Confessions of former debt collectors

I became a debt collector because it was easy for me and I was really good at it. When I saw money start to come in after calling hundreds of people a day, I felt like what I was doing was a good thing, and I was getting companies the money they were stiffed.

And while there are bill collectors out there who are abusive and terrible, I learned from my experience in the industry that bill collectors get abused too.

People would call me every 5 minutes and hang up just to harass me, since I was harassing them. Others have called me and said "I will f***ing burn your house down, you better f***ing stop calling me." One man faxed me pages of profanities every few minutes until I ran out of ink. I often had to be escorted out of my office by police officers after debtors showed up threatening to hurt me.

I had to keep telling myself not to take things personally and that this was just my job, but things like this made me start physically shaking and would keep me up all night.

The main reason I left the business was because I couldn't take the screaming and name-calling any more. That, and the sob stories from people who are down and out, don't have the money you're asking for and are so unhappy to hear from you each time you call. It isn't fun for anyone.

NEXT: Lisa Parker