My Recent Job
I'm playing with the formatting of this post. Let me know if you like it!
For context, my last job was a seasonal tax preparation job where I had to report to an office building, but was otherwise identical to a remote job in the sense that almost all of the functions of the job could've been done at home. Any communication to my manager or other staff at my job was done through email, Microsoft Teams, or Slack. In fact, the only other person from my company in the office building was a co-worker who worked in a separate room.
I worked with clients remotely, but I had an office space for when a client wanted to do a walk-in. The client would still have to upload all of their tax documents to the company's online portal with their own personal device, so it may as well have been all done remotely. I never actually worked with a walk-in client, but that was mostly due to the fact I worked on the 13th floor; there was basically zero chance of someone off the street randomly finding me to do their tax return.
I quit the job two weeks before the end of the tax season due to stress. I was at a point where I truly felt that I was going to do suffer permanent health issues if I didn't change something quickly. This post is my attempt to organize my thoughts and feelings regarding my job and where I would like to lead my career in the future.
1. What I Liked
1. Having my own office.
a) A clean and quiet space away from the distractions of home. There is definitely something about having to go through a morning routine, putting on some nice clothes, and leaving the house at the same time every day that helps put my mind in a mood to work.
b) It made me feel like I "made it" despite the fact that I was still working a seasonal job.
c) If I create my own business, I would heavily consider renting an office space, especially if I expect to meet clients regularly.
2. Access to free coffee.
I drank more cappuccinos than I probably should have. After a while, the coffee didn't do much other than force me to make more trips to the restroom.
3. I got to work with a wide variety of clients.
There was rarely a day that went by that I didn't encounter a return or client with a situation that I never encountered before. It definitely felt like I hit the wall several times a day, but the experience opened my eyes to how much is out there and how much more I still need to learn regarding taxation.
4. I am glad to have met my co-worker.
My co-worker was a good person with a lot of experience in the accounting and tax fields. He gave me some good advice regarding the avenues I might pursue within the tax field.
5. The building staff were nice.
I didn't interact with them much since I spent most of my time locked in my office helping clients, but good service wherever you can find it helps.
2. What I Didn't Like
1. The one and a half hour commute via public transportation both ways.
This is three hours of my life gone each work day. Even more of my life is flushed down the drain when there are significant delays which can potentially add an hour or more to my trip. This is the main reason I've quit the job.
2. It wasn't always easy reaching my manager.
This was mainly an issue during the onboarding process when I was still figuring how the internal processes worked.
3. Dealing with tech support was a pain.
It took a couple of weeks for me to resolve an issue regarding being locked out of one of my work e-mail accounts. Maybe I should've been more proactive with calling the hotline, but it took 30 minutes to maybe an hour to actually reach someone. Even then, it was a crapshoot if the person on the other end of the line would actually help me.
4. Clients either not uploading required tax documents or suddenly uploading new documents when I thought I finished the return.
The former is definitely worse, especially when missing information is the difference between the client owing thousands of dollars or getting a decent refund.
5. Slack is a less than optimal tool for intracompany communication.
Waiting for lead to respond to my request for advice while I'm dealing with an impatient client was often frustrating.
6. My schedule.
I had four days on, one day off, one day on, and another day off. I prefer having both of my days off together. Only having one day off makes me feel like I can't really relax before the next work day starts. This is doubly so when I have to use my day off to take care of errands that I simply can't do during the week.
3. What I Realized
1. There is much more to learn about taxes.
a) My base tax knowledge so I'm not as frequently stumped by a client's unique tax situation.
b) My ability to research relevant and accurate information regarding tax issues. The problem with using Google as your primary research tool is that you often come across someone's opinion on a tax situation that sounds valid only to later realize is wholly inaccurate or outdated.
2. I need to learn to manage my stress better.
If I want to hold a job or run a business long-term, I need to develop better coping strategies for when I'm in a stressful situation. Things like knowing what kind of food to bring for lunch to maintain high energy levels, or designing an environment where I can take breaks as needed without disrupting my productive output. The last thing I want is to die a decade or two early due to work stress.
3. I want a shorter commute.
Commuting a total of three hours a day (if I'm lucky) is a waste of life. Perhaps I should try looking for completely remote work, but staying home all day is very isolating, and going to a cafe or library brings up privacy and security concerns when I'm working with clients' personal information.
In an ideal world, I would only have a 20 minute walk between my home and the workplace. Just far enough from the distractions of home without the soul crushing ritual of taking public transportation daily.
4. It has cemented my desire to at least try starting my own business.
If I'm going to stress myself out, I better do it for my own benefit. There are additional stressors when you're working for yourself, such as self-employment tax, equipment, software, marketing, etc. However, I feel there is more of an upside due to truly being able to work on my own schedule and being able to take time off when I need to without needing approval from some HR person who only sees me as a number in a spreadsheet.
5. Renting an office suite may be a good idea.
Finding an office building close to my home with a reasonable monthly rate would be a game changer for me in creating my own business. Having a clean and quiet space where I can work peacefully and meet clients with pride would definitely motivate me to put in the hours needed to achieve some level of success.
This feels like an impossible dream for me, but there's always hope!
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