Hello,
I was hoping that someone could offer some advice based on their experiences in school or work. I am in one of those situations where I love my job but dislike the people that I work with. I am in a PhD program, and I've got about
two or three years left to finish my degree. I am ABD - so I've passed all my exams, finished my coursework, and I'm working on my dissertation. I love teaching, writing, and research. I love what I'm doing. I want to be a Professor, and I've invested alot of time into this. Right now, I work for the University while I'm completing my degree. I have a great laid back office job that I enjoy. I have enough money to get by. I'm not unhappy with any of this.
But, I constantly feel depressed and miserable because the people around me are so poisonous. Many of my colleagues are ultra competitive, jealous, and arrogant. When you talk to many of these people, you get the feeling that they are not sincere on any level. They constantly do and say things to undermine you and one another. They will act friendly to your face - then, you'll find out that they said something horrible about
you behind your back. You feel like you are at battle everyday. You have to watch every word that you say because people are collecting information about
you constantly for negative reasons - and it makes me miserable.
Overtime, I've worked at several different jobs. I have lower degrees from two other universities. I never encountered people like this. And after, I've dedicated so much to earning this degree, I don't want to walk away and let this group of people keep from achieving my goals. I'm good at what I do, and I'm motivated to do it. But, it's hard to be around people like this everyday. I'm not sure what to do or how to handle this anymore. Psychologically, I've become miserable and a very unhappy person - and it's not even related to my actual work.
Post Edited (db8787) : 9/5/2012 12:54:30 PM (GMT-6)