Time to get out of clerical field once and for all? Really?
Asked by CRAZYFROMLA
My background is in Administrative & Accounting support so I am used to most everything being in order and working independently with as little interruption as possible. The majority of my work history is in the private sector where there is little time for slacking off outside of company get-togethers. Ok, in the past few years I have worked for the public school system. The first time around I was promoted often and even when I resigned for the first time, came back in a position that paid more than ever. Lackadaisical (sp?) co-workers were part of the reason I finally left. When I went to another division of public school (almost immediately), I was happiest on my first few assignments as I worked independently with little drama. W/this promotion, people have tend to have way out or speculative conversations that do not tell me everything I need to know. Worse even, changes are never made in writing and coming in early, I have been bombarded w/issues I had zero control over:( @Ms. I'm sorry 4 being so winded but I guess that's where my head is for the moment. Basically, I'm wondering if I need a career change (as opposed to say, a software certification that may bring in a couple more $) because I feel like telling these folks,"Shut up" or "Tell me what it is I need to know - today (as opposed to a week later)" . I say this because I've been down this road before and with age and experience, I got smarter, made more $ because I had real skills and could quietly handle BS. Now, I don't want to leave the organization,especially in this recession but I won't be able to hang with this in '09. @HappyB-day What you say makes some sense but there are a certain kind of folk you cannot relay how you may want things done. Yesterday, I was given a series of lectures about mass mailings - after it was discovered that it would be too time consuming and no, this was not asked of me in my interview. The way I had to wind it down was, "Ok, sounds good" and walked off - quickly. Oh yeah, you could tell this person was offended and this morning, they interrupted my work to let me know that there is a new mail bin. Duh! @tomale- I loved working for agencies but after a while they became too shady as far as their clients they take on, notification of assignment end, etc. And these were some of the larger names, not someone with an office the size of a closet.

Best Answer:
You seemed to had been happier in the private sector, why are you not thinking of going back to it instead of totally leaving the field of administration/accounting? With what you say about how you felt in the private sector that would seem to be the ideal work situation for you. Of course changing jobs and thus loosing seniority is always risky but I think it is worth your while to get some peace of mind and be happier at your job. I would try getting a position with a solid private company. When you are researching possible companies you can go to : www.volt.com Here you can just browse by industry, location, etc... or directly by name of company. You can also sign for a free account that gives you the basic info on nearly every company. Not only how the company presents itself, but they also have employees' surveys on interviews, salaries, and most important work environment and the future business outlook for that particular company. Hope this helps you make a good decision. EDIT: Yes I understand what you say about staffing agencies, and have to agree with you. BUT have you tried applying directly with a company and NOT with the agencies that contract with them?

maybe i'm having a 'duh day' but i'm not quite sure what your question is. if you could dummy it down for me i'll try to help. sorry to be so addlepated. maybe you need a vacation? sometimes when i take a vacation (even if i spend it at home) i get rejuvinated and can return to the job with a new attitude. can you sit down with these people and tell them your concerns and suggest that as a team can we work together to resolve these issues? others may be having the same frustrations that you are having. lay out the expectations very clearly for everyone and let everyone contribute to the problem solving. if you really want a change, get the training first and then move careers. in this market it's difficult to break into a new market. after 25 years of working in early education i retired and am trying to get a job as a receptionist. i'm having no luck in it. working with women can be so hard. as a gender we are difficult to work with. we snipe, backstab and condescend........mostly to other women. sucks to be us. good luck hon.
Answered by msdnmo

I'm in exactly the same boat. What I'm doing is teaching myself a skill when I get off work. I'm too tired of dealing with scatterbrains and want to do something where I create a product. I'd recommend getting out of that field. You'll make more money and be happier doing a specific skill. Take classes or be self taught.
Answered by yayaya

Lack of communication is present just about anywhere you go. Just make it known to them, "If I had all of this info to begin with, I could have handled this better." That takes accountability away from you and puts it back where it belongs. Cover your a$$. Let people know, going forward, this is what you need to do if you have changes.... If you don't communicate to them what they're doing wrong, how are they to know? Don't just complain about it and don't expect them to have common sense to do it the way it's supposed to be done. Sometimes you just have to train people to learn to work with you. Everyone has a different style of working.
Answered by happybirthday