<p>There are companies that spend a ton of money working on their logistics so that they can be as efficient as possible. It only makes sense to consider logistics in our personal lives so that we can make the most of the time and energy resources that we have available to us.</p>
<p>As a hiring manager, I would want to know if you have done your part in trying to resolve the problem before you quit. As you will be looking for another job on campus, just keep in mind that most people do talk (gossip) to each other. If you are going to quit, make sure you do it in the most professional way.</p>
<p>I’m going to try to explain my reasons in a professional manner to her - job isn’t really working out, rather stressed at the moment, I’ll work until a replacement is found, etc. I’m just extremely nervous about approaching her (or even sending an email) now! Any suggestions/advice on how to not burn my bridges? </p>
<p>Again, thanks everyone for your responses.</p>
<p>I’d definitely schedule a meeting rather than trying to do this via e-mail. It’s much more professional to try to work things out face to face than email, especially if it might mean you quitting.</p>
<p>Instead of starting out with quitting in mind, why don’t you schedule a meeting with her and discuss your concerns. Talk about your schedule and see if it can be changed.
Tell her about your difficulties with the hardware and get her suggestions. </p>
<p>I wonder if your anxiety is based on your feelings that you “should” know how to do these things, (printer issues, etc.) but don’t and are embarrassed by it. Believe me, no one expects you to know everything. But I think you underestimate what you do know, and how helpful that is to people (the software). </p>
<p>I wouldn’t go in and just quit. Explain your concerns and see if they can be addressed. It’s great preparation for later work experiences where you do want to stay and make things better. It’s a great opportunity, actually. Good luck!</p>
<p>Understanding the tons of different hardware out there is beyond even my H & S’s expertise. S has been doing computers now for 4 decades & S is considered a whiz at all things electronic and computer since grade school. It is great that you can help folks as much as you do for the software and they are getting a bargain in you because of it. That is a very lucrative field to polish as a potential side or part-time job in the future.</p>
<p>I agree with moonchild that a face to face meeting on the specific issues you are having with your job, any accommodations that can be made to improve scheduling, your specific issues with the breadth of hardware problems you may encounter and expectations about what you should or should not be able to fix/help/repair would be good to have clarified at this meeting. I find it helpful to write things down in advance and give a copy to whomever I’m meeting with so we can be sure they are all addressed rather than told, “Hang in there,” which is nice but doesn’t address any of the issues you would like addressed.</p>
<p>I just got an email from my adviser - she says to drop it because the hours are terrible, but we’re going to go over it in detail tomorrow afternoon.</p>
<p>My husband fixes computers; it isn’t the job for someone without a ton of patience and a wide range of abilities. He has a dozen associates whom he can call with problems that are out of his range - almost no one can fix all the hardware issues and advise in all the software you’ve described. You are fully justified in feeling frustrated and poorly matched.
If you decide to stay on the job, go to those team meetings and let them know that you are strong in software, not hardware. Find out what other job holders do when they have a problem they cannot fix. You might also find someone who can cover some of the simpler repair issues with you, and whom you could call if you are stuck. There’s also nothing wrong with saying, “I cannot fix this, but Bob is a wiz at it and his shift starts at 8…”
However, I think you’ve already decided to give up the job. That’s too bad, as this kind of job does lead to much better opportunities. Think it through - is there anything at all you like about the job? I have to think they are not expecting all that much from a freshman; perhaps you are putting too much pressure on yourself. Really, even the professionals have difficulty with some of these situations, and they have a lot of experience to fall back on!</p>