[Update]: Can my fellow salaried employees tell me if my HR's requests are unreasonable?

Hello everyone, it's been like 6 months since I posted here asking (if my employers HR department was being unreasonable and just wanted to provide an update.

So, I quit! I told my manager that I wasn't even going to bother applying for the position she had been dangling in front of me, and was very up front about the reasons why I was leaving. Looking back at how I was treated, I can't even believe I stuck around for so long. I mean, they tried making me feel bad for using my PTO when my dad died!

Anyway, I didn't have another job lined up when I quit. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel like I made a huge mistake for the first few weeks of being unemployed. But, I did know for sure I HATED working in an office. I used to think the ultimate goal was to have a respectable office job, but fuck that.

I decided I wanted to switch careers, and that I wanted a more physical job where I didn't have to be inside all day. So after some research, I discovered Land Surveying. Immediately I knew that what I wanted to do.

There weren't many surveying positions listed around me, but after about 2 months of being unemployed, I landed an entry level surveying job with an engineering firm that is half the commute of my old job.

I absolutely love my new job. I've been at it for a little over three months now, and it's basically the opposite of my old job. Nobody cares when I come or go, as long as I get my job done. I am outside and in a new location every week, if not every day. On top of that, I get paid more, and am hourly so I actually get paid overtime. The company just gave me a $350 bonus and put me and my partner in a nice hotel for the company holiday party. They gave me $500 to spend on work clothes and boots. Health insurance, dental, and 401k are way better than what I had before.

I could go on and on about why my new job is better, but i really just wanted to share in case someone is on the fence scared to quit their job because they don't think there's anything better out there. I'm grateful you all helped push me to quit a soul sucking job, and I hope this can motivate someone else to do the same!