot out there for parents of kids between the ages of 7-12, and then the teen and college years!
Someone suggested postpartum doula, which I second, and I also think you’d be great striking out as a consultant. Parent coaching, helping with routines, listening to parents. My cousins MIL was a mom for years and she struck out as a life coach, helping women in their marriage and parenthood. She is very very conservative, but helpful, so I listen to her podcast and ignore that which does not apply to me. I would love to hear from a progressive mom who gets it!
So sorry to hear this – what a bummer to have a great job ruined by a bad boss!
I would also try the other library, esp since it pays more! If it works, you’re still in a job/environment you like, but with more pay! If it doesn’t work, all the other options are still there.
As a toddler mom, I would LOVE for you to be caring for my child! Does seem like a tough job, though. Post office could be interesting, but might be lots of standing? I think substitute teaching could actually be a solid option, especially maybe for high school, but will defer to people with more knowledge. Eldercare sounds like a no-go – I remember how impossible that job was for you.
Good luck!
Oh no! I think applying to other jobs is a good idea – at the very least, it’s good to know what other options you have – but I’m sorry you’re at this point.
I was about to suggest substitute teaching, but then I realized you already mentioned it! I subbed for about a year several years ago, then took a break, then took a long-term assignment that ended up lasting the whole school year. (You don’t have to take long-term assignments; it was great for me at the time but I probably wouldn’t do it now.) Now I’m returning to subbing again after several years away – and I mean I’m JUST NOW getting back into it, as in my first day is tomorrow.
The flexibility is great – most districts will let you take or leave assignments as you please, so you can pretty much create your own schedule. The flip side of that, of course, is that some days there won’t be any available jobs and you’ll just have to miss out on a day of work/pay whether you want to or not. Last time I subbed, though, I was usually able to work four or five days a week if I wanted to, and it seems like that’s the case this time around too: there were TEN available jobs for tomorrow when I checked, and several for later in the week/month. Some districts have more subs and/or fewer schools, so you might not get as much work depending on where you are, but you can work for more than one district if you want to. (And it’s not weird to do that. I’ll be working for two districts, and the HR person in one district was like, “Oh good, you probably won’t get enough work in our district alone so it’s good to have options.” I don’t know why I thought the district admin would be mad at me for working in multiple districts, but they’re fine with it.)
In terms of the work itself: I find that maybe one day out of ten is fairly challenging, but it’s mostly pretty easy. Usually the teacher will leave you a lesson plan, and they’ll choose activities that are easy to manage: worksheets, silent reading, watching a video, that sort of thing. The more you sub, the more you’ll get a sense of what grades/subjects you prefer, and you can plan accordingly. And if you find a class or school that you especially like, you can give your contact info to the teacher or receptionist, and tell them you’d love it if they requested you next time they need a sub. By the time I’d been subbing for a few months, most of my work was from requests, and my job got more enjoyable because I was mainly working in familiar schools/classrooms.
I could go on all day about this, but man this comment is getting long. Feel free to email me or shoot me a BlueSky DM if you want more of my thoughts on the topic, though!
(Okay, one more unrelated thing: have you looked into other types of libraries? I worked in a university library for a couple years, and I loved it. I’m also hoping to work in a law library at some point in the future, and I’m seriously considering going back to school to be a law librarian.)
Is office administration of interest to you? You could temp to begin with if you’re not sure / if you want to build up a bit of a resume in it before applying for jobs. Being able to type, organise, work in a team, work by yourself, are all important things for admin. (I have worked in admin for many years, and have recruited for admin positions too.)
There are a variety of positions, including supporting teams, supporting a manager, dealing a lot with customers, dealing only a little with customers, mostly dealing with customers via email / calling them at a time that suits you, dealing with some or no incoming phone calls, etc. If you were in an actual office you might have to talk to customers who came to the counter but might not have to answer the phone, or vice versa. E.g. the job I’m in at the moment, I rarely have to deal with customers on the phone, but I do have to talk to co-workers on Teams a lot.
“Admin” is different from “customer service” in that admin can vary in terms of how much you have to deal directly with external customers.
Fwiw you’d be a good personality type if I were hiring – calm, willing to adapt, not looking to use it as a springboard to move up within 3 months, not going to panic every time something small goes wrong. Happy to answer any questions if you’re interested.
I temped my way into a permanent job that later led to the job I have now that I adore.
You just wrote the long version of my short post and nailed it! So many “admin” roles as described above.
The other library sounds like a winner! I tend to be an overplanner, so I’d likely apply for the other library position and simultaneously start the substitute teacher application. I imagine that one would take time to process with the background checks.
I was thinking about another library job before you said it. It seems like if we remove the bad boss from the equation and keep everything else you like, that’s a win! One thing I was going to suggest was a school, but like in the office. I work at my kids’ high school and it is TERRIBLE pay BUT I have good vision and dental, which my husband does not have, and I am working toward a pension AND there is a LOT of insider information. Plus I am extremely over qualified, at least education wise, and people are always shocked and amazed at how good I am even though I am just normal levels of good. But the pay is so bad, I think they are used to less satisfactory employees. I feel just the same as you about choices – I have to be on the same schedule as my oldest, because he needs someone to be home with him all the time, so I would literally do any job at the school to be on the same schedule as him. All the jobs are crappy, the money is all terrible, the bar is low! Best of luck with your search, I wish yo
I was going to comment this same thing. And there may be admin jobs that are at your district’s office, too, rather than in a school. Support departments often get overlooked when people think about working for a school district. Our district’s main office has (for example) special education records clerks, accounts payable clerks, purchasing clerks, and department secretaries (which are all entry-level jobs). Joanne is right that the pay is not amazing. But the benefits are often good and the pay *increases* year over year are good. So if you can stick it out for a couple of years, the pay gets better. And depending on how big your district is, there could be a lot of room for movement between jobs if that’s something you wanted.
YES! My husband works in an elementary school and the pay is HORRIBLE but that means they KISS. HIS. FEET.
I’m with a lot of the commenters here, I see you working in an elementary school office OR I agree about being a postpartum doula. You know what new parents need, and you are so attuned to the emotions of new parents and what you needed and don’t need.
I think you’d be surprised by how helpful you would be!
Well, shit. I know you loved your job and it is bullshit that it is ruined for you. But maybe you COULD make great changes at the other library! Maybe you could make all the difference!
I do know someone who worked at the post office and enjoyed it – mind you, Canada Post is probably a lot different from the US one, working wise. I mean, how would I know, but I do know she enjoyed it.
Years ago a friend of mine took a job at a temp agency and one summer she coordinated an office move for an entire company. She LOVED it. It was all about the details, and making sure x person was at such and such space and coordinating the computer people to do the specific moves. It was a great use of her organizational skills and she found it very rewarding.
Good luck!
So frustrating that a bad boss can ruin a good thing! Good luck with the search- I find getting started is always the hardest part. Other ideas: childrens museum/indoor play place, college prep tutor/advisor, ultrasound tech, retail (tj maxx or a local boutique), park district (teach classes or coordinate), non profit (grants administrator or database), postpartum doula, infant sleep consultant, animal shelter, local newspaper, gym childcare.
“That’s one of the Richard Scarry Town jobs I haven’t yet done.” Thanks for the grin!
I agree with other commentors re: trying the other library. It couldn’t hurt and then you’d get to keep doing what you enjoy.
OR…what about an online order fulfillment job at Target or a grocery store? That would keep you moving, would be a “behind the scenes” kind of job, some social interaction, and you’re shopping with other people’s money! Win win! Maybe too much up and down though? I also agree that a museum job could be fun, some sort of support staff at a college/university, or office admin/support staff through a temp agency could be interesting. Good luck!
A lot of grocery stores have an in-house bakery of sorts and your past experience could be an asset.
What about some sort of college prep? You have experience with analyzing the college/university choices, doing applications, checking into funding sources. It wouldn’t be full time, but seasonal, I would think.
I’m a bit jealous that you’re in that “Richard Scarry Town Job” level. I think that’s where I would prefer to be, but I have had a 20+ year career in “Marketing” and at this point… I HATE Marketing. Nearly all aspects of it, except for the editorial aspects — and especially in the industry where I happened to land. But the way job-hunting seems to work these days, is by the algorithm. And the algorithm ONLY shows me, guess what? Marketing.
Anyway, I hope you go for that other library job. Even if it’s only temporary while you check it out, you said it’s a job you love, and that is a rare, rare gift.
Ugh. I’m sorry. I don’t have advice but you’ve had so many different jobs, you must have some hustle that will help you find a new one. I live in fear of AI putting me out of a job before I want to retire because it can do what I do (writing marketing materials) cheaper (worse, but cheaper and sometimes that’s all that matters).
I thought from the post title it might be about William, because I have unemployed 24 year olds on the brain, I guess.
Oh no! Your supervisor sounds like The Worst and I’m really disappointed in your boss’s boss for not digging into the reality of the situation more.
The job at the other library sounds like a really good option — you can change him!!! I wonder too if you have any local elementary schools that might need an administrative aid or a cafeteria / recess monitor or something. Although the latter might be awful, I feel like that’s as possible as it being fun.
I’m doing some subbing to boost our college savings account.
Pros – Honestly they expect VERY little of you and the adults are always SO HAPPY to see me. I like the actual bit of teaching I do, helping a kid figure out fractions feels good.
Cons – Can be boring and yes, I spent many, many minutes reminding people to sit down and stop talking. I’d say 1 out of 10 days are unpleasant.
Would you consider being a paraprofessional at a school? It’s a job that removes some of your objections to substitute teaching (like needing to crowd control) and would use your proven experience with children to good affect. There are also more specialized jobs outside the classroom like Nurse Paraprofessional, Office Paraprofessional, and Library Paraprofessional.
Being a paraprofessional might be a good fit. I have a friend that does that at an elementary school. She works half days in a second grade classroom and gets school holidays and summers off.
I was going to suggest something like this. Seems like a good fit.
Substitute teaching sounds like a bad fit, except MAYBE elementary. Infant childcare sounds good, but in my area all the childcare facilities are FACILITIES in the corporate sense and that seems like it would involve a lot of paperwork and rule following that would suck the fun out of cuddling babies. You know what you would be good at? Being a postpartum doula. This is essentially a temporary paid emotional support person/advice giver/light housekeeper for new parents. Your background as a former nanny, infant carer, parent, AND elder care worker would all play into this. And there would be babies!
I also thought about working with individuals who have intellectual disabilities when you mentioned elder care. My parents both worked in this field briefly, for my mom it was more of a group home setting which may be too similar to what you mentioned, but for my dad he worked with high functioning adults where he would simply take them out for day trips. H said it was really rewarding and quite fun to be going on field trips to museums, etc. and the clients always made him laugh. Good luck on your search!
Oooooh Swistle the substitute! There might also be the possibility of being an Instructional Assistant, which tends to be less Project Your Voice-ish (or of getting training/certification for something like speech therapy or similar, which are a huge “make a difference in the life of a child” things and if funding got cut somehow, you could still occasionally volunteer to make this happen for a kid who would not otherwise get to have it happen and who needs the help. One starfish back in the ocean!).
(have you talked with your peers re: the new “system”? I know some people are more… optimistic… about changes maybe helping instead of hurting even when those changes seem DEEPLY unlikely to do anything other than make things worse, but wondering if a wider petition base could help?)
I am not sure about the Grumpy Library. It might be soul-sucking to be at that one instead of the one you’ve been at, or it might actually be totally fine because your supervisor is not there and it’s just that there are some services that are not available, or some people really hate the architecture, or whatever thing is possible that some people don’t like but that you do not care about?
(but also POST OFFICE I know they’re having a rough time because of Things but even just the idea of POST OFFICE makes the Richard Scarry resident inside my head so happy…)
I’ve worked in three different bookstores (two Barnes and Nobles and one independent) and loved those jobs very much. I liked seeing the new books coming in, perusing the titles while I shelved books, and talking to customers about books. Perhaps it would be some of the things you like about working at the library, but without the pain points?
I was also going to suggest this! And you get things like author talks. Plus a lot of fun tchotchkes to sell, look at, fiddle with etc.
We have a lot of nature type places around — Audubon, Conservation Groups, wildlife refuges. Any of those around you? Are they hiring? They need membership coordinators and camp coordinators and program coordinators and ticket sales people…(which isn’t like sales, sales) and office support. And it’s nature! And good! And maybe you can drive the golf cart from one outbuilding to another or walk between them or whatever .
I’ve worked as a substitute paraprofessional at an elementary school and liked it. You definitely get some insight into the inner workings of a school. You usually work with one or two students so no crowd control.
I’m sorry your supervisor is ruining this job for you. Job hunting is frustrating. I’m job hunting at the moment after being at home with my kids for four years. Good luck and I hope you find something you like soon or one of your wild cards pans out.
If there is a temp agency near you, that might be an option–temping is a way to try out different jobs for a period of time, and you can take time off between assignments as needed. I’ve done that in the past as a fill-in when I was job-hunting, and have hired temps as well. From a hiring perspective I can say that if you can alphabetize things and can properly put file folder stickers onto file folders, you are ahead of about 80% of the pack.
I agree with those suggesting the other library. As you go through the interview process, you’ll get a better feel for the library. If you get hired, you can try one of your other options.
As far as substituting , if your school system uses an online website to fill sub positions, you could only choose to take the classroom aide/paraprofessional jobs. However, subbing tends to be a little chaotic and you will often go in thinking you were covering one classroom only to be told it is now another classroom.
How about some sort of nursery/gardening center? Would that be appealing at all?
My dream job for when all my babies are in school is: a print shop!
When I’ve stopped in to Staples Copy Center to get my Christmas letter printed the job looks so fun to me! All the machines whirring .. good clean fun!
I agree with trying the other library. Maybe they’re not great at customer service, but would still be fine as co-workers? And this gives the library you currently work at time without out you and maybe they’ll realize the error of their ways and you could go back if you wanted to?
The unpredictability of schedules and locations with subbing would give me anxiety. I don’t know how you managed it with elder care.
22 years in and I’ve only had a series of jobs, nothing I’d consider a career, and it’s always been admin for various industries. But for a few fun years I was a part-time driver for O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, delivering ordered parts to mechanic shops on demand, and then driving a route of ordered parts to various other stores. I just drove a little company Ford Ranger, and the pulling of parts and shelving freight seems very reminiscent to moving library books around. People were always happy to see you coming, which felt nice. And I didn’t have a LICK of car knowledge when I started, which was amusing but not a true hinderance. And I got to breathe fresh air!
Oh! I can tell you a bit about substitute teaching! I did it for a few years in two districts in the early 2010s
Pros: Lots of good gossip, Get to do something new and interesting every day (I went on field trips, listened to amazing concerts, did cool activities in the life skills classes, played kickball, watched science experiments, made cool art, etc), Kids are Hilarious/Adorable (they drew me pictures, told me funny stories, and were very sweet overall), You have a feeling of doing something useful and good, and if you don’t like a particular school/class you can just not take jobs there anymore. Also if you want a day off you just…don’t take a job that day. And if you make friends with sub-coordinators at certain schools they might put you on a list and call you first so you get the very best most fun jobs.
Cons: Hours can be long and unpredictable, Some teachers don’t leave good instructions, some kids are absolutely terrible (had a kid pee in a trashcan in class, another picked a giant scab and bled everywhere on purpose), sometimes you feel like you are in danger (had teen boys fighting in class before, shouting insults/threats), some situations are really tough/sad (special ed kids without resources), bureaucracy bureaucracy bureaucracy…
( I am in Texas where this is particularly infuriating and has kept me from even considering this job- my son with a very common male name and a very common male nickname was told by his 8th grade teachers at the start of school that they were legally not allowed to call him by his nickname unless his parent emailed the school councilor and gave explicit permission. My son was not fazed, but I was FURIOUS because I know exactly why they have that rule and I HATE HATE HATE it.)
Good luck! I look forward to hearing whatever you choose.
I teach high school and it seems to me that subbing at my school is mostly a BREEZE. Kids do the work or they don’t do the work, they mostly sit and chat and sometimes they will chat up the sub as well, especially if he/she is a familiar sub. If a job really sucks, it’s only for one day and then you can remember not to sub for that teacher again. I would NEVER sub in elementary school and I probably wouldn’t do middle school either (and I taught MS for 26 years). Give it a shot! You can alway turn down jobs if they don’t sound good.
My post-retirement plans are to work at Target (I know, it’s a bad place or whatever), but I have watched MANY a TikTok of the employees who fill the drive up orders or stock the shelves. That seems very satisfying to me. And people mostly leave you alone as far as I can tell.
Dammit, I’m sorry it’s (probably) come to this. I thought you were at a library now, but now I’m not sure. I do like the comment about trying the other library because if it’s going to suck you might as well get paid more. I’ve also only had jobs, never really ‘careers’ and for the most part I’m fine with that – I think my mental health is too uncertain for anything where an absence would be a big issue, not just for the organization but for other employees.
I love the idea of working at Amazon too – for like, three four-hour shifts a week lol. My feet and back are bad. I loved working bookstores, but by eight months in I was in pain all the time and could barely walk. I feel super lucky to be able to work the job I have now part-time, although people constantly assume that I want to be doing it more often, which makes me feel like I’m wrong to be satisfied. Capitalism – helluva drug.
I also love the idea of you walking away and tossing a grenade over your shoulder, but I wish things had gone better so it wouldn’t come to that.
Any chance you are located near a large-ish university? I was between jobs many years ago and signed up for the university’s temp service. They had lots of different placements popping up all the time but it seemed more structured than other temp agencies and much of the work was actually pretty interesting. It might be a good way to explore some new avenues (even library work!) without commitment.
Many excellent comments have already been left, so I will only add: as someone who’s worked with kids for a long while now and whose voice also does not carry, megaphones are not expensive, quite effective, and a type of object that tends to quiet kids down in a playful way (they love a good bit).
How about a bank? Hear me out – when I worked in a bank as I was going through grad school we got great rates on financial things (I only had a car to finance at that time), free security box, and I learned SO MUCH about different accounts and finance-type stuff.
In our bank, when you worked there for a period of time with no mistakes (I can’t remember the length of time-two months?) you could qualify for Senior Teller with a $500 bonus and higher pay. There was a lady that worked with us PT that was “older” and it seemed like such a good fit.
You would be required to stand for busy periods but at our bank we actually received (a small amount, but still) of stock at the end of the year. Oh how I wish I had kept that stock when they merged with Big Bank….
Swistle! I want to hire you for a position in my company! Reception/Office Services.
You may find a niche (among many other things) in an office manager type role. You have enough tech skills to help submit work request, help pay invoices, etc. And then the do-er parts – checking that supplies are filled, kitchen picked up, deliveries accepted, etc. And some roles are part time vs full time (our current person is 8-2 Mon-Thur).
Just a thought!
My aunt retired from nursing and then did part time work catering/hostessing at a funeral home and she really liked it. People are usually on their best behaviour at a funeral. The pace is never rushed. She has a great calm and friendly but not pushy presence and she is well-versed in old-fashioned manners. Perfect fit.
I am sorry about Harper. Job was. What a frustrating situation, and it seems like such a shame that they are risking losing a good employee over this. You are such a good writer. This is from left field, but I can see you being excellent in a higher level admin tyoe role. My husband is an attorney and I think you might make an excellent legal secretary—drafting letters, keeping track of schedules, etc. It may involve some talking on the phone but would probably be nicu more about being detail oroteintef and a good writer.
Eek auto correct. The first sentence was supposed ti read that I’m sorry for your job woes.
Good luck!! You will definitely be an asset wherever you land.
if you are in MN, and you want to connect w me, I wonder if any of the jobs at Memorial Blood Center might be a good fit. I work here and it is great. I could see you being a fantastic donor site rep, greeting and coordinating our outer metro centers. happy to talk more about it with you if you’d like.
The postpartum doula suggestion above made me think to suggest becoming a night nanny, if you’re the kind of person who can work nighttime hours. In our area, night nannies charge $45-50 per hour. They tend to work 10pm-6am, during which time they care for babies while the new mom sleeps.
Given your experience in infant care, elder care, and as a mom of five, you could be a great fit. You also bring unique skills to the role given your experience working at libraries (new parents always want book recommendations) and writing the best baby naming blog (new parents love talking about their kids’ names!). It’s not terribly physically demanding since you’re caring for a newborn and largely sitting down.
That said, this may not be right for you since you might prefer to sleep overnight, there isn’t as much insider info or connection with coworkers, and you have to be entrepreneurial in building your business, but the pay is excellent and it has several elements you might like.
My large-ish regional grocery chain has their own grocery pick up and delivery service. So they hire people to pull groceries and sundries to fill the online orders. Once the order is “shopped”, it either gets taken out to a car for pick up. Or it gets sent out for delivery. I don’t know if a grocery store near you offers the same services.
I hope you get some good ideas. I also think it would be worth it to apply to the other library and see what happens.
Several people have mentioned other library jobs, but I am seconding a school library. My aunt used to work for the public library in a role that sounds similar to yours, and then around the time I was in high school, she switched over to the school library in my high school and I used to love seeing her there! She was at the high school until her retirement and, as I understand it, got a lot of scoop about school related dramas. And made great friends, too! 😄 she loved her job!
Is your town/city/county (whatever) hiring? I got a “not related to my degree” maternity leave cover job at my local county office, that led to another and another, and then they hired me. Different admin jobs, some reception, filing, form collection, data entry. I worked there 16 years in all, in different departments. It was not part time, but it was also unionized, mostly seated and not difficult, even with my social anxiety.
School lunch lady. My mom did it for several years when I was in high school and loved it – she said the job was very low stress and the hours were great. It also had decent benefits (for the area). Unfortunately, the pay was basically minimum with no advancement. Her current job is cashier in a small specialty foods store (think organic hippie stuff) and she also enjoys that. The busy periods are fairly predictable (lunch, right after work) and outside of those, she tidies shelves and chats with coworkers.
If you are near a university, see what staff jobs are available. You might be able to get an entry level job doing admin work, and in some departments, they ask you to assist with events, and set up, greet, etc.
I don’t know if this is a helpful thought as I very much have a Career so haven’t looked for entry-level work in a very long time, but I have thought that if I wanted to pick up something for extra cash after I retire I’d look at places I want an employee discount. I taught at a gym for years and the biggest perk was the free membership, and they have reception staff. My stepmother was considering applying at a bookstore almost solely for the employee discount. In addition to the gym, I might consider a camera store, a grocery store (I already help lost looking people find stuff at my regular store), or an outdoorsy store myself.
Oh no, having to leave a job that you love is infuriating! You have probably already thought of this, but I would definitely go lurk at the other library. If other patrons mention that it’s less friendly, then surely there must be some clues as to why that you might discover just by browsing the shelves there on a couple afternoons. Maybe it’s just that one unsmiling front-desk worker that gives an unfriendly vibe, or maybe the whole place is dysfunctional from the top down… This is the moment to sleuth it out!
After leaving a job I loved at the library, I got a job I loved even more at the local independent bookstore. Half of the time I was on my own: stocking books, organizing shelves of cute things I didn’t need in my house, writing little book reviews on bright index cards and taping them around, even dusting. The other half of the time I was interacting with almost-without-exception very friendly customers: trying to think of which book had a dog on the front, suggesting a similar book to the one they just finished, listening to a very long story about someone’s grandchildren. The holiday season was my very favorite: efficiently and busily ringing up heaps of books for people who were excited to give them to other people. The best! Well, at least for me. Eventually I had to leave in search of a job that gave me health insurance, but that bookstore sure gave me a lot of joy.
Good luck finding the next best thing!
Lots and lots of great suggestions in the comments!! My thinking is to head straight to the other library and get a job right now so you can quit the other, maybe even flounce outta there (LOVE a good flounce). I would do it purely for spite (which strengthens me) and to take that Good Person Energy to a place that really needs it. Would you effect change there? Who knows. But you’d effect change in your own life right now, and it sounds like that’d be pretty great.
I feel so bad for you. I have had terrible bosses and have left those positions pretty much after 5 or so years.(some were due to lousy commutes). I have been at the same place now for 17 years and my boss has been awesome! I lucked out. I’m only leaving because I am retiring, but because I like this boss so much I have agreed to work part-time for a while.
As far as possibilities go, have you considered being an aide at a school working in a library or cafeteria. Granted it doesn’t pay a lot, but my husband did it and loved it. Also I agree with trying the other library as well, since that was something you loved. My niece worked for Amazon in the package distribution center and loved it, and now she works for one of those Amazon store fronts and loves that as well. They are very flexible with her schedule.
Good luck!
Honestly I recommend starting a substack and making it paid. People WOULD pay for your writing and it’s super flexible. You can always try it as a side hustle and see how it goes. I think you’ll be surprised at how many paid subscribers you would get.
I know I’m late to the party, but I wanted to chime in! I just started subbing this year – and actually one of my favorite assignments has been as a paraprofessional and not a classroom teacher. A lot of the jobs have been with special education, but there are also loads that aren’t! Monitoring recess, lunch, the library, making copies, putting papers in folders – and every day is different! I’ve never had to be the Adultiest Adult in the room, and I mostly just wander around and lend a hand where it’s needed.
Just a thought!
I might be tempted to do an undercover field visit to the nearby library and see how it is as a potential patron, treat it like a secret shopper situation.
At the very least you’ll have a better idea about what people are complaining about, at the most if it’s just that there are a lot of patrons then it mightbe the law of averages that there are always some whingers (people who prefer your current library) ;)
This is a great idea — patrons have so many different reasons for liking/not liking libraries. We’ve had people go elsewhere from my library, saying ours is too noisy or busy, and then people tell us all the time that they ONLY like our library because others feel lifeless. “Unfriendly” to one person might be “refreshingly professional” or “respectful of patron privacy” to another. And I have no doubt you could change him!! Ha.
Also I am so sorry there are so many bad managers in this field. Management gets tacked onto existing jobs for most of us; we have zero training on it in library school; no one ever has time or money for professional development; we have the classic nonprofit syndrome of rising to the level of your own incompetence. Not that I’m making excuses, but yeah, I have encountered a lot of terrible managers too and am trying very hard not to be one myself. Our field needs awesome people like you and I hope you give another branch a chance!
I know I’m two weeks late to this post, but have you looked at state level admin jobs? You seem like you’d be brilliant at admin and/or project management. My sister works for her state dept of transportation (not at all where she thought she’d end up) but it’s a reasonable salary, PENSIONED, and she has the option of working remote 3 days a week. It’s a lot of fiddly details (so and so needs to email such and such to the Boss on Tuesday, so that Boss can make doohicky for meeting on Wednesday) but that seems like the kind of thing you’d be good at.
All state government jobs pages are challenging to navigate, but it’s worth an hour or two of your time.
Also late to see this post, but if you were anywhere near me (which from reading for years I know you are not) I would hire you tomorrow to work at our law firm. We cannot find good part time receptionists. People seem to have no attention to detail and don’t care if they’re doing a good job. That said, whenever we get a GREAT one, we pretty much always promote them, so I guess it’s a bit of a problem of our own making! Anyway, receptionist or office manager seems like a good fit for someone with your verbal/writing/organizational skills.
Late to the post, but have you ever considered working at the county court house?