Call Center Epidemic

They’re taking over! All around us young people are looking to call centers for work and even some old people as well. But why? Why are so many of our creative innovative minds  reducing themselves to dull work that isn’t engaging and provides no outlet for them to show their beautiful souls to the world? I have my answer to this question, it might not be right and it might not be aligned with what you believe but hey that’s what makes this world interesting. Before I give my answer I want to talk about my experience applying for a position at a call center and the fascinating people I met in the process. As soon as I walked through the door I sensed a feeling of defeat, I also saw it on some of the faces of the people waiting to take the plunge into the world of competitive stressful work. The look on their faces said to me that they already knew what was waiting for them on the other side and it wasn’t greener pastures, more like a desolate dry dessert. They looked beaten by the very notion of the work they were about to subject themselves to and at the same time accepting, as if they had no other choice. Maybe they don’t, maybe they were led to believe that by family members like I was, maybe they tried tirelessly to find other work with nothing but failed results each time or maybe they actually see the value in it. Everyone has a different path unfortunately the final stop is the same. It’s these different paths that grabbed my attention while I was waiting to be assessed. I sat there imagining the different circumstances that led them to the call center and I was ecstatic to have the privilege to hear some of their stories. First there’s the budding lawyer who already plans to have illegal businesses on the side, the guy who has worked at call centers before, hates it but for some unknown reason is applying for another one. The girl who seems to be the call center expert that moves around to any company that pays the most. A responsible woman who has been treated terribly by her previous company and is extremely worried about not being able to pay her bills, I could hear her voice break as she told me her story. Last but definitely not least, the hilarious outspoken future radio personality who just wanted to find out what all the fuss was about surrounding call centers. Talking to them was the highlight of my day and although I had my reservations about going I’m glad I went. I believe the hiring process at the call center I went to is completely broken. I arrived at 10:15 and didn’t leave until five, a full work day just to apply for the job, call me crazy but that just seems wrong to me. The majority of the time was spent waiting in a freezing cold room with no instructions or information to say what was happening. Some of the people there said they got text messages that said the process would last two hours, I’m glad I didn’t get one of those texts, less expectations. I attribute the dysfunction to the number of persons they try to assess in one day. I think it’s way too much and to me it seemed that the recruiters were struggling to focus, they were overwhelmed. Some of them kept their lovely smiles on though. Now to the all important question of why so many young people think the call center is the answer to their troubles. Money. From the conversations I heard these call centers pay well, miss call center expert made this very clear as she told us her previous salary. Our gifted minds need money to survive or to propel them forward in their lives as they strive to change the world in their individual fields and the call center provides that in abundance apparently. So they compromise, they settle and they accept defeat. I have my quarrels with call centers but I won’t say to anyone don’t work there, because it can help, it helps a lot of people. I must warn you though, it is not for everybody and it is very possible that you’ll regret working there. Some of us are incapable of compromise and that’s fine, in fact I love you for it. Never apologize for who you are and who you can’t pretend to be. Embrace it. Oh and by the way, I didn’t get the job.