Whiny rant

[Nickster]

Why in the heck can't I cope in a corporate world?! How do people grow up being able to deal with office politics and I seem to lack that ability? I think I'm generally a good guy and a straight shooter as the Decider would say, but I ALWAYS fricking say something or do something that friggin kills any chances I have of moving up in the corporate world. Maybe I was meant to be a soybean farmer somewhere far away from people. ACK!

I can't really go into descriptions, but yesterday I stepped just a bit too close to the sun and called into question something I was asked to do of a higher up. Today I received counseling about how I should be a good boy and just do what's asked of me. I feel like I could just crawl into a hole right now.

/end whiny rant

[smirkymonkey]

1. Not all of us are meant to be sheep.

Just because we aren't obedient and question authority, doesn't mean there is anything wrong with us, although our sick, fucked up society (of which most corporations are a microcosm) will tell you that it's YOU who is the problem.

Most people blindy trudge through life never questioning anything and they are dead inside. They just take all the bullshit and swallow it, making themselves sick. I personally can't stand working for a coroporation either, although I have learned somewhat how to play the game and still hold on to some sense of self.

Just remember, if the corporation were a person (oh wait, it is according to the government) it would be a raging, bullying, psychopath. Not fitting in is a sign of health. :hi:

[Nickster]

2. Thank you. I appreciate the kind words. I've been sitting here all day

beating myself up for being so stupid and opening my trap.

[Orrex]

3. Repeat after me: "I need to proactively grow my synergy"

I have a ton of these helpful corporate slogans that'll quickly see you on your way to full-fledged zombie mentality.

Remember: the Borg lived in a cube, too.

[hfojvt]

4. that seems blindingly obvious

that calling into question something a higher up asked you to do would be a bad idea.

Of course, I have been unable to even get in at the ground floor of the corporate world, but I never really had any ambition to move up either.

[Nickster]

6. Well I guess, and it's hard to explain further, I'm overly paranoid about

who's watching.

Let's just say I was asked to do something in a field I am trained in and all of my training said that what I was being asked was very very wrong.

[AirmensMom]

5. Been there ...

I'm sorry you're going through that. :hug: The corporate world can really suck. They say they want people who can "think out of the box" but then they "counsel" you when you do. :shrug:

[smirkymonkey]

13. Trust me, they don't want thinkers.

That's why a lot of people who ARE thinkers by nature (instead of political animals) are so deeply unhappy with their corporate jobs. What they are good at is being thwarted and devalued. Most corporations want "yes" men and women. It's amazing, but at almost every place I have been, the most intelligent creative people go nowhere, while the bullying, sociopathic nutcases keep getting promoted.

It's like the meanest, least human people win in that world. This week, all of our senior mangement has been away at an "offsite" down in Florida (We're in NYC) - I have never seen people at work so relaxed, friendly and agreeable. All the negative energy has lifted since they've been gone and I am sure it will come back when they return.

[AirmensMom]

15. No, they don't.

But in every meeting I ever went to, they SAID they wanted thinkers. That doesn't mean they really do. And, you're right. It's the nutcases who get the promotions.

I hated the corporate world ... a shame, because I loved the work. I did my best work when I was left on my own to do it. Go figure. :shrug:

[smirkymonkey]

16. Same here! I do a bang up job when people give me respon-

sibilty and just let me go. If I am micromanged, I turn into a depressed, unproductive drone.

[AirmensMom]

18. Most managers don't know a darn thing about

situational leadership. So they tend to micromanage everyone. x( Some people do need more direction, but that doesn't mean they all do. A manager worth his/her salt knows how to tell the difference.

[Phillycat]

7. How old are you?

[Nickster]

8. Into my third decade. n/t

[Phillycat]

9. Just wondered...it was a process for me

As I worked my way up in the corporate world, I had to learn how to play the game through trial and error. Luckily, none of my errors resulted in losing a job. You are the same age as I am, though...perhaps you really aren't meant to work in the corporate world. Which is definitely not an insult, since it is inherently dysfunctional. Good luck to you. :hug:

[Nickster]

10. I'm getting better at it, but I still just don't get it some times.

I spend time getting counseling from my wife about this kinda stuff. She's very well versed and "gets" me so she usually talks me down from making terrible career killer decisions. Sigh. Maybe I'll get it in a few years.:-)

[antigone382]

11. Get out of it.

As quickly as you can.

There is nothing for you in the corporate world but the potential loss of your soul. If you aren't getting ahead there, it's because you aren't supposed to be there. So go join the Peace Corps or something and become the person you truly want to be.

(Or whatever. Just a suggestion.)

[BigMama50]

12. Be proud that you don't fit in the bureaucracy

and yeah, find a job where you are your own boss.

[Pale Blue Dot]

14. See a career couselor.

It's helping me. Mine gave me a battery of tests that showed conclusively not only the fact that I'm in one of the worst jobs for me that I could be in, but also exactly why that is so. I'm working on a career change now. It's been a great experience.

[sendero]

17. Believe me..

... I've been there. Everybody says they value brutal honesty, until they are on the recieving end of it.

That reminds me of a time I had to compromise. I'd just taken a new job. On the very first day the guy that hired me (a VP) hauls me into a conference room with a few other people (including the poor schmuck who was bankrolling the operation) and gave me the details of the product they were finishing up.

And upon hearing said details, I knew the thing would never fly. But what could I do? I knew that if I said anything, I'd be sunk "not a team player", "not a can-do guy" that sort of crap.

I kept my mouth shut. The product did indeed fail, as did the other products these geniuses came up with. I bailed out a few months before they folded.

[NewWaveChick1981]

19. I know how you feel.

:hug: My entire career prior to last October was spent in college and university financial aid. There are office and campus politics to deal with, but they're manageable. I now work for a student loan lender, and the corporate culture and politics are not something I think I'll be able to stand long-term. I telecommute, so it's not as noticeable, but when I'm at training sessions (like I am right now), it just makes me want to scream.

Not everyone is cut out for the corporate world. Academe is really where I belong, and I'm seriously considering going back because I miss it so much. :)

[graywarrior]

20. You're a cat, dude. You can't be herded.

Can't tell you how many times I failed in the corporate world. I stuck out like a circus freak, even tho I tried so hard to dress the part, talk the part, be one of them. Got to the point of when I had "coaching" sessions, I started to tell them to fuck off. I can't believe they didn't fire me. It's like they became afraid of me and kept me around longer.

I finally realized after years of failures that I am un-employable. I need to work for myself. That was the hardest step to take because it required thinking in a totally different way.

Don't feel bad about what you're going through. Corporations want well behaved, non-thinkers. You ain't one of em.

I wish you luck in figuring out quicker than I did that you are better than they.

[Darth_Kitten]

21. Look at it this way.....

your abilities/character put you above office politics.

Why should you HAVE to accept office politics, etc as normal. I don't, and I'll never understand them. :(

You sound like an honest guy, a straight shooter. People like you should be commended in this world, but strangely aren't. :(

Best of luck to you. :)

[idgiehkt]

22. I can't fit in any office type environment

I suck at office politics (not to mention other types of politics).

I've just spent a year in this major I realize is not right for me because of this. I don't know what the answer is. I so wish I could work for myself.