Work Disaster

I'm going to start by saying i love my job. I'm a portrait photographer for the PictureMe! Portrait Studio and I've been doing it since early November of 2007. I was hired in as a seasonal associate. I would be photographing children, and families, and whomever. I would have to sell the portrait collections and take care of customers. When I was hired, I was told it would be a part time position and that after the season was through, I may either be kept on as the part time associate for my home store or I would be let go. Another girl was working there at the time, and she had been there for over a year. The condition of my employment was based on performance. There was the possibility that the other girl would not be keeping her job if I out-performed her. Did I mention I've been in this position for 3 years now??? :)


Over the past few years, we've hired 6-8 seasonal associates, one of which we kept in the other local store. I've seen these associates come and go and many times, they quit. Something about the job is too stressful, too much, too difficult. Usually they quit around the time we no longer need them, which is fine with me, but this year, we have had 6 new hires who were trained only to quit 3 or 4 weeks into the job... let me tell you, IT SUCKS!!!

Every time a new hire quits, i feel like the weight of my job is on my shoulders and my shoulders alone. I'm a single mother. I live in Florida ON MY OWN and really don't have any family that can help me out, especially in the last minute.

In the past 6-8 months I've opened up my availability to this job immensely. My daughter is a full time kindergarten student and her dad works at a local hospital. I can work 4 days a week and maybe 5 but the more people who quit the job they were hired to do, the more difficult and stressful my life becomes because I feel like all eyes are on me to swoop in and work more than I'm able to and spread myself so thin that I disappear.

I LOVE MY JOB!!! It's the most fun and rewarding job I've had so far and I can't understand how other people who are hired in don't love it just as much as I do!!!
I'm currently in training to become a manager; something I'm not quite sure I'm super prepared for but it would be pretty cool to be the boss and run the studio. I'd make my own hours and work when I want to but then, the pressure and responsibility that comes along with it sometimes feels like it would be too much. The money would sure be nice though...

Now that we are in the thick of the Christmas season, there is no way we can hire anyone new right now. Our last new hire just quit like literally TODAY. There is no time to train them and it's too busy to throw someone blindly into this hard work. So right now I guess I have to sit back and wait to see what the hell happens and how much my bosses will try to push me to pick up more shifts that I don't think i can even take.

I hope the season flies by because I don't think i can handle any more!