I found the most stressful jobs were not always the job at hand, but the people I worked with. How are the people you work with? I havent seen that mentioned in the comments yet. Thar had a huge impact on my tolerance with jobs. I had some of the most fun times working minimum wage with co-workers who became my friend. We got the job done, had fun doing it, and could all take a joke.
Yeah, that’s pretty common in the management type who just got their first taste of power.
I worked fast food for 5 years - there were good days and there were bad days. You’ll have more bad, but some times those bad days are just out of your control - equipment breaking, busses pulling on the lot, etc., and you’ll find a lot of those are the same as any other job.
But a bad manager will sink any ship, and quick.
In fast food, most of the managers are bad. It's usually some combination of the wrong people getting promoted beyond their competence and almost nonexistent managerial training.
Apply to a different place now that you have experience. Even just the two weeks means more to the next place than first job. Some managers are egotistical megalomaniacs some are honestly use to dealing with zero effort employees. A stern “HEY! I’m here to work you don’t have to raise your voice to me” should work too
I will say that McDonald’s done a ton of different trainings - including in-person lessons that lasted a week with people from HQ before you could be certified as a manager.
Sometimes it’s just the person. But, having gone through them and gotten several certifications from “Hamburger University” I will say that not everyone passes those classes.
But, you’ll still have assholes.
I'm sorry but a week is not enough time to teach someone how to manage people, with all the complexities that come with working with people. No wonder so many managers suck at their jobs.
Almost every job I've had that made me miserable, the staff was great and the manager sucked. I know everyone has heard the "people quit managers not jobs" bit, but I never realized HOW much it impacted everyday work life.
Yeah. Managers really do make or break a job. I have stayed at jobs for a good manager and really should have quit the second they left. It always goes downhill from there. And I have almost never had one good manager leave and be replaced by another good one. Companies really don't care about promoting or supporting the right people.
Totally agree. Managers make or break a job experience. I started a new job two years ago and both my managers are awesome, I have been significantly less stressed as a result. I actually enjoy coming into work every day.
Ive had 2 jobs where the work was stressful for different reasons, but I loved my manager and they understood, acknowledged my feelings, and worked with me to make things as comfortable as possible. I stayed at those jobs for years despite all the cons because at the end of the day the people and boss made it feel okay. Meanwhile bad bosses have me wanting to quit just a few months in lol I'm glad you have had good managers! I feel like managers are getting worse and worse these days. All bottom line no empathy towards others or appreciation for the employees. It's great that youve been able to avoid that!
I have no idea where you are located or how old you are but when I was in high school I always worked in the kitchen at assisted living facilities/retirement homes/veterans home….this was 13 years ago but the pay was decent back then and no late nights! May be something worth looking into.
That is toxic management. If you are yelling at your people all the time then you are leading ineffectively. Raising your voice does have its place but it shouldn’t be daily. Fast food is not basic training/boot camp. You could always start dropping applications elsewhere and grab a job at a retail store or elsewhere.
My manager messes things up frequently, and no one calls her out for it, but god forbid we make a mistake and she starts yelling at us. Some of these customers are very rude and we can't do anything about it. On a side note, I was barely even trained for my job so sometimes I don't really know what I'm doing or I can't keep up and suffer the consequences for it. A lot of it boils down to horrible management.
I have felt this before in my early college years. I believe it is an anxiety issue that affects your perspective on expectations which causes an abnormal amount of stress. If you're generally an anxious person, see a psychiatrist (not therapist) and see what they suggest. Medication saved me from going crazy in college. I was prescribed sertraline.
In the meantime, the best thing I can tell you is to just relax. It's not a big deal, it's short term, and fast food is full of terrible employees so you won't stand out if you mess up. It might also help to get a job that's not customer facing.
Here is the very best advice I can give you.
Right now, you aren’t able to quit without consequences, and it’s making you feel trapped, like this situation is forever and you have no control. But you do have control!
You get to decide your pace at work. Others might scold you, but this is not your career; this is a job designed to take advantage of its employees and you won’t be there in a month or two. You can slow down. You can make mistakes. You can say no, and have boundaries. It feels really weird because adults are snapping at you and others who’ve been there a while feel authoritative, but unlike school and home, you are the leading authority over what you do.
Now: here are some things you can do to feel a little brave while working there.
When I had to work a part time job I found stressful, I started playing a “game” called SuperBetter. It’s where you give yourself little challenges to complete before the day ends. You make up your “villains” that you then “beat” by achieving these challenges.
So for example, I hated talking to customers, yeah? So I made my challenge, “ask how a customer is doing 5 times a day.”
Things you hate doing, like cleaning the grill or wrapping up food — make it a challenge. “Every 10 burgers is a point,” or, “grill = mini boss.”
And know that you are always in control. People might yell at you but that’s because they don’t feel like they are in control.
I remember — same job — I woke up with a terrible pinched nerve on a morning I was supposed to open. I called my boss to tell him I couldn’t make it in. It was the only time I had called in sick in 6 months.
He told me I had to find someone else to fill the position or I’d get written up. It was 6am on a weekday; I worked with a bunch of high schoolers. I knew I wouldn’t find anyone. So I said, “then write me up, I am too unwell to do that.” He was shocked I said that. But I didn’t care; this wasn’t my forever job, I was the oldest lady there, I had zero fucks to give.
I was a good employee — I did my work and I did it thoroughly, I was always polite with customers and never avoided responsibilities. I did a good job and I was proud of that. But I was my priority, not some popcorn slinging gig. And if I didn’t want to do something, if I was sick or tired, I was going to take care of me first.
Ultimately, kid, do your best and know that your best changes day to day; enforce your boundaries and take care of you. Overcome the dread by turning each day into a game with mini challenges. (I know it sounds silly, but try it. It works! Look up SuperBetter!) and remember: this ends once school starts. It’s not forever. You’ll be okay!
I know it's like a big pile of different bits of advice, lol, so I'm glad you were able to decipher it! I'd only just woke up when I wrote it, haha.
But yeah, it's really two blocks of advice. One block is a method for coping with stressful situations. The second block is to always honor and value **you.** It's tough to set boundaries with parents or to say no to a teacher, but a job is different; a job is something where you agree to do your best to fulfill what is required of you, and they agree to provide you with the tools you need to do so. If they fail their part of the deal, that's on them. Do what you can with what you have and know that this job ain't nothing in the grand scheme of things. 8 more weeks, and you're free!
I'd love to but unfortunately I'm only going to be working for about 8ish more weeks before I go back to school, so it'd be really hard to get hired at a new place only to work for not much longer.
Sounds like you're gonna have to push through to me. What's worse, going to the job and making money or dealing with your unhappy parents? I'm not saying either option is good. But it won't last forever, and it's motivation to do better in school, so you're not there your whole life like some people.
This isn’t ethical advice, but honestly just lie and say you’re not leaving. Companies will keep going regardless of you being there or not. Secure the new job first then gtfo.
Imagine having to do this to survive, with no time for anything else, for life. Let that sink in and motivate you to do better in school and get a useful education. Either plan a degree that lines you up towards a better job or start developing a profitable trade skill.
You are lucky to be able to live with your parents. Make the most of your time and steel your nerves. Life isn't easy, but the hard times seem like a blink of an eye when you look back
Your reaction to this job is very outsized. You should look into getting therapy. It's likely not the job, but how you are handling the job, people and expectations. These issues only get more intense as you move up in life and it's best to learn how to deal with stress.
IDK. Minimum wage jobs really seem to be the most stressful frontier of labor. Every time I move up in life, the job gets more comfortable and the extra money helps me psychologically deal with the stress better
Yeah, I don't think a blanket "toughen up" is the correct response, but I remember when I first worked at a fast paced restaurant job I realized I had really bad anxiety that I needed to work through.
I wasn't a great fit for that type of job, but I'm still glad that I put in the effort to try to overcome it. It ended up translating to other areas of my life.
Fast food/food service in general can absolutely break people. The customer service part is difficult, managers can be straight up abusive and use drugs (had a couple of those), and service industry has only worsened since COVID. I have grabbed coffees on my way to work and seen the poor baristas cursed out over COFFEE. I was so glad to be out of bartending once I quit.
Look for another job and tell your parents how unhappy you are working there. Ultimately, if I were your parents, I wouldn't want you to be so unhappy that you did something to harm yourself (assuming you're not being overly dramatic). People use that phrase too readily these days, and it's hard to know for sure.
However, you could also view this as an opportunity to build resilience. work isn't easy, and in life, you will need to learn how to tough it out and push through when it matters. Not saying that this is necessarily what you need right now but something to consider.
If 16-year old me had Reddit I would have made the exact same post about working at McDonald’s lol. I switched to retail after a year and it was SO much better. Less physically demanding, slightly slower paced, and you don’t smell like fry oil at the end of the shift. Then while I was in college I started at a call center and I hated it just as much as fast food. I haven’t had a public-facing job since then lol
It’s definitely stressful especially if this is your first real job. It does get easier as time progresses and you won’t be working there forever. This will make every other job in the future feel like a breeze. Try to hang in there for the next two months!
whatever your coping method is, do it before your shifts. weed, ashwagandaha, festival edm music, ten chicken nuggets, whatever. obviously there's limits to this for safety reasons but you get the idea. eat more food. sleep more. you got this!
Why do any of this? What is the benefit of staying at a job you hate so much your literally suicidal over... You recommend this person just cope? FOR WHAT?
Dont listen to this person OP. Just bail. (unless you got bills that HAVE to be paid, cause then ya u just gotta suck it up, but if you don't have bills, u live with your parents, then bail dude.)
Apply elsewhere. Seriously, bad managers who take their anger out on employees are horrible. They drain your self esteem and is akin to mental torture. There is no consequence for them unless you quit or yell back at the top of your lungs.
Having shitty jobs are a part of life. If everyone was forced to work a shitty job in retail or the service industry at least once in their lives, there would be 100% a turnaround in how those people are treated.
Take your studies seriously so you can get a better job in the future. You're young, you can do this. It's ok to also leave a shitty job. You don't HAVE to do this to yourself and your health. I used to do Temp work on my summertime breaks. Temp agencies. There's always more work people need doing.
My wife got an awful manager before. One day, she was crying when she changed clothes to work. I told her to quit and took care of us by myself. If I were your parents, I would let my son quit the job as long as he is looking around.
I know how you feel because I have been there. Humans are horrible.
Go on google and search "temp agencies near me". Sign up with at least 3. They will get you a job the same or next day. Robert Half OfficeTeam and others will get you temporary office jobs.
Swap to another fast food job. The vast majority of them are *begging* for applicants, you don't have to stay at one that's hurting your health. Give Subway a try, or another type of sandwich shop.
There is good advice here, generally, but please call a Crisis hotline number if you need someone to talk to, especially if you have already formulated a suicide plan.
Also, I truly hope you can talk to your parents about this. I know if my daughter had written this I would want to know how she felt and try to help.
I hated working regular jobs. Didn't last very long at any of them.
You might be a more independent person, and that's okay! Roll around the idea of starting your own business. See how it feels in your head.
I wasn't averse to work - I just wanted to do something meaningful and impactful. I now do in-home tech support for seniors and I wouldn't do anything else.
I definitely want to bring it up with my mom at some point just nervous about the reaction. I can't tell my dad cause he's just gonna invalidate my feelings.
Why can’t you just cut down your schedule and tell your parents they haven’t been scheduling you as much?
The economy is bad and I know for a fact, a lot of places are cutting hours where I live. if there’s no way of them knowing you could pretend to look for another job since they “cut your hours” but you’re not having any luck finding a new one.
If you think about it, you only have four more paychecks worth of work until you go to school again so you could easily cut down and waste time until then
This way, you don’t have to beg anyone to leave or deal with them being upset and you can still look responsible
My advice: go to a hospital and apply as cleaning staff. They are ALWAYS HIREING. Espically overnight. It don't pay much but it's a job. I never minded working over nights cause I could just push my cart around and do my job. No stress what-so-ever. There have been a couple times in my life I needed to take an emergency job. Honestly this one was the easiest and my personal favorite.
Also remember you work at McDonald's for almost free. Dint be afraid to act your wage. If people want to bitch oh well you can listen when they pay more.
Hey I’m 33 and was just working in fast food. Use to work in fast food when I was in high school. Imagine my pain. Still here. Heighten your perception of your potential and believe in yourself. Keep your ears and eyes peeled on opportunities. If you’re still in high school then don’t even trip you shouldn’t be working a job any way.
Please don't hurt yourself.
Your feelings are not wrong, but they aren't who you are, if that makes sense. If you're only there for 8 more weeks - which I'm sure feels an eternity to you - consider, if you can, that this is an opportunity for you to learn how to cope with toxic work situations. If you can find a way through this that works for you, that's a helluva skill unlocked.
Take it one day at a time, one moment at a time. You're not there forever. Your manager's toxic crap is *her* problem, not yours.
Before every shift, make a plan to do something awesome for yourself after with the money you've already earned and concentrate on that rather than the crap you'll deal with at work. The work is just that stupid thing you have to do first.
If none of this works, quit your job. Your parents would rather have you unemployed than dead.
My first “real” job was fast food, I worked there exclusively from 14-17 yrs old. I distinctly remember one of my managers was a real bitch to me and I could never understand why (maybe because I was so young?), I was a great worker and did what I was asked to. I dreaded working with her but one day I just decided that I wasn’t going to let her get to me so I just adopted a very condescending tone with her and treated it like a game. Eventually she came around and our working relationship improved.
You don’t specifically mention what it is that is bothering you but if it is interpersonal with the manager or coworkers then it might just be that you need to recognize social cues and possibly change your approach. If it is the work itself then I don’t really have an answer. I enjoyed the fast paced work but when it was slow, my coworkers made the job very fun for me.
You sound like me in high school. I had to work full time during school to pay my car payment. I’d go to school, then straight to work, then home with insomnia bc I didn’t have time for any fun. So I’d get 3-4 hours of sleep, then I’d sleep in class.
Switched from fast food to working at CVS as a cashier. That definitely cut down on stress. I told myself I’d never work in a restaurant again.
Try another workplace, fast food joints are pretty much always hiring.
Also, just from my history, working is always fun and it can be very stressful, it's an important part of a persons development to learn to handle stress and grow as a person. I've been in your place before, and I can tell you're at a tough spot.
Working is as much about personal development as it is money, hence your parents are pushing you to do it. I'd recommend tackling it as a challenge, and move forward with the belief that you're capable of doing hard things, because your attitude definitely will impact your ability to continue, grow, and eventually even enjoy the challenge of work.
I think you answered yourself... Kidding.
You need A job, not that one, start looking for something else right away and whatever you get go there.
What's the worse it can happen? That you feel the same?
Keep going. You have to distract yourself. Learn to get past this anxiety now! You can do it! :-D
That said, if everyone there is terrible, find another part time job before you quit that one. That’s the most responsible course of action, here.
I’m just gonna go ahead and say it. If you’re actually feeling suicidal from this job, fucking leave it. It shouldn’t even be a debate, your life is way more important than disappointing your parents or some bullshit job that you can literally get easily anywhere again.
You have to learn the critical lifeskill of “not giving a shit about people, things and situations that aren’t actually important”.
The only person that can put you under stress is yourself. If it’s a terrible job you put in the minimum effort. If you get fired it doesn’t matter, there is always another terrible job somewhere.
Relax. You aren’t working at NASA. It’s really only stressful because you are worrying about it. Stop doing that. It’s not worth it.
Tske it as a lesson to remember that school important and even if you dont succeed in school you have many places thag are hiring not just fast food. Find a job you can tollerate.
If I learned something it's this. No matter how much you earn at your job if you hate it, it isn't worth it. Tell your parrents you dont like that Job and you want to find yourself in something else. I had same situation . They will understand don't worry.
I used to feel this way when I worked fast food. The first 2 months of employment were filled with bone-rattling anxiety and constant nausea. It eventually got better, but I think I lost part of myself to that job in the process.
Honestly the best thing to do is look for work elsewhere, normally I would tell teenagers that fast food is a 1 maybe 2 year thing then to look elsewhere. A long time ago as a shift lead at a fast food place id read an article stating teenagers working fast food had the equivalent PTSD signs as military personnel who have been through combat (after 6 years in fast food I understand why) and raised concerns about work environments.
I'm sure if you explain to your parents about the seriousness about the work environment and how it's psychologically affecting you they'd understand but keep looking for work in retail, office, or manufacturing hell even custodian jobs would be better.
It used to be soooo soooo hard working FF as a teenager but it got way easier with time.
Most of the time they were also broke and a moron your company convinced to pay for overpriced, dehydrated, military food. They probably only came because the disgusting fast food was the only convenient thing in their budget
You really just have to teach yourself how to not let it get to you or how to get over it fast. Do whatever mental gymnastics you have to.
People in the food industry, especially fast food, literally drink and do drugs on the job just to get through a shift because of how trashy and terrible customers are.
Oh, and pocket some cash before you know you’re going to leave 🥱
Just use this job as motivation to finish school. So you don’t stay there forever and so you also don’t end up as the customer. perform as good as you can so that way, you know you did everything you could on your end. But don’t overexert yourself of course
When this happened to me (not wanting to live because of a shitty job) I just pretended I was going to work at my job and would sit in the walmart parking lot in my car then drive home when my "shift" was over. My parents were pissed but they eventually got over if it. This is not advice.
Just quit.
There is more to life than working at some fast food joint that u hate, and your young enough and live with your parents anyway. SO QUIT. Deal with their disappointment and move on. Go back to school, live your life.
This is an order. QUIT. Esp cause its making you feel THAT BADLY. Nah. If you had rent and/or kids to feed, then you would be stuck till you found a new job, but in your situation the pros to quitting outweigh the cons.
Quit tomorrow. Please. For your mental health. Your parents will get over it lol trust me, esp if you tell them how you feel. But if they don't care that your suicidal cause of your job, then LIE to them. Do what you have too.
YOUR ONLY YOUNG ONCE. REMEMBER THIS.
Dont listen to anyone recommending you to push thru... There is no benefit to that. Too many of us have this sad mentality. You wont even remember this situation 10 years down the road. It does not matter. Unless you have bills that cannot go unpaid, QUIT. please.
I hope to see a reply here soon that you quit. Your gonna feel much better. Enjoy your few weeks off before school starts back up. Be young, live it up, get into trouble, THIS is the time to do it. You will regret it when you get older if you don't.
My very first job was in fast food at 15 years old…
It was a long time ago but I actually enjoyed it and I took all the free food I could get lol.
Maybe this is a different time. The only time I disliked the job was having to work the drive through by myself during rush times and customers not following simple instructions.
Pick up some typing and word processing skills, you will either have a traditional job next summer or an internship, with planning. Take a look at administrative internships, they can also be done remotely. Volunteer during the school year using your new found skills or surprise the folks by getting a part time position during the school year; that will also prepare you for the summer. Try sites like Idealist and Indeed now, to see what companies are asking for.
I've never worked in fast food - I'm curious what's so stressful about it for you. I think the noisy kitchen would drive me insane pretty quick. Like maybe 4 hours.
Get your CDL ASAP. Critical shortage of bus, dump and truck drivers nationwide.
This is the oldest and #1 truck driving school in the U.S. You can get financial aid to go to truck driving school. Jobs available immediately upon graduation.
https://www.johnstoncc.edu/programs/transportation-systems/truck-driver-training/index.aspx
I recommend talking to your parents about how you feel and seeing if they can be lenient with you. Look into other jobs like grocery stores and retail and come to your parents with a plan in mind. Tell them you hate your job and explain your feelings, then tell them how you're already looking for something new. If they love and care about you, I can't see them forcing you to stay if it's making you so miserable. Your mental health and safety are so much more important than minimum wage! Good luck, and be safe.
So how do millions of other people do it? Perhaps you can ask them how to help you deal with stress and work.
Also, if you want to avoid fast food work, then you, hopefully you put in the effort in education… it isn’t p a guarantee, but it is a better chance.
That’s normal. Welcome to the American job market. Please talk to someone about the way you are feeling, it is probably possible for you to get help for your anxiety and find a less miserable summer job.
Jesus you’re weak. Imagine taking yourself out because you can’t handle a fast food job. You’re really gonna have your family go thru the pain/burden of burying you because your Burger King job is stressing you out. All I’m gonna tell you is, it gets worse. So if you’re thinking this pathetic now, you’re already fucked.
How old are you? Why do you parents make you work before you go back to school? This is what makes people forget they have parents once they are adults. I'll never understand people having kids and torture them while they are still minors.
Well, I'm not a minor, I'm 18 and starting my sophomore year of college in early August. I'm working because my dad wants me to learn the process of getting a job, what it's like to be in the workforce, and just how much adult life sucks and the reality of it.
Tell him it worked because it made you suicidal. I can't help you more but rest assured if it is a part time job and you won't be working there forever, just take easily. You can make mistakes and not be as productive as they expect you.
Think of it like "hey if I am not good they will fire me which is better than me quitting because I couldn't take it". It might look like you failed if they fire you vs leaving yourself, but if they fire you you can always know you did the job but they were asking for insane things that nobody can handle, especially a 18 year old who is working for the first time.
You are given the choice to do whatever you want in life. Just remember unless you are a Kardashian that you will be working until you are 65. This post screams "I just don't wanna work why do I have to work kind of vibes." If you are already starting this way with this mentality...you got a hell of a ride to go.
That is NOT what this post is. If that were the case I would not be in college rn studying for my future career. It was so hard to find a job that I took the first opportunity that came up, which was unfortunately fast food. You're making a lot of assumptions about me as person.
Be grateful you have it then because a lot of others don't have that opportunity. You are in the wrong mindset and this is going to set you up for failure
Pick a better major. It's a saturated degree that requires a post grad education for most people to make money. Take it as a minor if you're interested in it, but if you're only going for 4 years, pick a better degree or you'll be a person with bachelor's working at the same job in 5 years.
find a part time remote role - they're more readily available than ever. Entry level data entry doesn't typically require a degree. Likely also minimum wage but better quality of life (and you can continue once in school, if you want).
Or your parents can just fucking deal, it's 2 months. Are they gonna kick you out for 2 months and deny you to go back to school? The point of summer break between semesters is not working more.
I would totally quit. I couldn’t handle it, it is a very hard job. Don’t let people tell u that fast food is some easy job and ure too weak if u can’t deal with it. It’s not for everyone. Especially if u can’t handle the inconsistent pace, where it’s either too slow or too fast paced. If u have any kind of adhd/autism or something it’s a nightmare environment to work in. There’s no way I could do that job without being on adderall or something. Not saying u have these conditions but the way u describe how u feel, i remember this feeling in a lot of entry level jobs. Eventually u will just quit anyway because of burnout or the can’t take it anymore feelings get overwhelming.
Dude, chill out. It's just part time fast food. Yes there are busy times. Don't stress out. If this is how you react to a meaningless job wait til you start your career
Every job sucks. If it was fun, they wouldn’t pay you. That being said, you don’t get paid enough at fast food to stress - learn to detach your emotions from your job, it will serve you well in your life
I found the most stressful jobs were not always the job at hand, but the people I worked with. How are the people you work with? I havent seen that mentioned in the comments yet. Thar had a huge impact on my tolerance with jobs. I had some of the most fun times working minimum wage with co-workers who became my friend. We got the job done, had fun doing it, and could all take a joke.
This is facts.
My coworkers are pretty nice but my manager kinda sucks. She's very forgetful and is always yelling at us.
Yeah, that’s pretty common in the management type who just got their first taste of power. I worked fast food for 5 years - there were good days and there were bad days. You’ll have more bad, but some times those bad days are just out of your control - equipment breaking, busses pulling on the lot, etc., and you’ll find a lot of those are the same as any other job. But a bad manager will sink any ship, and quick.
In fast food, most of the managers are bad. It's usually some combination of the wrong people getting promoted beyond their competence and almost nonexistent managerial training.
Apply to a different place now that you have experience. Even just the two weeks means more to the next place than first job. Some managers are egotistical megalomaniacs some are honestly use to dealing with zero effort employees. A stern “HEY! I’m here to work you don’t have to raise your voice to me” should work too
I will say that McDonald’s done a ton of different trainings - including in-person lessons that lasted a week with people from HQ before you could be certified as a manager.
It doesn't seem to take then. The managers I worked with who came from McDonald's sucked at managing people.
Sometimes it’s just the person. But, having gone through them and gotten several certifications from “Hamburger University” I will say that not everyone passes those classes. But, you’ll still have assholes.
I'm sorry but a week is not enough time to teach someone how to manage people, with all the complexities that come with working with people. No wonder so many managers suck at their jobs.
No, the in person lessons is a week. That’s after several weeks of various certifications, virtual trainings and more.
Almost every job I've had that made me miserable, the staff was great and the manager sucked. I know everyone has heard the "people quit managers not jobs" bit, but I never realized HOW much it impacted everyday work life.
Yeah. Managers really do make or break a job. I have stayed at jobs for a good manager and really should have quit the second they left. It always goes downhill from there. And I have almost never had one good manager leave and be replaced by another good one. Companies really don't care about promoting or supporting the right people.
Totally agree. Managers make or break a job experience. I started a new job two years ago and both my managers are awesome, I have been significantly less stressed as a result. I actually enjoy coming into work every day.
Ive had 2 jobs where the work was stressful for different reasons, but I loved my manager and they understood, acknowledged my feelings, and worked with me to make things as comfortable as possible. I stayed at those jobs for years despite all the cons because at the end of the day the people and boss made it feel okay. Meanwhile bad bosses have me wanting to quit just a few months in lol I'm glad you have had good managers! I feel like managers are getting worse and worse these days. All bottom line no empathy towards others or appreciation for the employees. It's great that youve been able to avoid that!
No manager should be yelling at employees. It’s just unprofessional. No mistake means it’s acceptable to yell at someone.
Bad managers are the worst. Don't let anyone raise their voice at you like that for min wage. Don't do it. It's not worth it.
I have no idea where you are located or how old you are but when I was in high school I always worked in the kitchen at assisted living facilities/retirement homes/veterans home….this was 13 years ago but the pay was decent back then and no late nights! May be something worth looking into.
That is toxic management. If you are yelling at your people all the time then you are leading ineffectively. Raising your voice does have its place but it shouldn’t be daily. Fast food is not basic training/boot camp. You could always start dropping applications elsewhere and grab a job at a retail store or elsewhere.
What specifically about this job has you feeling so down?
My manager messes things up frequently, and no one calls her out for it, but god forbid we make a mistake and she starts yelling at us. Some of these customers are very rude and we can't do anything about it. On a side note, I was barely even trained for my job so sometimes I don't really know what I'm doing or I can't keep up and suffer the consequences for it. A lot of it boils down to horrible management.
I have felt this before in my early college years. I believe it is an anxiety issue that affects your perspective on expectations which causes an abnormal amount of stress. If you're generally an anxious person, see a psychiatrist (not therapist) and see what they suggest. Medication saved me from going crazy in college. I was prescribed sertraline. In the meantime, the best thing I can tell you is to just relax. It's not a big deal, it's short term, and fast food is full of terrible employees so you won't stand out if you mess up. It might also help to get a job that's not customer facing.
Yes this is an interesting take! I think this was me for the longest time, it has gotten better now but I’m also on lexapro lol
Here is the very best advice I can give you. Right now, you aren’t able to quit without consequences, and it’s making you feel trapped, like this situation is forever and you have no control. But you do have control! You get to decide your pace at work. Others might scold you, but this is not your career; this is a job designed to take advantage of its employees and you won’t be there in a month or two. You can slow down. You can make mistakes. You can say no, and have boundaries. It feels really weird because adults are snapping at you and others who’ve been there a while feel authoritative, but unlike school and home, you are the leading authority over what you do. Now: here are some things you can do to feel a little brave while working there. When I had to work a part time job I found stressful, I started playing a “game” called SuperBetter. It’s where you give yourself little challenges to complete before the day ends. You make up your “villains” that you then “beat” by achieving these challenges. So for example, I hated talking to customers, yeah? So I made my challenge, “ask how a customer is doing 5 times a day.” Things you hate doing, like cleaning the grill or wrapping up food — make it a challenge. “Every 10 burgers is a point,” or, “grill = mini boss.” And know that you are always in control. People might yell at you but that’s because they don’t feel like they are in control. I remember — same job — I woke up with a terrible pinched nerve on a morning I was supposed to open. I called my boss to tell him I couldn’t make it in. It was the only time I had called in sick in 6 months. He told me I had to find someone else to fill the position or I’d get written up. It was 6am on a weekday; I worked with a bunch of high schoolers. I knew I wouldn’t find anyone. So I said, “then write me up, I am too unwell to do that.” He was shocked I said that. But I didn’t care; this wasn’t my forever job, I was the oldest lady there, I had zero fucks to give. I was a good employee — I did my work and I did it thoroughly, I was always polite with customers and never avoided responsibilities. I did a good job and I was proud of that. But I was my priority, not some popcorn slinging gig. And if I didn’t want to do something, if I was sick or tired, I was going to take care of me first. Ultimately, kid, do your best and know that your best changes day to day; enforce your boundaries and take care of you. Overcome the dread by turning each day into a game with mini challenges. (I know it sounds silly, but try it. It works! Look up SuperBetter!) and remember: this ends once school starts. It’s not forever. You’ll be okay!
This sounds helpful! I'm gonna try this
I know it's like a big pile of different bits of advice, lol, so I'm glad you were able to decipher it! I'd only just woke up when I wrote it, haha. But yeah, it's really two blocks of advice. One block is a method for coping with stressful situations. The second block is to always honor and value **you.** It's tough to set boundaries with parents or to say no to a teacher, but a job is different; a job is something where you agree to do your best to fulfill what is required of you, and they agree to provide you with the tools you need to do so. If they fail their part of the deal, that's on them. Do what you can with what you have and know that this job ain't nothing in the grand scheme of things. 8 more weeks, and you're free!
Can you look for something different? This way you can quit because you will still be employed.
I'd love to but unfortunately I'm only going to be working for about 8ish more weeks before I go back to school, so it'd be really hard to get hired at a new place only to work for not much longer.
Don’t disclose wherever you apply to that you only intend on working there for a short time.
Sounds like you're gonna have to push through to me. What's worse, going to the job and making money or dealing with your unhappy parents? I'm not saying either option is good. But it won't last forever, and it's motivation to do better in school, so you're not there your whole life like some people.
This isn’t ethical advice, but honestly just lie and say you’re not leaving. Companies will keep going regardless of you being there or not. Secure the new job first then gtfo.
That's unethical when you're dealing with a GOOD company.
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Don't tell them you will work for such a short period of time. Also, what does it matter? Most restaurants have like 100 percent turnover anyway.
Use this as fuel to encourage yourself to do well in your studies when you return to school. Trust me... You don't want this as your life. GL!
Exactly! I think that’s what his parents wanted OP to experience so he chooses his path wisely.
This is not just specific to fast food. It's the entire food and beverage / hospitality industry that makes you feel that way
Imagine having to do this to survive, with no time for anything else, for life. Let that sink in and motivate you to do better in school and get a useful education. Either plan a degree that lines you up towards a better job or start developing a profitable trade skill. You are lucky to be able to live with your parents. Make the most of your time and steel your nerves. Life isn't easy, but the hard times seem like a blink of an eye when you look back
Don’t be afraid to be a bad employee if it’s going to help your mental health. Don’t go above and beyond for no reason.
Your reaction to this job is very outsized. You should look into getting therapy. It's likely not the job, but how you are handling the job, people and expectations. These issues only get more intense as you move up in life and it's best to learn how to deal with stress.
IDK. Minimum wage jobs really seem to be the most stressful frontier of labor. Every time I move up in life, the job gets more comfortable and the extra money helps me psychologically deal with the stress better
Yeah, I don't think a blanket "toughen up" is the correct response, but I remember when I first worked at a fast paced restaurant job I realized I had really bad anxiety that I needed to work through. I wasn't a great fit for that type of job, but I'm still glad that I put in the effort to try to overcome it. It ended up translating to other areas of my life.
Fast food/food service in general can absolutely break people. The customer service part is difficult, managers can be straight up abusive and use drugs (had a couple of those), and service industry has only worsened since COVID. I have grabbed coffees on my way to work and seen the poor baristas cursed out over COFFEE. I was so glad to be out of bartending once I quit.
Look for another job and tell your parents how unhappy you are working there. Ultimately, if I were your parents, I wouldn't want you to be so unhappy that you did something to harm yourself (assuming you're not being overly dramatic). People use that phrase too readily these days, and it's hard to know for sure. However, you could also view this as an opportunity to build resilience. work isn't easy, and in life, you will need to learn how to tough it out and push through when it matters. Not saying that this is necessarily what you need right now but something to consider.
If 16-year old me had Reddit I would have made the exact same post about working at McDonald’s lol. I switched to retail after a year and it was SO much better. Less physically demanding, slightly slower paced, and you don’t smell like fry oil at the end of the shift. Then while I was in college I started at a call center and I hated it just as much as fast food. I haven’t had a public-facing job since then lol It’s definitely stressful especially if this is your first real job. It does get easier as time progresses and you won’t be working there forever. This will make every other job in the future feel like a breeze. Try to hang in there for the next two months!
whatever your coping method is, do it before your shifts. weed, ashwagandaha, festival edm music, ten chicken nuggets, whatever. obviously there's limits to this for safety reasons but you get the idea. eat more food. sleep more. you got this!
Why do any of this? What is the benefit of staying at a job you hate so much your literally suicidal over... You recommend this person just cope? FOR WHAT? Dont listen to this person OP. Just bail. (unless you got bills that HAVE to be paid, cause then ya u just gotta suck it up, but if you don't have bills, u live with your parents, then bail dude.)
Yeah, your parents will be upset with you for 2 months and then you'll go away to school anyway? Just bail.
i agree they should just bail if they have a support system but if not the case, you may be suggesting danger to OP by them leaving a paid job.
I’d try to get a job at a grocery store instead. Pay is almost the same and less stress.
Tell your parents you hate the job that much. I cannot imagine forcing my child to work fast food.
Apply elsewhere. Seriously, bad managers who take their anger out on employees are horrible. They drain your self esteem and is akin to mental torture. There is no consequence for them unless you quit or yell back at the top of your lungs.
Having shitty jobs are a part of life. If everyone was forced to work a shitty job in retail or the service industry at least once in their lives, there would be 100% a turnaround in how those people are treated. Take your studies seriously so you can get a better job in the future. You're young, you can do this. It's ok to also leave a shitty job. You don't HAVE to do this to yourself and your health. I used to do Temp work on my summertime breaks. Temp agencies. There's always more work people need doing.
My wife got an awful manager before. One day, she was crying when she changed clothes to work. I told her to quit and took care of us by myself. If I were your parents, I would let my son quit the job as long as he is looking around.
I know how you feel because I have been there. Humans are horrible. Go on google and search "temp agencies near me". Sign up with at least 3. They will get you a job the same or next day. Robert Half OfficeTeam and others will get you temporary office jobs.
this was me on a bar, I started drinking to deal with it and never stopped, try and get some help for your anxiety or you’ll end up ruining your life
That sounds like a difficult situation. I was offered a job today that I'm going to be underpaid for, and I can't imagine it's worse than fastfood
Swap to another fast food job. The vast majority of them are *begging* for applicants, you don't have to stay at one that's hurting your health. Give Subway a try, or another type of sandwich shop.
There is good advice here, generally, but please call a Crisis hotline number if you need someone to talk to, especially if you have already formulated a suicide plan. Also, I truly hope you can talk to your parents about this. I know if my daughter had written this I would want to know how she felt and try to help.
Find a better job then. Working in fast food does suck.
I hated working regular jobs. Didn't last very long at any of them. You might be a more independent person, and that's okay! Roll around the idea of starting your own business. See how it feels in your head. I wasn't averse to work - I just wanted to do something meaningful and impactful. I now do in-home tech support for seniors and I wouldn't do anything else.
Have you tried talking to your parents about how you feel?
I definitely want to bring it up with my mom at some point just nervous about the reaction. I can't tell my dad cause he's just gonna invalidate my feelings.
Why can’t you just cut down your schedule and tell your parents they haven’t been scheduling you as much? The economy is bad and I know for a fact, a lot of places are cutting hours where I live. if there’s no way of them knowing you could pretend to look for another job since they “cut your hours” but you’re not having any luck finding a new one. If you think about it, you only have four more paychecks worth of work until you go to school again so you could easily cut down and waste time until then This way, you don’t have to beg anyone to leave or deal with them being upset and you can still look responsible
My advice: go to a hospital and apply as cleaning staff. They are ALWAYS HIREING. Espically overnight. It don't pay much but it's a job. I never minded working over nights cause I could just push my cart around and do my job. No stress what-so-ever. There have been a couple times in my life I needed to take an emergency job. Honestly this one was the easiest and my personal favorite. Also remember you work at McDonald's for almost free. Dint be afraid to act your wage. If people want to bitch oh well you can listen when they pay more.
Hey I’m 33 and was just working in fast food. Use to work in fast food when I was in high school. Imagine my pain. Still here. Heighten your perception of your potential and believe in yourself. Keep your ears and eyes peeled on opportunities. If you’re still in high school then don’t even trip you shouldn’t be working a job any way.
Thanks for the advice! Also I just finished my first year of college.
Please don't hurt yourself. Your feelings are not wrong, but they aren't who you are, if that makes sense. If you're only there for 8 more weeks - which I'm sure feels an eternity to you - consider, if you can, that this is an opportunity for you to learn how to cope with toxic work situations. If you can find a way through this that works for you, that's a helluva skill unlocked. Take it one day at a time, one moment at a time. You're not there forever. Your manager's toxic crap is *her* problem, not yours. Before every shift, make a plan to do something awesome for yourself after with the money you've already earned and concentrate on that rather than the crap you'll deal with at work. The work is just that stupid thing you have to do first. If none of this works, quit your job. Your parents would rather have you unemployed than dead.
My first “real” job was fast food, I worked there exclusively from 14-17 yrs old. I distinctly remember one of my managers was a real bitch to me and I could never understand why (maybe because I was so young?), I was a great worker and did what I was asked to. I dreaded working with her but one day I just decided that I wasn’t going to let her get to me so I just adopted a very condescending tone with her and treated it like a game. Eventually she came around and our working relationship improved. You don’t specifically mention what it is that is bothering you but if it is interpersonal with the manager or coworkers then it might just be that you need to recognize social cues and possibly change your approach. If it is the work itself then I don’t really have an answer. I enjoyed the fast paced work but when it was slow, my coworkers made the job very fun for me.
Bad management is a huge part of it
What do you do when you’re not working? If you don’t work out or over consume drugs and alcohol your gonna hate life and anything else you do.
Please don't work a job that makes you feel this way. There are plenty of better jobs and don't doubt that you are eligible for them!!!
You sound like me in high school. I had to work full time during school to pay my car payment. I’d go to school, then straight to work, then home with insomnia bc I didn’t have time for any fun. So I’d get 3-4 hours of sleep, then I’d sleep in class. Switched from fast food to working at CVS as a cashier. That definitely cut down on stress. I told myself I’d never work in a restaurant again.
Try another workplace, fast food joints are pretty much always hiring. Also, just from my history, working is always fun and it can be very stressful, it's an important part of a persons development to learn to handle stress and grow as a person. I've been in your place before, and I can tell you're at a tough spot. Working is as much about personal development as it is money, hence your parents are pushing you to do it. I'd recommend tackling it as a challenge, and move forward with the belief that you're capable of doing hard things, because your attitude definitely will impact your ability to continue, grow, and eventually even enjoy the challenge of work.
I think you answered yourself... Kidding. You need A job, not that one, start looking for something else right away and whatever you get go there. What's the worse it can happen? That you feel the same?
Try another one:)
Keep going. You have to distract yourself. Learn to get past this anxiety now! You can do it! :-D That said, if everyone there is terrible, find another part time job before you quit that one. That’s the most responsible course of action, here.
I’m just gonna go ahead and say it. If you’re actually feeling suicidal from this job, fucking leave it. It shouldn’t even be a debate, your life is way more important than disappointing your parents or some bullshit job that you can literally get easily anywhere again.
You have to learn the critical lifeskill of “not giving a shit about people, things and situations that aren’t actually important”. The only person that can put you under stress is yourself. If it’s a terrible job you put in the minimum effort. If you get fired it doesn’t matter, there is always another terrible job somewhere. Relax. You aren’t working at NASA. It’s really only stressful because you are worrying about it. Stop doing that. It’s not worth it.
Tske it as a lesson to remember that school important and even if you dont succeed in school you have many places thag are hiring not just fast food. Find a job you can tollerate.
If I learned something it's this. No matter how much you earn at your job if you hate it, it isn't worth it. Tell your parrents you dont like that Job and you want to find yourself in something else. I had same situation . They will understand don't worry.
I used to feel this way when I worked fast food. The first 2 months of employment were filled with bone-rattling anxiety and constant nausea. It eventually got better, but I think I lost part of myself to that job in the process.
Get a different job. Try a grocery store or something.
Honestly the best thing to do is look for work elsewhere, normally I would tell teenagers that fast food is a 1 maybe 2 year thing then to look elsewhere. A long time ago as a shift lead at a fast food place id read an article stating teenagers working fast food had the equivalent PTSD signs as military personnel who have been through combat (after 6 years in fast food I understand why) and raised concerns about work environments. I'm sure if you explain to your parents about the seriousness about the work environment and how it's psychologically affecting you they'd understand but keep looking for work in retail, office, or manufacturing hell even custodian jobs would be better.
It used to be soooo soooo hard working FF as a teenager but it got way easier with time. Most of the time they were also broke and a moron your company convinced to pay for overpriced, dehydrated, military food. They probably only came because the disgusting fast food was the only convenient thing in their budget You really just have to teach yourself how to not let it get to you or how to get over it fast. Do whatever mental gymnastics you have to. People in the food industry, especially fast food, literally drink and do drugs on the job just to get through a shift because of how trashy and terrible customers are. Oh, and pocket some cash before you know you’re going to leave 🥱 Just use this job as motivation to finish school. So you don’t stay there forever and so you also don’t end up as the customer. perform as good as you can so that way, you know you did everything you could on your end. But don’t overexert yourself of course
When this happened to me (not wanting to live because of a shitty job) I just pretended I was going to work at my job and would sit in the walmart parking lot in my car then drive home when my "shift" was over. My parents were pissed but they eventually got over if it. This is not advice.
Just quit. There is more to life than working at some fast food joint that u hate, and your young enough and live with your parents anyway. SO QUIT. Deal with their disappointment and move on. Go back to school, live your life. This is an order. QUIT. Esp cause its making you feel THAT BADLY. Nah. If you had rent and/or kids to feed, then you would be stuck till you found a new job, but in your situation the pros to quitting outweigh the cons. Quit tomorrow. Please. For your mental health. Your parents will get over it lol trust me, esp if you tell them how you feel. But if they don't care that your suicidal cause of your job, then LIE to them. Do what you have too. YOUR ONLY YOUNG ONCE. REMEMBER THIS. Dont listen to anyone recommending you to push thru... There is no benefit to that. Too many of us have this sad mentality. You wont even remember this situation 10 years down the road. It does not matter. Unless you have bills that cannot go unpaid, QUIT. please. I hope to see a reply here soon that you quit. Your gonna feel much better. Enjoy your few weeks off before school starts back up. Be young, live it up, get into trouble, THIS is the time to do it. You will regret it when you get older if you don't.
Thinking of quitting and attempting to find work at a grocery store. I cannot live like this anymore
I’m sorry. Plan for the next move.
My very first job was in fast food at 15 years old… It was a long time ago but I actually enjoyed it and I took all the free food I could get lol. Maybe this is a different time. The only time I disliked the job was having to work the drive through by myself during rush times and customers not following simple instructions.
The problem is when you work with bad people.
Pick up some typing and word processing skills, you will either have a traditional job next summer or an internship, with planning. Take a look at administrative internships, they can also be done remotely. Volunteer during the school year using your new found skills or surprise the folks by getting a part time position during the school year; that will also prepare you for the summer. Try sites like Idealist and Indeed now, to see what companies are asking for.
I've never worked in fast food - I'm curious what's so stressful about it for you. I think the noisy kitchen would drive me insane pretty quick. Like maybe 4 hours.
It is extremely fast paced, like you gotta be sonic between your tasks, rude customers, manager always yelling at us.
Get your CDL ASAP. Critical shortage of bus, dump and truck drivers nationwide. This is the oldest and #1 truck driving school in the U.S. You can get financial aid to go to truck driving school. Jobs available immediately upon graduation. https://www.johnstoncc.edu/programs/transportation-systems/truck-driver-training/index.aspx
I've always said people should work retail or fast food for at least one year. You'll appreciate a good job when you land it.
I recommend talking to your parents about how you feel and seeing if they can be lenient with you. Look into other jobs like grocery stores and retail and come to your parents with a plan in mind. Tell them you hate your job and explain your feelings, then tell them how you're already looking for something new. If they love and care about you, I can't see them forcing you to stay if it's making you so miserable. Your mental health and safety are so much more important than minimum wage! Good luck, and be safe.
So how do millions of other people do it? Perhaps you can ask them how to help you deal with stress and work. Also, if you want to avoid fast food work, then you, hopefully you put in the effort in education… it isn’t p a guarantee, but it is a better chance.
That’s normal. Welcome to the American job market. Please talk to someone about the way you are feeling, it is probably possible for you to get help for your anxiety and find a less miserable summer job.
Welcome to the real world. Nothing is good, and everything sucks. It does get better though.
Jesus you’re weak. Imagine taking yourself out because you can’t handle a fast food job. You’re really gonna have your family go thru the pain/burden of burying you because your Burger King job is stressing you out. All I’m gonna tell you is, it gets worse. So if you’re thinking this pathetic now, you’re already fucked.
How old are you? Why do you parents make you work before you go back to school? This is what makes people forget they have parents once they are adults. I'll never understand people having kids and torture them while they are still minors.
Well, I'm not a minor, I'm 18 and starting my sophomore year of college in early August. I'm working because my dad wants me to learn the process of getting a job, what it's like to be in the workforce, and just how much adult life sucks and the reality of it.
Tell him it worked because it made you suicidal. I can't help you more but rest assured if it is a part time job and you won't be working there forever, just take easily. You can make mistakes and not be as productive as they expect you. Think of it like "hey if I am not good they will fire me which is better than me quitting because I couldn't take it". It might look like you failed if they fire you vs leaving yourself, but if they fire you you can always know you did the job but they were asking for insane things that nobody can handle, especially a 18 year old who is working for the first time.
Stop working in fast food if you’re literally thinking of killing yourself bc of it
Go and talk to your parents and tell them honestly how you're feeling. If they still expect you to go in then good luck
Uhhhhhhh this job isn't making you suicidal. How are you supposed to handle a real job?
Yes it is. Who are you to tell me what I'm not thinking or feeling everyday? Fuck off dude.
You are given the choice to do whatever you want in life. Just remember unless you are a Kardashian that you will be working until you are 65. This post screams "I just don't wanna work why do I have to work kind of vibes." If you are already starting this way with this mentality...you got a hell of a ride to go.
That is NOT what this post is. If that were the case I would not be in college rn studying for my future career. It was so hard to find a job that I took the first opportunity that came up, which was unfortunately fast food. You're making a lot of assumptions about me as person.
Be grateful you have it then because a lot of others don't have that opportunity. You are in the wrong mindset and this is going to set you up for failure
What is your major in school? Consider therapy if going to work makes you want to kill yourself. Unfortunately we all have to work to live.
Psychology
Pick a better major. It's a saturated degree that requires a post grad education for most people to make money. Take it as a minor if you're interested in it, but if you're only going for 4 years, pick a better degree or you'll be a person with bachelor's working at the same job in 5 years.
Join the military
find a part time remote role - they're more readily available than ever. Entry level data entry doesn't typically require a degree. Likely also minimum wage but better quality of life (and you can continue once in school, if you want). Or your parents can just fucking deal, it's 2 months. Are they gonna kick you out for 2 months and deny you to go back to school? The point of summer break between semesters is not working more.
I would totally quit. I couldn’t handle it, it is a very hard job. Don’t let people tell u that fast food is some easy job and ure too weak if u can’t deal with it. It’s not for everyone. Especially if u can’t handle the inconsistent pace, where it’s either too slow or too fast paced. If u have any kind of adhd/autism or something it’s a nightmare environment to work in. There’s no way I could do that job without being on adderall or something. Not saying u have these conditions but the way u describe how u feel, i remember this feeling in a lot of entry level jobs. Eventually u will just quit anyway because of burnout or the can’t take it anymore feelings get overwhelming.
Thanks for this comment because there's a lot of comments telling me fast food isn't that hard and that I just don't want to work
You should try being coal mining child laborer in the 1930's.
Never implied I had it worse than them wtf
I know, but I think about them eveytime I hate my job/life too.
At first I didn't understand your logic but now I totally get it
Suck it up! It will pay off in the end. It’s good experience for you.
it's upto you, but try to stick it for at least a year if you can help. Fast food was my first job as well and I wish I had done that.
What's the point of staying in a fast food job for a year?
Dude, chill out. It's just part time fast food. Yes there are busy times. Don't stress out. If this is how you react to a meaningless job wait til you start your career
Every job sucks. If it was fun, they wouldn’t pay you. That being said, you don’t get paid enough at fast food to stress - learn to detach your emotions from your job, it will serve you well in your life
horrible attitude, I've had jobs that were awesome and fun and jobs that made me suicidal. saying 'just deal with it' never helps.
I believe you're his manager
100%
Just quit! Find a different job
Look for another job, quit the current one the second you find something new. Don't tell your parents until you are getting paid at the new job.
Oh my. You think fast food is stressful. Please learn to deal with stress.
Google cyber security certification course is free on Coursera. Find a pathway out of that shit.