Dear Flove:

You wrote: “People tell me, there are hurtful and s**& situations in every job”- I agree that most businesses/ work places are dysfunctional, some more than others: management is dysfunctional and personnel relationships are dysfunctional.

If for you to feel comfortable and confident (“I want a job where I feel comfy and confident”), you need to work for a business that is functional, both management and personnel, then you .. may never find such a business.

Maybe a different job will suit you better. Maybe studying further will lead you to a better job, I don’t know. But part of every job, as I see it, is to figure out how you can do a good job, be ethical, and how to  operate comfortably enough in the context of the specific dysfunctions of this or that workplace.

anita

Hi Flove,

I’m so sorry to hear that you have such a negative experience at work! It’s awful when employees feel that their workplace brings a ton of negative emotions to their lives. I work in HR, so would suggest speaking privately with the HR Department in your current company to address some of those issues.

On the topic of going back to school. Getting further education is always a tempting solution, but there are no guarantees that it will resolve the problems you are experiencing. Also, further education comes with its own risks and associated costs. Business and management degrees always attract a lot of interest, however, what to do with them after we graduate is the bigger question. I don’t know where you are from, but for example, here in the UK, around 120,000 people graduate with business and management degrees each year. It’s a very competitive field and also, many of the jobs are in big corporations where navigating the political landscape, dealing with gossiping and working long hours (sometimes on boring and administrative tasks) are all quite common. Also, please keep in mind that some employees might perceive you as overqualified for some jobs after having multiple degrees. The ideal balance is to hire someone who has a really strong potential for the job but still has some space for development. This means they would find the job optimally challenging, rather than boring, and will get valuable skills and knowledge from it.

I would suggest trying to find another job in a company, where the culture is your main objective. At the end of the day, offering fair pay, being supportive, providing development opportunities (like further education), and a good work-life balance all come from the right culture. Even if you have to do a sideways move, consider looking for companies that take really good care of their employees.

Please take all of the advice you receive with a grain of salt. We don’t have full details of your circumstances and would never be able to make the decision for you. Still, it’s great that you are open to hearing advice and ideas from others, hope we have helped a little!

Wishing you luck,

Carrie