You can come away with something positive from just about any terrible experience you endure. That includes nightmare jobs that leave you feeling bitter and exploited.

A post at The Financial Blogger outlines lessons gleaned from working at bad jobs:

* You have only yourself to blame. Sure, you may have a terrible boss and waste your days doing unfulfilling tasks for laughably little money, but no one’s forcing you to work there. Decisions you’ve made led you to the point at which you arrived, and you’ll have to start making better ones to get out.

* You can learn what you need to learn. If a lack of a degree, technical knowledge or the right connections is holding you back from working a job you covet, you can use your dissatisfaction to motivate you to do whatever it takes to position yourself for something better. Example: Use your disgust of with your job to motivate you to take classes at night that will boost your options.

* A poor attitude does nothing for you. It’s easy to roll your eyes, grouse to co-workers, do half-hearted work and watch the clock, but you’ll only make yourself more miserable. Staying positive and giving your best effort will pay dividends, if not in this job then the next.

What I Learned From Working Crappy Jobs [The Financial Blogger]

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