I used to work for a really – and I mean REALLY – demanding boss. She always wanted everything that she had just assigned me done yesterday, and she constantly showered me with new projects that I was not ready for or that I did not have enough training to complete. However, in her defense (sort of) she was always willing to put up whatever money or time was necessary to get me the skills I needed in order to get her stuff done – as long as I learned on my own time, and did it fast.

As you can imagine, this situation quickly became untenable. I was stressed out, and even when I wasn’t officially working, I was unofficially training – off the clock, of course. My husband and kids never saw me, and when they did I was usually in a foul mood because I was tired, irritated and under a lot of pressure. I felt like I was always running behind.

Finally, I snapped. I couldn’t take it anymore. I still feel like I was totally justified in the earful that I gave that woman when she berated me for not completing a project properly – and early – because I had not yet completed the course that I was taking that would teach me how to manage the software. And I hadn’t completed it because of something else that she had assigned to me last-minute! Needless to say, I let her know just how much of a nightmare boss she really was, and then I hung up on her and that job…

…which left me in the unenviable position of being unemployed. However, I spruced up my resume and set out on a job hunt. I was in for a big surprise. All that training had paid off! I had more qualifications than I could have dreamed of, and there was not a single interview in which I was forced to say “I’m sorry, but I’m not familiar with that system.”

This is not to say that you should take loads of abuse and work yourself to the bone for no pay in order to build your resume, but I do think it bears pointing out that sometimes, a little unpaid overtime can pay off big time. I have a decent boss now who doesn’t usually hit me with surprises that I can’t handle, but if he does, I always check to see if the training is available and workable for me before I tell him that I can’t do something. Because in the end, the more you know, the more you are worth.