Deciding on which job to take

[wanderer03]

In my not-so-humble-opinion Jeff Bezos thrives on pitting people against one another. He's notorious for treating people as expandable.

 

[ASD_Geek]

It doesn't hurt going to the orientation as it will give you some interviewing experience, but it does sound like the dispatch job was picked with you in mind, whereas with Amazon, you're just a number. We have a fulfillment center here in Tennessee and the turnover rate is very high here as well. It doesn't sound like a friendly work environment which you need right now. Going into the dispatch job, they should already have an idea about you and any possible accommodations or help that you may need as you said.

Good luck! You're going to do great!

 

[wanderer03]

Well, what happens if Robby attends the orientation, is offered the job, and has to turn it down? I don't think attending the Amazon orientation is wise at this point.

 

[Robby]

From what I hear about Bezos and his company, they treat workers like cattle it's all about numbers and zero attention is given to the individual it's like those factories before the 1930s before unions existed. If I didn't have the dispatch job lined up, I'd take the Amazon one. I'm probably just going to skip the orientation. I think it'd be good for a brief seasonal job for cash but right now with the time of year and all, and my financial situation, I have to make sure the job I take has the potential to last at least several months, if not longer, and given my lack of work history, I feel more secure in the dispatch job because it's more individualized, way less physical, and I am hoping if I should need them, provisions will be made for me if i need help with certain areas. Really my only main problems are, terrible short term memory, multi tasking, and that's about it. If they can work with me on those, I should be fine. The pay isn't going to be great, 10.50 per hour, but hey better than 0, and I'd be making close to 1700 per month. And I'll get some work experience. I am going to remember this time around once I start, that if things get a bit intense, or overwhelming, to stick it out, and just do the best I can. In the past if I started a job and felt I couldn'thandle it, I'd bail quickly. I'm just always so terrified of messing up, but making mistakes isn't the end of the world right. I'm human. This time around, I'm staying put. If it doesn't work out so be it, I can always then try Toyota or somewhere. But I have told myself this.

 

[paloftoon]

I've heard bad things about working at Amazon myself, and I've never worked there myself! If the full time Amazon job comes with benefits, and especially if you've never had benefits before, then you should take that job because that puts you up a step in terms of experience. In the mean time, you can look for more comparable jobs in the mean time where you might be treated better. Amazon might've improved since then, or you might be alright- hard to say. You won't know for sure until you try. I agree with everyone that don't base your decision on just money unless you really need it to survive. Whichever job you choose, you can always try to apply for another one. Not easy to apply for other jobs while having a job, but it's the best scenario you could be in. You can be choosy in that situation too. I've been there myself.

 

[wanderer03]

I've heard bad things about working at Amazon myself, and I've never worked there myself! If the full time Amazon job comes with benefits, and especially if you've never had benefits before, then you should take that job because that puts you up a step in terms of experience. In the mean time, you can look for more comparable jobs in the mean time where you might be treated better. Amazon might've improved since then, or you might be alright- hard to say. You won't know for sure until you try. I agree with everyone that don't base your decision on just money unless you really need it to survive. Whichever job you choose, you can always try to apply for another one. Not easy to apply for other jobs while having a job, but it's the best scenario you could be in. You can be choosy in that situation too. I've been there myself.

Is it worth risking a significant psychological/mental health setback for good benefits? No, it is not. One should never trade their mental health for a job. There is more to life than money.

 

[Robby]

I've decided I'm going to try the dispatch job. See how it works out, see how they treat me, etc etc. I can always try Amazon down the road, but just not sure if I want to put myself in that situation given what I've heard. There is more to life than money true, but one has to make a living and do for oneself, nobody else is going to do it. I've been unemployed way too long, and at this point, time is a wasting and I have to start making that money so I can get what I need, a car, a place of my own, etc. Can't do that with part time work. The dispatch job might not be ideal, or it might be great, who knows, I know one thing, I plan on sticking it out even if it gets hard at times. It will be extremely physically easy, so can't beat that, hopefully there won't be any ******** office politics involved, but at this point I don't really care if people like me as long as they respect me and treat me decently and fairly. If for some reason it doesnt work out, thereare other warehouse jobs for companies that have better reputations than Amazon so this is probably the route I am going. Hopefully I'm making the right decision.

 

[paloftoon]

Is it worth risking a significant psychological/mental health setback for good benefits? No, it is not. One should never trade their mental health for a job. There is more to life than money.

Sometimes it is worth a little risk for a lot of gain all around in the long term. In anything you do, you take a risk. It's good to be open to all kind of environments as much as possible. It's harder if you don't have supportive family or friends though. Not everyone is ready to try something like that. I don't even know if the Amazon offer has benefits, and my impression is that Robby doesn't seem to know either. It also sounds like OVR has more limited scope with working with Robby at Amazon. This could make a big difference. If OVR will work with Robby at Amazon, especially since the connection is not through OVR, he'd definitely be getting his tax dollars worth! Not that you do everything just for your "dollars" worth only, but it is something to consider down the line. Don't stay in one shell forever if you can help it. Of course, these days, it's too easy to "change" to.

If you can live off of what this dispatcher job is offering you long term Robby, this is the way to go hands down. If not, then this would be a good starting base. So, consider that too.

What is good about these different opinions Robby is that you still get to make the best decisions you can based on your current situation and the timing. This could always change. We wish you the best.

 

[wanderer03]

In my opinion the risk of a serious meltdown or nervous breakdown is nothing to be marginalized. It doesn't matter how solid your support systems are, highly stressful jobs can still result in mental health issues - especially if you are not used to even working a 40 hour week.

As I said before, I'm not a fan of bang starting into a challenging environment. There are other ways to get mental exercise outside of the workplace that are not stressors. High stress causes deleterious effects on the mind and body. No amount of money or quality of benefits can make up for a loss in quality of life.

I don't see any net benefit for ANYONE (Aspie or NT) working at an Amazon fulfillment center. People have been worked quite literally to death there. Google it. There are some very sad stories. Fsck Jeff Bezos!

 

[Robby]

Well, the thing about the dispatch job too is that I discussed it quite a bit with my vocational rehab counselor, and although she is not a doctor, she helps place many people with different disabilities in jobs and I articulated to her my particular issues and concerns, and environments I didn't like, and ones I felt I'd be better in. And with that, she is the one who suggested I stay away from receptionist jobs and mentioned the dispatch position as a possibility. Since in this job there won't be any interaction with the general public face to face, which tends to bother me in a work setting. And although she didn't secure the dispatch job for me, it was through a contact of hers that I got the interview, then I got the job on my own. But knowing voc rehab is there and aware it is a bit reassuring, in case I do have any difficulty, I can let her know and they can support me. I am definitely going to stick it out this time even if things get a bit difficult at times,because determination is half the battle right. It will pay 10.50 an hour, 8 hours a day 5 days a week with possible overtime and incentives for bonuses. So I'd be making close to 1700 a month before taxes. Not too bad. My only concern at this point is being able to learn the job and do it well. It might take me a bit longer, but I hope I can show them through my always being on time, and positive attitude, that I can learn if they're patient with me. I don't think it will be too stressful, if i can get the hang of handling the calls. Physically, it will be a breeze. And the schedule is perfect, 2pm-10pm. Because I am NOT a morning person. Lol.

I thought about it and I just couldn't bring myself to do Amazon. Maybe sometime if I need extra cash over the holidays or something, but never for a permanent job. There are just too many other warehouse type jobs that are way less stressful than Amazon. And less impersonal. I just have a problem with a company that hires you without even bothering to interview you one on one. That's really creepy. I could not work in a very stressful high pressure environment because I am a very expressive person if I'm pissed, people know it, and I have no filter lol.