Quitting UPS for school

[Anonymous George]

I've finally decided I am going to really quit UPS. I see a lot of talk about how people wish they had done something different with their life or about all the unnecessary aches and pains that come with the job. School and UPS at the same time would be to much for me and they will not let me go back to part time.

I am just a combo job full time worker so I make less than a driver but the 22 dollars/hour by the end of the contract does sound very nice.

This is a very tough choice for me because I won't have the 600 dollars a week UPS check and I need to sell my house.

I'm 25 now and 7(5 full time) years with the company so hopefully I can recover. I just can't stand being outside at 2am with 50 below windchill in the winter then going to the preload and sweating it out. I am pretty much sick through the whole winter every year.

There has been a ambulance here about every week recently and injuries just about every day. A full time sup was calling over the radio telling them to hold off on the ambulance until he came over to check it out when a girl was hurt and knocked out for a bit. She ended up having broken wrists and a few other minor injuries. A call to profesionals should have been the first option if they cared about her safety.

Then our supervisor will bring down papers for us to sign about safety protocols so they can flash it in your face if you are ever hurt. When no one wants to sign he calls safety and starts slamming doors and yelling at us.

I work with about 8 other people and in no way mean to be insulting but I would rather ups pay them not to be there. One of them falls asleep every night with her hand in a popcorn bag. No one wants to work. Either you get stuck with people that want to be heroes or people that do nothing at all. At least they usually don't let these types of people be drivers.

I just can't imagine doing this job for another 20 years or more. Working nights here is really a struggle for me and when I get home my back, knees, and elbows all ache.

My parents are ok with me living in their basement for few years as long as I work hard in school. The hardest part is selling my house though. I have a girlfriend that doesnt want to work and just stay home while I pay for the food and house.

Am I crazy for wanting to change all this? giving up a full time job at UPS and a house for going back to school?

I'm really sorry for all the grumbling but only another upser can really understand what I'm going through.

thanks for your time

 

[disneyworld]

Good choice-you won't regret it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Deuce]

I am a part timer/casual driver and i worked my way through getting my degree, now like you, I am desperatly trying to get out of UPS befor I rely on this to much and am financially unable to leave for another job

 

[ragu]

#1) Wise decision, using your brain instead of your brawn is a good way to go through life, your body will thank you in 20 years. (Just make sure you major in something marketable, not something that begins in art-)

#2) The center you work at doesn't seem to be that dedicated to safety, bad situation, would'nt want to be there myself.

#3) Seems like you have some hostility towards the people you work with as well as your girlfriend, why not get rid of both.

And your hours suck, if you don't end up going to school at least try to go into full time driving.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Just make sure you get a degree that is actually worth the time and money you put into it. I know so many people that spent 4-6 years in college just to come out with a degree that doesn't seem to be worth anything. They can't find a decent paying job. If I could start all over I'd go learn a trade and not go anywhere near a traditional university. And it does sound like your hub/center sucks. Or at least the people there do. Falling asleep and not wanting to work is your typical union shop. I remember when I worked in a hub it seemed like more than half of the people there were lazy and spoiled rotten and only worked if they fell like it. That is....WHEN THEY'D ACTUALLY COME TO WORK!! It's not quite that bad in a smal center like I work in now. Thank god. Your situation does trip me out though. Here I am after 8 years with UPS and just praying to go full-time anytime soon and meanwhile you are sitting on 7 years and a full-time job after 2 years and want out. After my brief stay in a hub I can say I totally understand. Anyway....Good luck with school!!!

 

[Deuce]

that was fast to full time, at the hub i work in the typical wait for full time is about 10 years

 

[Anonymous George]

the wait is much longer now. I started on preload and the jobs were posted only to preloaders. At that time if you took one you were no longer able to take a driver job. That made it quite easy to get one. There were some people with less than a year that went full time.

Since the first full time jobs were not created at the right time some people were handed a 20,000 dollar check as soon as they went full time.

 

[25yrvet]

Dump the girl friend !!! Take 15+ hours a semester! Go to summer school. Get a degree in something worth while at a creditable university!!! Think about joinining the AIR Nat'l guard for tuition assistance--here it's paid for at our state colleges through the guard.
NO EXCUSES - GET THE JOB DONE-DON'T LOOK BACK
&
GOOD LUCK

 

[Foamer Pyle]

I am an 18 year full-time driver, and currently taking advantage of the earn and learn program. I can understand not wanting to go on anymore. I have just 2 years of college left before I get a business management degree. When I do get my degree, I plan on searching for a new career.
I don't know why someone would stereo-type a union employee as being lazy. I guess if they let people fall asleep at work where you are shame on them. I have never heard of that and can't stand slackers or cry babies. Good luck to you!!

 

[Griff]

I am an 18 year full-time driver, and currently taking advantage of the earn and learn program.

How do you balance FT driving and school? I've heard of more than a few guys in my building who do this but never bothered to ask questions. It's not like we have standard 9-5 jobs where you can just pickup and leave.

 

[trickpony1]

Universities and community colleges have dramatically increased the availability of online and weekend classes. I believe this is in response to the needs of the community.
Sure.....it may take you a little longer but it's worth it.

 

[Brownnblue]

#1) Wise decision, using your brain instead of your brawn is a good way to go through life, your body will thank you in 20 years. (Just make sure you major in something marketable, not something that begins in art-)

LOL!!

 

[Brownnblue]

If you don't mind me asking, what are you going back to school for?

I'd say it's a great decision, if you are passionate about the area you're going back to school for. Ragu makes some good points, but the marketability factor is real.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Don't join the Air National Guard. Join the Air Force Reserves. :=)

 

[Joopster]

Don't join the Air National Guard. Join the Air Force Reserves. :=)

Why? National guard typically has more money for school.

 

[diadlover]

Stay in school and protect your tool.

 

[MR_Vengeance]

Free at last , free at last.

 

[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA]

I am an 18 year full-time driver, and currently taking advantage of the earn and learn program. I can understand not wanting to go on anymore. I have just 2 years of college left before I get a business management degree. When I do get my degree, I plan on searching for a new career.

That’s fine.

You shouldn’t expect a lot as a 40-something year old with a new business degree looking for entry level work with no relevant business management experience.

Most companies require a degree and give preference to those that have performed various internships – which you aren’t going to be able to do as a full-time driver.

Now, had you received your degree and spent the last 18 years in some managerial position at UPS it’d be different. Plenty of business development or training/dev types or compliance people can use UPS to build their resume and get a gold-plated offer at another company outside the industry.

Just letting you know it’s a steep order to go out at 40 and think you’ll get paid comparatively to what you’re getting now. If you are offered a position you’ll be starting out at the bottom with the 22 year old kid that just got his business degree too – and he’ll likely have completed some amount of interning and will have expertise related to his degree you won’t have.

Now you know.

That said, I’m all for every 18+ year driver going out and doing something else.

 

[dave_socal]

Stay in school and protect your tool.

Nice pic you never looked better diadlover perfect advice! dump that lazy girlfriend. UPS is good and bad if you can do better do it while you still have a choice. As for me that boat sailed a while ago.

 

[trickpony1]

If I were a prospective employer, the following attributes would get my attention:

-40 something applicant, (strong work ethic, responsible, can count on him being at work everyday)
-18 years at a well known, highly visible package delivery company (see above attribute as well as the ablility to do large amounts of work unsupervised and within time constraints)
-recent business degree (is this guy superhuman? How did he do this while killing himself at the well known package delivery company? Can you say "intestinal fortitude"?
-capable of a sustained drive and high speed assimilation of information relevant to time confines, all while prioritizing. (see above attributes)
-the ability to think outside the box, (this applicant seems to know that there is more to life than money. Happiness and inner peace seem to be a variable in his life's equation.)

Yeah.......I would give him a chance. There would be a probation period just like the one he had at the highly visible package delivery company.