Guy worked a ‘soul draining’ call center job for only one month, but will never forget the ‘power’ he witnessed from his older co-worker: 'I often wish I could channel that woman's energy.'

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Aug 9, 2025 5:00 PM EDT

Sometimes it's not about the job, but the people you meet. Like, this guy, who worked at a "soul draining" call center job in the early aughts. At first he liked his job as he worked in tech, but then he got laid off as they outsourced… A classic scenario back then. However, they had an opening for another call center, but this time in warranties. He was not accustomed to dealing with such aggressive customers, so he only lasted a month before quitting and moving on to big and better pastures. 

However, during his training he was paired with a rough and tough call center-veteran who knew how to handle all kinds of calls. She showed him how to handle one guy who was throwing a tantrum. Nobody wanted to deal with him, but this woman talked him down like he was a child who just got scolded for doing something bad. It was so impressive, plus her cool demeanor during it all, it always stuck with this guy. He admits that he still thinks about her and wishes he had that kind of energy to this day. 

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  • Cheezburger Image 10540025600
    via Unsplash+ (and Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • "Coworker told a customer 'No' in my favorite way."

    In the aughties, I worked in a call center doing tech support. Our jobs ended up getting outsourced, and I got laid off.
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  • A few weeks later, the company called and asked if I wanted to work on a new contract at the call center.
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  • I was desperate for a job, so I went back. The contract was doing warranty customer service for a major car manufacturer.
    via Mega-Steve
  • Once training started, I realized quickly how much it would s k. My previous job was to fix the caller's problem, something I enjoyed.
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  • With that warranty stuff, the caller *was* the problem and my job was to find any way to tell them 'No'.
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  • I was paired up with a battle-hardened older woman for a few hours to listen and learn. She was an old hat at it and I got to witness her power.
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  • A guy called in and she had a look at his call history. She muted him and showed how this man had called in for stuff many times over the years.
    via Mega-Steve
  • Despite his truck being long out of warranty, he had somehow begged, whined, complained, and screamed his way into free repairs multiple times.
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  • None of it should have been covered, but people just did it to get him off the phone.
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  • She unmuted him and let him go on his spiel. She told him three times that she could not help him, and he started getting wound up.
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  • Finally she gave a big sigh and said words I'll never forget: "Sir, there comes a time in every man's life when he must stand on his own two feet."
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  • To take full responsibility for himself. Today, sir, is your day," she said, as if she were giving a pep talk to a team before the big game.
    via Mega-Steve
  • Cheezburger Image 10540037120
    via Unsplash+ (and Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • After some silence he simply said "Okay" and hung up.
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  • She made some notes and told me "He'll probably call back and get some softy" and went on a smoke break.
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  • I didn't last a month at it. It was too soul-crushing for me. I often wished I could channel that woman's energy and tell someone to off,
    via Mega-Steve
  • in such a well- worded way.
    via Mega-Steve

  • Yes, there are many jobs out there that will drive you to the brink of insanity. That's why it's important to put your mental health first, which is not always easy in an economy like the current one. But you gotta do what you gotta do. However, if you choose to stay somewhere that is “soul draining,” it might just change you, harden you, and that can also be helpful. Do you need to toughen up? Maybe take a call center job…

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