One_Sell_2501's journey

I'm currently managing an office, and I'm in a tough spot. I've come down with a bad fever and lost my voice completely. My role involves answering phones, training employees, and ensuring everything runs smoothly, but I'm the only person who can handle these tasks right now. My boss is rarely around, and there's no one to cover for me if I call in sick. If I don't show up, the office might not be able to function properly. To make matters worse, a coworker came in sick recently, and now I've caught whatever she had. I'm frustrated because I was feeling fine before this. I only have four unpaid days off available, which I had planned to use for ski trips this winter. I really don't want to waste one of those days on being sick, especially since I can't afford to lose any more income right now. I've been working extra hours, skipping breaks, and eating lunch at my desk just to save up a little more money. Now, I'm stuck in a situation where I'm genuinely sick, barely able to speak, and I feel like I can't call out because there's no one else who can do my job. It's frustrating because I'm just an employee, not the owner, and it seems like there should be a backup plan for when I'm unavailable. I'm worried that if I push myself to go in, I'll only make my condition worse. My job requires me to interact with customers, and right now, I can't even answer the phones. Has anyone else been in a situation where you felt you couldn't take a sick day because your workplace lacked coverage? Would you call out and let your boss figure it out, or would you try to push through it despite the risks?

I've been working at my current job for 7 months, and honestly, it's been overwhelming. I feel like I'm doing the work of five people, yet I’m still considered 'too green' to get hired anywhere else. Just returned from a week-long vacation, and instead of feeling refreshed, I realized how much I need to escape this job. During my time off, I experienced a brief escape from the constant chaos of work—managing customers, inventory, shipments, and invoices. Now, I dread going back to that environment. My role was supposed to focus on billing and accounting, but I've ended up handling sales, customer service, inventory, shipping, receiving, and even warehouse tasks, all without proper training. I struggle physically with the warehouse work, yet I'm still expected to manage it all. It feels like I'm juggling multiple roles with no support. I've been actively applying for new jobs, but the feedback I keep receiving is that 7 months of experience isn't enough. Recruiters keep telling me I'm too 'green,' which is incredibly frustrating. It's maddening to be trusted with such a wide range of responsibilities at my current job but not seen as qualified for new opportunities elsewhere. I understand that 7 months isn't a lot of time, but should I really have to endure a job that’s burning me out just to hit a one-year mark on my resume? This vacation made me realize how much better I felt away from work, and now I feel like I'm walking back into a burning building. Has anyone else faced this dilemma of wanting to leave a first job but being held back by the perception of lack of experience? Should I keep applying and jump ship as soon as I get an offer, or stick it out until I reach that one-year milestone?