You may be extremely confused by title of this article, but I have had a week-long experience doing the unthinkable. As a college kid trying to stay afloat, I’ve been taking advantage of any way to earn a few dollars here and there.

A recent opportunity for me was to be a caller for an organization promoting a particular presidential candidate. No one likes a telemarketer, but I couldn’t say no to the hourly rate and it seemed simple enough, reading from a script.

They gave me a phone, and I dialed in. It’s amazing how humbling this experience truly was. I spoke with all ends of the spectrum in regards to humanity. I experienced some of the rudest and inconsiderate people, but those who took the time to listen to me were very patient and somewhat appreciative.

I was shocked at how comfortable people were with being rude on the phone. I can’t imagine a single person speaking with such tone and ridiculous hate words to me in person. I was allowed to put in up to 40 hours a week, but I ended up logging a total of around 10. To make a job sound dramatic, it was emotionally draining.

This experience gave me an eye-opening realization. Every time there is a telemarketer that calls the house, we are speaking with a real person–a person just like me–on the other side. They make a living by spending their days on a phone most likely being hung up on all day. If that is not extremely humbling, I don’t know what is.