Struggling through Hell

I told my room8 about the Sup call I took last week and her response is bothering me. She used to work in a call center until 3 months ago and she said that working in an environment without receiving calls from these stupid customers is really different and peaceful. Sure, she gets stressed with the deadlines every now and then but that's on her. You won't have to be apprehensive every time the phone rings wondering if your next call is some stupid bastard who doesn't know how to find the enter key or some ego-tripping sonofabitch who just wants to ruin your day. A guy co-worker told me last week that no matter how hard he tries not to get affected, he can't help but feel bad when he gets assholes bad-mouthing him (he's a guy at that!). I think I've gone thick-skinned over the years. I don't react as much to bad calls anymore. I don't remember their names, I don't cry, I don't even need ice cream to comfort me anymore. I just pause, sincerely wish them dead, take a deep breath and move on. My room8 said that call center salaries need to be good to pay off the heartaches and stress that agents get. I agree. There are even times when I ask myself if this is really worth it? But I have to remember that this is a means to an end. One couldn't be a warrior without going into battle. I have to take things in stride and one day, when I'm at the top, I'll look back with pride knowing I've gone through hell and lived to tell about it.