This is one of your best answers ever. I'm gonna send it along to my youngest brother who is just finding out what the world of work is like. I want to add, though, if you can find your fulfillment outside of your job, and take an interest in your coworkers, most jobs become more palatable. Good luck, LW!

... every time you push the miserable situation away, you get even more stuck in it.The more you resist something the tighter you become glued to it. And some say that you are doomed to keep repeating the same lesson til you you get it.Your reactions are enmeshing you in this situation even more. It is not your business what your boss does - if she's not hitting on you sexually ,you've got no basis for complaint. Cultivate detachment , not rage. Look at her as an interesting character in a novel, study her idiosyncracies as if she were from a distant tribe that you need to communcate with.And don't stop looking for a job.

You can be sure when you get to the point with this job , that you start to think "it's not really that bad- some things are kinda cool " -that will be the day one of those jobs will call to see if you can start next week. And you know what? - You'll have to ask yourself if you really want to start over again.

yes I do

I'll have to look into your friend Stanley Bing.

The Adams Smith had a invisible hand guy?

If so, Smith may not delete irritating post?

I hate bosses who are mean. Delete bossy.

I hold no animosity. Cary T. delete Klytus.

Klytus causes a ruckus and irks a bosses.

First, Cary, gotta share the love for Stanley Bing, whom I discovered a while back but haven't read lately. Thanks for reminding me how great he is. With a name like that I was sure he was some sort of rich-kid asshole, but his columns are clever without being glib, and he just kind of makes you feel better about the bullshit.

As for LW, I can't tell if her lies and politicking directly affect you or if you just know she's in everyone else's business and you hate watching her operate. If she's not wrecking your work, suck it up and ignore it, and do your job. If she's gossiping to you but not about you, nod and smile and get back to work.

Do you like the work, but hate your boss? Try to focus on that.

I would caution against just quitting. Many hiring managers have a thing about hiring the unemployed, curiously. It always looks better when you are working for someone; you are proven to be able to hold down a job, if nothing else.

Good luck!

Treat a bossy person with perfect tenderness. Express radiant sweetness.

Be exuberant. You can't fake that. But see what others may fail to observe.

Perhaps folk like Klytus were kicked in the teeth while playing in a sandbox.

As adults the bossy people set out to get even. They call skinny folk chubby.

Yet those are just thee people who hurt within. Actually 'um beg for wet kisses.

So, if grouchy commenter (Klytus) come to itch for a big bruising? Itch and scratch.

Try not to give people who delete Klytus something to always cry about all night or day.

Look up the blue post links. Cary knows moods can change. To say`I hate hurts a hater.

Klytus may play a` f-major Mozart's oboe quartet. I hope. There's a whole lot of love too.

"I also recently found out that a part-time co-worker (that I got a job for) is being paid more than me! I was furious and when I approached my boss she basically told me her hands were tied."

The LW's boss knows she's hated. Here's what's not relevant:

That the LW got a part-timer a job. So? There's no finders' fee.

Going to the boss to complain about another's salary is bush-league. The other person might be a better negotiator. Or easier to work with.

Despite the LW's wonderful resume, few job offers have materialized. That's a red flag right there.

The LW has never had a good boss, and has never been a good employee. I wonder if she's on the actual mortgage?

It's likely he would want you to be forward-looking and bipartisan regarding your boss.

Great answer, Cary.

To the LW - bad bosses aren't unusual. It's a crucial job skill to learn how to get along with people, and if you can't do that, learn how to tolerate them.

It's in your interest to stay on in this job. Therefore you should see it as in your interest to get on with your boss. Forget liking or not liking. Since when did that have anything to do with it? In your dealings with her you should keep the fact that you need this job in the forefront of your mind. Earning money and holding down a productive position in the world is meaningful. In the face of adverse circumstances it can be heroic.

One thing I've found helpful is to see it all as part of the fight for survival. Which in fact staying in your job very much is. Particularly these days yada yada yada. So - when she's being terrible you frame it in terms of a fight: 'you are NOT going to drive me out of here.' When you get through a particularly unpleasant meeting or dispiriting day you think: 'I have done it. I have held on. I am still here. I will survive.' It's not just you against this woman. It's you against the whole massive system that is the working world. It's you clinging on to a cliff face that is indifferent if you fall off. Just as your boss probably would be.

But really, YOU need to be the boss. Take control, hire yourself, allow yourself to succeed, etc...and please get back to us about how it all turns out.