YES. I worked at a shelter for abused women, but the staff was narcissistic, back-biting, treated you like a slave with no feelings, and the list goes on. They even treated the residents at the shelter like crap. I have had crying outbursts, headaches, sleep issues, etc, due to how I was treated. I have complained, but it didn't do anything. The owner of the shelter was a sleazeball. I just deall with it in various ways, and tried to use assertiveness (it worked sometimes).
Here's WHY:
1) It was the only job in this economic state that worked with my school/internship hours. Many jobs don't have sympathy for adjusting with students. They would rather pick someone that's not in school. This women's shelter job had flexible hours.
2) It was my escape from NM's house. I needed the money to help me move out, right? I can't stay home and not make any money.
3) I wanted to show job stability on my resume, and not look like a job hopper. Employers do question you if you're at a job temporarily. I don't feel comfortable saying "My boss was abusive, so that's why I left." As tough as it is to get a job these days, I want to make myself a likely candidate.
4) It did have SOME positive things to it. The residents at the shelter liked me a lot, and that made me feel like a better person. I had a lot of downtime to do my homework, type up school papers, etc. I often was alone on my shifts, where I could relax. I only had to deal with bitchy workers for an hour or two. I was allowed to bring my laptop, so I could vent online if I was upset.
People would tell me, "If you had self-respect, you would get out" I didn't think it was a good idea. I used the money I made from that "abusive job" to move out to a better environment! The idea of quitting and spending months looking for another job didn't seem realistic to me at the time. I really needed a good amount of money to successfully move out of state.
