Why You Don't Work For Family

I've held the same job for the last six and a half years—since my junior year of high school. I work at my uncle's small-town grocery store. It's family-owned and almost entirely family-operated, save for a couple outsiders. It's probably the worst job in the world. Underpaid, overworked, under-appreciated, and less than respected. In short, don't work for family.

Working at a grocery store isn't all that rough of a job. There's of course a level of manual labour involved, but that's not too bad. So long as you remember to bend at the knees and not at the waist. The issue is that it adds a whole new level to your relationship with your family. You're working for family, so you're expected to work even harder. But in turn, they don't necessarily pay you as well as they should. Sometimes you'll find yourself doing to the job of four-to-six people by yourself for just a little more than minimum wage. And if you slack off and don't get that excessive load of work done, then you've just created some interesting tension at the next big family get-together. That creates a huge level of stress that should not be associated with such a menial job. Really, when you're left feeling under-appreciated despite how hard you work, whether you're working for family or not, it is going to add stress that shouldn't be there, especially when you have no other options for the time being.

I hate my job for others reason too. The biggest reason is that I am not making a single difference. Whose lives am I affecting by stocking shelves and bagging groceries? On whom am I having some profound impact? I'm not making a difference. I'm not helping anyone. When I was in college I worked with kids, both as a volunteer and as a paid employee. I helped kids. Not only did I aid them in the schoolwork, but I gave them general life advice. I gave them someone to talk to, someone to rant to, someone to ask for help. I've had kids tell me they've thought about suicide, that they're confused about their sexuality, that they're bullied on a regular basis. I made a difference with that job. Even if I was just playing dodgeball in the gym or swinging on the swing set, I knew I was having a positive impact on at least one of those kids, and a lot of them needed it. I miss that job; I miss working with kids. One day I'd like to found a non-profit organization to help the youth of America and eventually an educational institution. Except I'll need a few million dollars first. Until then, this blog will have to do.