Today I went to an insurance company.
I was completely sure it was going to be a bad experience.
I was right, but if I’d bet who would have the worst time, I would have been wrong.
When we went into the office, the saleswomen were discussing something that happened the day after.
It looked like one of the saleswomen did not do a good job.
She was having a bad time and when she came to us, she was crying.
At the same time, one of her “colleagues” was telling her not to worry.
This “colleague” was so annoying it made me feel sorry for her.
And then I noticed “my” saleswoman was not simply crying a little bit. She was draining herself.
The “colleague” kept talking and at some point, my wife had to ask her to stop and let our saleswoman breathe and take some time.
We left her calm down, offered to leave and come back later, suggested her to go to the bathroom until she felt better, and did everything we could to help.
After a couple of minutes, she regained her composure.
We began talking about the insurance, coverages, and prices.
And unluckily, our saleswoman had to ask for help from her “colleague”.
The more help she needed, the worse she felt.
The more help she needed, the more annoying her “colleague” was.
That led to about 15 minutes of this woman sobbing and crying intermittently.
In the end, we finished our business with her, offered some help, and left when she rejected it.
I do not have enough context to judge the situation.
I won’t say who was right and who was wrong.
I have my opinion, but that is not relevant to you.
What is relevant is mapping this situation to other professionals.
I have seen huge frustration in the cybersecurity world.
I am not just talking about professionals in the field. I am talking about everyone who does something related to it.
I have seen people crying in cybersecurity. I have seen people quit their jobs, and I have seen mental issues due to the stress.
I won’t say this sector is more stressful than others. That depends on what you want to compare it to.
I will say too many people suffer without doing something.
That annoys me: people having a problem and deciding to do nothing about it.
I won’t evangelize about Positive ThinkingTM.
I will advocate to look for help.
In Cybersecurity it is easier to find a job than in many others.
If you are working in an environment that makes you cry, think about your options.
If you are working in an environment that makes you cry in front of your customers, think about your options.
Maybe you have no alternative but to keep working in the company you are, for the boss you have, with the “colleagues” around you, in the office.
Maybe you should find something to give you hope.
Maybe therapy could help.
Maybe you can ask for a change inside your company.
Maybe you can ask for sick days for mental reasons.
Maybe you can find another job.
Maybe there is something you could do to improve your situation.
The main problem I have seen in people in this situation is being paralyzed.
The pattern is feeling unable to change anything.
That, of course, makes things worse over time.
On the other hand, the people I have seen resigning have felt immediately better.
I do not know if this insurance saleswoman should leave her job.
I am saying she should seek hope somewhere.
In Cybersecurity, one of the frustrations heads of security have is the inability to make changes in the organization.
I have seen that frustration grow until the person left the company without any other job offer. Just to get rid of his current company.
In my case, that is one of the reasons to avoid working full time for one customer. I want to keep myself free from the trap of getting your frustrations from one single source.
It is better for me, and that is the main reason why I do it.
It is also better for my customers because they know I am free enough to speak the truth.
That is something many companies need and value.
Others do it because it is cheaper to hire someone part-time than to do it full-time.
It depends on the company.
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