Eight days left.

It's been an interesting character study to tell different people that I quit my job. There are three general reactions. People are:

Happy for me. There have been an unexpected amount of people who are happy for me. Most of these people know exactly how much I dislike my job and how unhappy I've been. Maybe they're just glad my Facebook statuses won't all be work-related for a while. I wonder if I'll get more followers if my tweets aren't so bitter?

Interested in the job. Two friends, both currently working part to full time at low-pay, low-gratification jobs, have asked if I'd recommend them for the position. Sadly, the company's still not sure if they'll hire someone to fill my position or if they'll just spread the work around. And, I don't really think someone whose Chance of Tweak Out meter has been at High for the past year is a good reference. Thirdly, I'm quitting. Does that tell you something? Maybe that you don't want this job? No? Okay, well, mine is not to reason why. You want the job description? If they open it up, I'll let you know.

Terrified by my future. A lot of people think I've made the biggest mistake of my young life. Everyone is being polite about it, and excited for me, but there is definitely a section of friends and colleagues who suddenly break eye contact, stutter, and try to change the subject. I think these people think I'm an idiot.

Which, on paper, I am. I have nine months to go before school starts, and I do not have a job lined up for those nine months nor for while I'm in school. On the surface I don't look like someone who's financially set to take this kind of plunge. Oh, and if you haven't heard, apparently our economy is in the tanker and the unemployment rate is 10% - if you're counting the people who have actually tried to find a job in the past month. 10% doesn't count people who are unsatisfactorily employed (below their previous wage / hourly levels) or the people who have given up or found alternative employment strategies.

At the same time. I'm not looking for a job with health benefits. I'm not, for all intents and purposes, highly skilled. I've got a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in religion - yes, Mom and Dad, you're right, it was not practical - and have spent the last three years of my life being a phone monkey for people that are, in short, crazy. I'm going on to grad school and plan to use very, very, very little of my phone skills in my future career. [A future post is going to address how all the skills in customer service prepare you to do just about anything, if you describe them correctly, but I won't start that here.]

I don't want full time work - I wouldn't be able to do it in nine months anyway. I want a part-time job that is going to pay my bills and give me something productive to do that doesn't make me want to break my eardrum with a spoon just to get out of an hour or two of work.

I want a job that doesn't give me acid reflux every evening when I realize the next day's a workday. I want a job that isn't with a company that is dependent on me pleasing every single person that calls in. I want a job where I'm not smart enough to do the work of two people, because right now I am smart enough and right now I am doing the work of two people.

Sixty-four hours left to go.