I need advice

Heres my situation:

I'm 22 years old. I live with my girlfriend. She has a nice job with nice pay/nice benefits. I work at wal-mart. I am attempting to go to college half-time at the same time as working 40 hours a week. I have called out of work 5 times in the past 7 months. To me, that doesnt seem too bad. However, wal-mart doesnt agree. I am now 2 callouts away from automatic termination, and am now on bad terms with my boss. I just don't know what to do. I feel overwhelmed most of the time. I feel like a failure for even getting myself into this situation with being on the edge of fired from not going to work. I'm just..really messed up mentally today i guess. I just have a hard time not feeling like a failure or like a mess up because my employers basically think im a piece of crap now >.< anyone have some words of wisdom or something? I need something..lol..

why not drop down to part time? Still get 30 hours but have more time for school?
Sit down with your girlfriend and set out a budget and see how possible it is money wise! Even if you have to drop down a level on your cable, internet, phone something.
Being that stressed isnt good for you mentally or physically!

Good luck!

My advice is to go to the financial aid office at your school and apply for every grant that you qualify for and look into school loans, too. You didn't say what your major is, but the best thing to do is pick something concrete that prepares you for a real job. Then, I would put school as the number one priority. Put your energy into school and get part-time jobs as needed.

Wal-Mart sounds like a depressing place to work; very possibly being released from that job could end up being a relief. The sooner you get that degree, the sooner you will have a good job and that will help with everything.

Remember that saying about one door closing and another opening? Good luck!

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

My advice is to go to the financial aid office at your school and apply for every grant that you qualify for and look into school loans, too. You didn't say what your major is, but the best thing to do is pick something concrete that prepares you for a real job. Then, I would put school as the number one priority. Put your energy into school and get part-time jobs as needed.

Wal-Mart sounds like a depressing place to work; very possibly being released from that job could end up being a relief. The sooner you get that degree, the sooner you will have a good job and that will help with everything.

Remember that saying about one door closing and another opening? Good luck!

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it is a fairly depressing place to work..my boss is the kind of guy that can either go two ways, hes way way nice and cool or hes very very difficult to work with, and either way hes entirely unprofessional on both ends of the spectrum. plus, i feel like their attendance policy is ridiculous..i mean 5 days in 7 months..give me a break..maybe its normal i dont know..i just find it ridiculous and ive seen many good workers get canned for the same reason

First of all, you are not a piece of crap. You are trying to do two things at once and it IS overwhelming after a while. Working 40 hours a week, going to school, having to take care of an apartment, plus doing minor things like showering, sleeping, and just plain taking time for yourself (if you get a chance!). I can get to be too much.

I agree, talk it over with your girl friend and see if you can afford to drop down to part time. Do you have benefits through wal-mart? What is their policy about that? Do you have to work a full 40 hours or can you cut back your hours a little and still get them (if you have them to begin with)?

5 times in 7 months does seem a little much, but I can understand why you have done that.

If you can't go part time or cut your hours back, I would see if you can find another job. Honestly, your education is the most important thing and maybe another employer would be willing to work around your schedule better.

I wish you luck. My advise is to try to take an hour or two for yourself SOON! Do something you enjoy doing even if its only for a short time. Stess will eat you alive, and you need to recharge by spending time doing something enjoyable.

There are also work-study programs where you work part-time on campus, and the employers are usually very understanding about school schedules (they are also paying only a part of your salary and that makes 'em nicer, too).

as far as you being a pos - that's ridiculous.

You have your standards: called in 5 times out of 7 mns is OK
Walmart's standards: make it 7 times, yer fired.
(btw - is that 7 times in a years? Or forever?)

The standards dont mesh - that does NOT make you a "lowly human".

I'm assuming Wal-mart has such a rule b/c they dont want undependable employees. The policy isnt really directed at YOU - but at poor employees who dont show up regularly. Please keep that in mind.

I assume you are young, and I'm not putting you down for that, but when I was a young adult I put up with ridiculous policies and near abuse b/c I didnt know any better. And it was the employers who paid the least and worked me the hardest at the same time. I just didnt really know my rights or what was normal to accept.

Once I got into the corporate world though, I noticed how things really are supposed to work. (of course, mucho imperfections abound, but for the most part...) I also know I wouldnt tolerate a lot of nonsense anymore.

I got written up at Macy's for being late. I was late b/c I had a car accident on the way over. They didnt care; a rule is a rule, so they wrote me up. $6.50 an hour and no time even to use the restroom on non-break time. Geesh! I didnt miss that job when I left it.

OK, as someone working full time, getting a masters degree part time I understand how hard the balance can be.

When you say you called off, what do you mean? If you have called in sick 5 times in 7 months, yes that is more than most employeers will allow. Now if some of these days were planned ahead of time, that is totally differnt. Regaurdless of if you have vacation time or not a planned abscence should not count against you.

Have you tried to sit down & talk with your boss about what he expects from you? If you want to stay there, full or part time, I think it would be a good idea. You need to know what he is looking for from you and he needs to know how hectic your schedule is. You also need to talk to your girl friend about how much you need to work. I work in an unrelated field and feel luky to have a boss who understands when I want a day off, but I have also been here 10 years. I think that you can not be too hard on yourself about the past, all you can do is strive to do your best from this point on.

Oh honey I feel for you I just finished my masters in december and earned while going to school full time AND working full time. I was not a pretty site during that year.

Remember though that you're not going to school to continue to work at Walmart. People here have given you great advice about talking to financial aid and seek out the career services center. Also talk with your teachers (especially those that are heads of your department). They may know of business looking for interns in your line of major.

Keep positive! Walmart can bring a person down. I know get frustrated just by entering the parking lot when/if I go there.

I am sorry to hear you feel like this. You really shouldnt going to school is prolly the best investment you can make and a really wise choice. I would look into droping down to part time 25 hrs or so and go to school. Also, why dont you look into what your school has to offer as far as loans and grants are concerned. even a work study might b good. I hope you get things sorted out.
It is hard going to school and working fulltime. I am doing it now and I am on the verge of insanity in way. just not enough hours in a day. when i was going for my bachelors degree i went to school fulltim and worked part time but I took loans so that helped me a lot.

Originally Posted by lunasmom

Walmart can bring a person down. I know get frustrated just by entering the parking lot when/if I go there.

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I get this feeling too. There are jobs with more flexible hours that probably pay more than Wal-Mart. I would start the search. So sorry you are stressed!

thanks so much guys for all of your good advice. I called the financial aid office and they told me its going to be a few months before they can tell me anything. However, I talked with my boss at work and he told me he will cut me down to 32 hours a week(4days) instead of 40. I think that will be a tremendous help. Hopefully financial aid will work out, although since I started making money of my own and reported it this year they took away my federal pell grant >.< We'll see. Thanks again everyone

I agree with the work study or campus job! My boyfriend has one where he gets to sit in the computer labs and work on his homework and just kind of oversee the lab and make sure no one is doing anything against the rules. But he started out making $7 and hour for that.
Another friend had to work in the Choir library but was getting an almost full ride!
Go talk to financial aid about those, or maybe just talk to one of the workers in a computer lab or at a help desk or something and ask how they got their jobs.