# I think I might be my happiest at work--ever. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 14, 2015, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-might-be-my-happiest-at-work-ever/727805 "2015-08-14T03:19:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2015, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-might-be-my-happiest-at-work-ever/727805/1 "2015-08-14T03:19:25Z")
“Business-to-business inside salesman” making cold calls. Yeah, a telemarketer. Wasn’t always one. For decades I was a perfectly happy CAD Guy, alone in my head, drawing pretty and meticulous pictures I was proud of, and was paid well for it. Circumstances and I ended up in the back row of the Used Employee lot and came to work here. First year was rough; I was calling consumers about internet services. Then two years calling businesses about high-end internet services. The customers were basically the jerks I went to college with, but the product was something some of them needed. Pleasant enough, didn’t get sworn at, legit product, and I was successful, but the client dropped first me then the whole program. I was put in a holding pattern for a few weeks selling the equivalent of Robot Insurance to the elderly. I love my old dears, but it was not honorable work. That ended and I’m selling a computer service for a respectable company to medical offices. Our good Uncle will soon be requiring them to adopt it (thanks Obama!) but I can maintain the polite fiction that those who hate-hate-HATE! the concept can carry on without it, though I point out that they have until January 1 to enjoy doing things the old-fashioned way until Sam puts his foot down, but no pressure. They usually are happy to continue, as if four and a half months is four and a half years. They’ll hear from me later. But even they are Nice People and fun to talk to. The thing is, before I was calling lawyers and CFOs. I’d cut them some slack by saying they didn’t get where they are today without working hard, but c’mon. I know these guys and they were jerks in college, high school, and before. Medical office managers? Shit, my wife was one of them. I know their pain points and their happy points. Mostly, when to make a joke, when to commiserate, and when to get the call back on track. It’s like talking to my wife and her friends all day. I’m laughing and smiling, and so far I’m enjoying the hell out of it. And when they pay me more I’ll like it better. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2015, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-might-be-my-happiest-at-work-ever/727805/2 "2015-08-14T04:22:56Z")
sounds pretty awesome to me. Happy to hear you’re finding a good niche ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2015, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-might-be-my-happiest-at-work-ever/727805/3 "2015-08-15T02:56:04Z")
Yay!!! It makes me very, very happy to hear that good things are going on for you! ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2015, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-might-be-my-happiest-at-work-ever/727805/4 "2015-08-15T02:58:20Z")
Double post - sorry! ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2015, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-might-be-my-happiest-at-work-ever/727805/5 "2015-08-15T03:48:03Z")
They’re still paying me a third of what I got drawing pretty pictures, but thanks! And thanks to those companies that gave me a couple really good decades. If I’m still here when I hit 66, Social Security will basically double my income. Boss passed out the new incentive program, which is still lower than my old B2B program. An extra fifty cents to a buck-fifty per hour on top of my shit base? I’m not putting myself out for that! I’m putting myself out to beat the two ladies on the program, who are beating me now. It’s like my theory that, given the typical _Jeopardy!_ contestant, the prize money is secondary to winning _Jeopardy!_ (Some SDMB former-contestants may disagree, but they are not being honest with themselves. ;))