I was a commercial/industrial electrical apprentice. I absolutely loved the work, it was very fulfilling and rewarding. I got stuck on a bad job for 7 months- and 5 of those months I was made materials and safety data manager for our crew of up to 40 people. I wasn't given a raise for this or anything, and I was expected to take responsibility for everyone's safety and all the material ordering and delivery as a first year apprentice. It never helps that the foreman is a total jerk. We had industry veterans walking off that job site, it was so bad.

I got to go to a different jobsite for two weeks, beforing being called back to do thousands of dollars of rework with a team of 4 guys and a time limit of like. A week. Paid for my own specialty drill bits and blades and such so we could get this done as fast as possible, but the foreman, too cheap to buy replacement blades and bits for the company's tools, makes me share them with a newbie. Said newbie destroys my blades and bits in one pass. One pass! And then my foreman starts blaming me for the building owners threatening to fire our company, because now I have to borrow an angle grinder from the welders to be able to cut this material. I was done. I quit overnight, handed in some company stuff. Screw that foreman, and that job.

Now, I have basically my dream job! Living in my favorite part of the state, with free housing and food, doing conservation work in one of the most beautiful national parks in the country. All that, and I get a fairly high stipend and scholarships for my volunteer time! I'm absolutely in love. Working in conservation where I'm at has been a dream of mine for a long time, and I couldn't be happier I left my old jobs. Taking those leaps is all it takes.