DR. WALLACE: I got a part-time job at a fast-food restaurant a week ago. This is my first job and I just recently received my first paycheck since my first two workdays fell into the pay period that was just completed. Getting a paycheck is cool!
My problem is I don’t like working at this fast-food restaurant at all. The pace is wild, and I feel like I am running on a treadmill for my whole six-hour shift.
How can I quit as soon as possible without being unprofessional in how I do it? I want to get a good reference from this place so that I can get another job at a slower-paced restaurant next week, for example. — Exhausted at work, via email
EXHAUSTED AT WORK: You should give this job at least 30 days to see how it plays out for you. Yes, fast food restaurants are sometimes very busy and you must hustle to keep up. But this is a good thing! It teaches you to prioritize your time and to make quick decisions. And the time goes by quickly at work when you’re very busy.
If after a month you still do not like it, then you can put it in your two-week’s notice, which is the professional way to exit a place of employment. If you quit now, a reference based upon a “one week career” will likely actually hurt you more than it will help you going forward with a new job search. A prospective new employer may similarly feel you won’t stick around there long either.
Give this job a longer chance. You may find that you get used to it and you might make some friends amongst your coworkers that could make the experience more rewarding for you.
MY RELATIONSHIPS ARE SCARCE!
DR. WALLACE: I’m in high school and I haven’t been involved in a serious relationship yet. I keep trying to meet girls. I talk to them and get their phone numbers, but I always seem to end up in the “friend zone.”
I have no idea how to be in a relationship or what I’m doing wrong so far. Can you make a few suggestions that might help me to be looked at as more than just a friend? — Too often a friend, via email
TOO OFTEN A FRIEND: It simply appears to me that you haven’t found the right girl yet. It’s fine, and even advisable, to have many “friends” and to not rush this process overall. Remember that many good relationships are the result of two people being introduced to each other by mutual friends.
Don’t give up or be too hard on yourself. I think you’re doing the right thing — being sociable and friendly to many young ladies. Enjoy the company of your friends and hang out with many people. Eventually, you’ll connect with the right young lady!
Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected] To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
