The cost of living in Columbus is insane (on the low side, I mean -- I can't believe how little my house cost for what it is) and it's an actual city, culture, night life, etc., seems pretty cool.
kickycan- Yeah, it sucks. I think that the way that you will get through the next year, is by focusing on the future. Think of this job as a "speed bump on the road of life". If vesting is important to you, you CAN get through this year without becoming a basket case.
Give yourself time to think about what you want to do. Write your resume.
Just doing that will help you to focus on your strengths. Look at your resume in terms of the kinds of skills that you have mastered on the job. Think of how these skills might work in another kind of position.
Do you have any extra vacation/personal time? Go on a few interviews. Get a sense of what is "out there".
I think that if you consider the next year as the time that you have "getting your ducks in a row", it will be much easier to handle.
I didn't read through all of the other responses so forgive me if I'm repeating what's been said but, you can't have it both ways, kicky. If you absolutely hate it, why don't you look around and hopefully find another gig instead of waiting around and being miserable and pricky with everyone for another year? You're a young, talented person. At least, I'm assuming that you're young. Younger than 30? Maybe younger than 25? Why should you risk poisoning yourself with ugly feelings for the sake of retirement and all of that right now?
As a fellow designer, I've been where you are. How can you be productive when you feel so lousy about everything? When one feels like you do, it's time to go. Period. No ifs ands or buts.
By the way Kicky, you might want to consider removing "Smoked 8 cigarettes at once with beer balanced on head" on your resume's achievements section.
Break up the monotony , go to work naked.
Fart a lot at work. Tell everyone its a medical problem. They can't fire you for it.
I've been there -- bored to tears for three years, though there were perks (an office with a view that could be as messy as I wished, and no reprimand about that hole I kicked in the wall). Definitely not as bad as she-wolf's job, though I may be shoulder deep in cow rectum in a couple of years.
Aside from echoing slappy's thoughts about starting the job hunt now (because it might work and because it makes you fell like you're doing something about getting out of there) -- and a few folks about making sure it's really worth it to you to stay until next year -- and the other folks about looking forward to something -- just know that the time will pass, and as long as you do something to get out you will be able to leave. It will happen. Time does pass, and once you're on the other side it'll rapdily become a distant memory.
And during down time, map out your last day. Then redo it. Make plans, man.
(As an aside, one thing I love about boring jobs when they belong to A2Kers I like is that it means the A2Kers are on A2K a lot... heh...)
Well, thank you everyone, even the jokesters. I still feel like ****, but hey, in a year, I'll be on my way out of here and on to my next horrible career mistake.
Got a punching bag and a few photos?
That anger ain't great to have swirling around - and burning it off can be better than sitting on it.
You know, I used to grumble and bitch while I sat here at work, but one of my overly sensitive co-workers asked me to keep it down so that it didn't adversely affect his delicate little sense of well-being. Ever since then, it's been worse, much worse here. I used to just swear for a couple minutes, get it all out, and then be pretty okay, but now I have to be so god-damned worried about the feelings of one @#$#%ing person that I can't even be my passionate, blowing-off-steam self.
The pressure gauges are in the red, I tell ya!!!!!
Bring in your radio - and play Howard Stern (on low).
Sometimes I go have a cigarette when it's really getting to me, just to get totally away from it all for a few minutes. But lately I go outside and there always seems to be at least one of my annoying co-workers there who wants to talk to me about the mundane idiotic activities that make up their stupid lives.
That radio idea is good. I have headphones, and that does help sometimes. It blocks out the idiots.
So presumably you are not in with the kicking smoking gang? I KNEW I picked a bad time to give them up!
Nope, I'm not giving up on 'em yet! I am afraid to say anything more here, for fear of being that little nudge that pushes you into smoking again! You can do it, Heeven!
Aaah, screw it, I'm no good at cheerleading. Do what you want. I won't tell.
I'm grinding up chalk as we speak and I'm going to roll a dollar bill up and snort it - just for fun.
By the way, does all that rah rah you can do it crap work for you? It seems like it would get rather annoying to me pretty quick.
Not really - can tend to get on my wick a bit. But since I am a self centered so-and-so, I felt a bit guilty about almost tripping downstairs to buy a pack when I logged in and saw the rah rah's.
Walk around the office with your finger up your nose saying
"GET OUT! I mean it... GET OUT NOW"
