March 9, 2025
Have you ever had one of those days where you’re just so tired of your life the way it is? Of course, you have. We all have. And today, that feeling has led me to start this blog.
I’m not sure where this journey will take me, but hey, what’s the harm in trying something new?
As I reflect on my life, I can’t help but think about what I’ve accomplished or, perhaps more accurately, what I haven’t. Sure, I have two amazing daughters who make me proud every day and a fiancé I feel incredibly lucky to have found. But if I’m being honest, I’m stuck in a dead-end job that I absolutely loathe.
I’m a superintendent of an 80-unit building. It’s a live-in position, which means I’m always here. Let me explain what that entails.
The pay is ridiculously low, just enough to cover rent. I’m required to be on call 24/7, and when I go out, it’s a quick in and out to get back to the building. I don’t have weekends off unless I can find someone to cover for me, but no one wants to do that. Why would they? I don’t get paid extra for this, and if I have to pay someone to cover for me, it comes out of my pocket.
My job involves a lot of cleaning: three staircases, three times a week; vacuuming four floors, three times a week; cleaning the laundry room and common areas daily; wiping down doors and handrails; and cleaning the windows weekly, sometimes more if needed. I deal with tenant complaints and issues daily, and when units become vacant, I have to clean them, often on a tight turnaround. A tenant moves out, and another moves in the next day. I’ve found myself cleaning until midnight, only to wake up at 6 a.m. to finish before the new tenants pick up their keys.
I also have to show vacant units seven days a week. It doesn’t matter if it the weekend. I’m expected to drop everything and be available.
On top of that, there are several other duties: like monthly fire checks, picking up garbage outside around the building, wiping hallway walls to remove handprints and splashes, and changing locks, among others. It feels like the list never ends.
In the winter, I shovel all three entrances and apply salt or sand, depending on the weather. In the summer, I have to sweep all the curbs by hand with a push broom, covering the entire parking lot of over 100 spots, as well as the area around the building. Two years ago, I was required to sweep the entire parking lot by hand with just a push broom, just to save them a couple of bucks.
If the office is closed, I have to handle lease signings and distribute keys myself. I can’t even sleep when I want to because I’m responsible for locking and unlocking the laundry room. It needs to be locked by 10 p.m. and unlocked by 8 a.m. My whole life is dictated by this building.
As a superintendent, I do get vacation days, three weeks a year, to be exact. I’ve been doing this job for nine years, and honestly, I can’t believe I’ve stuck it out this long. For $1,300 a month. I could work at McDonald’s for 20 hours a week, make $100 more a month, and at least have my freedom. I feel like I’m in a prison.
But back to the vacation issue. When I started, I wasn’t even told I had vacation time. It took me five years to find out that someone who quit was paid out for vacation days. I asked why we couldn’t take vacation days, and eventually, I was paid out what I was owed.
The following year, I was told that everyone had to take vacation days from then on. But getting vacation approved has been a nightmare. I can’t take time off around the first of the month because that’s when I need to handle move outs and clean the units. I always have move outs. At least two a month, sometimes four. And no, I don’t get paid extra to clean them. Each unit takes six to ten hours to clean.
I’m severely underpaid. I’ve become bitter about it, and I know I’ve let it go on for too long. I’ve been taken advantage of, and I’ve allowed it.
This year, I was told I couldn’t take the vacation dates I requested, not because someone else had taken them, which I would have accepted, but because the owner didn’t want to pay someone to clean the units. Why is that my problem? Is it not your building? This should not be my responsibility.
This was the final straw for me. It’s time to make a change. I need to start respecting myself enough to say, “No more. I won’t allow myself to be taken advantage of.” My boss makes a ridiculous amount of money and wouldn’t even consider doing this job on her salary, but she expects me to do it for $15,000 a year and expects me to tolerate it.
My daughter bought a house 45 minutes away five years ago, and I’ve only been there twice. My sister bought a house at the same time, an hour away, and I’ve only visited once, at Christmas. I can’t leave the building unattended. This isn’t a life. I feel like a little part of me dies inside every day.
For now, I’m starting fresh, ready to see what this new journey holds.
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