I read your post, and all these replies a couple hours ago.
And I guess you can say “I stewed over it the past couple hours”
I won’t disagree with what’s been said, but I’ll give you a different perspective.
I love this job. Absolutely love it.
I started my post office carrier in 2012. As a trc making $13.05 an hour. Working 2 or 3 days a week, on an aux route that was 2 hours a day. I couldn’t survive on 4-6 hours hours a week, so I took a barely better than minus wage factory job.40-60 hours a week, plus post office, I got by. A year later, post office eliminated trc position, so I was essentially fired. However, my office NEEDED a third person, so I was rehired as an rca. The day I returned, our main route regular carrier quit (he had 3 full time jobs. A mail carrier, a full time fire fighter, and a full time farmer, he did it for 10 years, and couldn’t take no more). So our regular aux carrier for the main route, and I walked into getting the aux route to myself.... a year and a half or so later (still working factory job 40-60 hours la week, and the aux route 12 hours a week), 3 local post offices consolidated, 2 offices moved into the 3rd(bigger) office.... once I got established in the new office, I still worked my bull chit factory job, and everyone there (even the pm) understood I was working 50-75 hours a week, and they all worked with me around my schedule. (I worked 2nd shift for a bit, then 3rd shift at the factory so I was available for post office in mornings).... working 2 jobs whooped my azz. Many days, I’d pull 24+ hour days to work both jobs, and try to maintain a family life.... everyone in post office knew I pulled many 24+ hour days with no sleeep, so they worked with me around my 2 jobs.....
Then, 7 years after I started as a trc (temporary route carrier for those who came in after those days)with the post office, I was finally senior rca, and a lady retired.
I was in a horrible accident at the factory (I got run over by a fork lift, both lower leg bones broken, several foot bones broken) this happened in April of 2018. November 2018, carrier retires. I bid on job, thinking I’m still on medical leave from both jobs, so I won’t win. But I found out, po would hold position for 6 months if winning bidder has medical excuse saying they’d be back to full duty in 6 months. My dr agreed I’d be capable in that 6 months. I won the bid, and took those 6 months to finish healing......
I returned full duty in May 2019.
I went from 40-60 hour a week factory job plus an 18 hour a week aux route (aux route re-evaluated higher after we moved to new office) to a k43 full time post office job. The factory ended up firing me for not returning to work after dr released me (like I’d care, I have a k43 route, pays better than both jobs combined)......
Every time I’m having a bad day in the post office, I just think of what it was like working both jobs. Many many many weeks, I’d do 60+ hours at the factory, plus 18 at the post office.
Every time I think I have a bad day, I think of those days, and I realize.....
A bad day at the post office is better than any good day I ever had in the factory.
And every time some1 in the post office starts complaining about how bad it is, I bring up my 40-60+ factory weeks, plus my 18 hour a week post office week. 58-78+ hours a week..... since 2012...... all of a sudden, a bad day in the post office, really isn’t that bad at all.
I’m 50 years old(young?). This is the best job I’ve ever had. I was an ASE certified mechanic, I did construction work, I’ve had several fork lift operator jobs, I’ve worked several factories.ive got an associates degree in it, and I’m 2 semistars away from law enforcement degree (I dropped out back in the mid 90s because I couldn’t do that to my new family)....
Even on my bad days in the post office, this is the best job I’ve ever had.
Even delivering all the Christmas packages because our customers are too lazy to go shopping in a real store.
This is the best job I’ve ever had.
Even when my post master is a complete fool following his bosses directions.....
This is the best job I’ve ever had.
My customers are awsome. (Only had 3 or 4 over the years that were azzes).....
This is the best job I’ve ever had....
This is the best job I’ve ever had.
As bad as this site portrays it, it’s really a good job.
I will say, being a mail carrier isn’t for everybody, it’s not easy as it sounds...
But if u got it, it’s easy. And it pays well (in most areas, even at table 2)
All I can say, is try it, give it a %100 try. Either u got it, or u don’t.....
It’s way overwhelming at first, but it really does get easier.
But it also takes a lot of time to get to where myself and most on this site are now at.
U will NOT walk into a full time position. U WILL go home everyday frustrated and have a major headache trying to get all these names and numbers and streets......
But if u got it, it really is a good job.....
Did I ever mention.....
This is the best job I’ve ever had....
2-4 hours in office supervised (sorta)
5-6 hours on route, all by myself, no supervision, just driving around, giving people mail and packages, unsupervised....
What more could u ask for?
...... OH BOY! Can't wait. The post offices around here are on the small side, expect for the main one that is large, sort of. Don't mine the cold weather, I HATE summer -end of June to late August. My problem is, I need to eat more - a bit of skin and bones. The problem would be the wind. A heavy gust is more likely to blow me over, send me flying down the road.
