Well, while I’ve worked with people who have been in the industry for years it’s because they enjoy it, not because they are too scared to try anything else so they try and drag people down.

I did work one job with someone who hated me. The first job I had out of college the owner decided to hire his friend to work the dish pit for some extra cash and he hated me. He even told me so. He also called me a lot of choice words [can’t say any here but I’ll let you guess what words one could use to insult a female] he was also mature enough to make faces and gestures behind my back [other people told me] he hated me because I was quiet and did my work, which to him meant he could call me names. [The biggest one was he would call me a virgin because he claimed the reason for my attitude was because I’ve never been laid.] Anyway I brought it up to management and because he was friends with the owner they just shrugged and said watcha gonna do? Thankfully he only worked there one summer.

Perhaps make a promise to yourself not to return? You know you’re not happy, so even it doesn’t work out with this new job, go to a different restaurant, or try a different field. I know you say you enjoy who you work with, but they seem kind of negative and hurtful. I worked with these sisters for two summers, sure we could joke and talk and we got along, but they would not listen to me when I [as their manager] asked them to do things, or they would follow me around proclaiming how the place would close down. ‘Oh this place is going to close, I’m so glad I’m going to become a teacher and this is just a summer job’ ‘why should I sweep? This is just a summer job before I become a physiotherapist, what are they gonna do? Fire me? Haha’ yea. I got that a lot, it wore me down and made me panic.

Have you ever tried asking yourself what’s the worse that could happen? If this job doesn’t work out what’s the worse that could happen? Once you figure that out, try asking yourself if this job doesn’t work out, what to I have time to do? Or what would I do? Just so you realize it’s not as bad as you fear. But, try focusing on the best case.