Looking for perspective as a 14 month caregiver who doesn't know when to give up

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I got into the field of caregiving because I am inexperienced in many things and had lifting issues at the time and this particular agency did not require experience and prohibits lifting over 20 lbs. I have stuck with a very difficult client for 14 months and we have persisted through many challenges in an effort to keep each other. She wanted someone who wouldn't just up and quit, and I needed a steady job because I had had a three year disability and getting on my feet financially was of utmost importance. The times I have reached out to the office for support, I basically got a "she's like that, even to us". I didn't have enough experience so I thought I thought I ought to hang in there and get experience and a bit of savings before switching anything. I didn't want to constantly complain to them about everything for fear they would decide I couldn't do the job, because it would have meant I would be complaining at least once a week, if not two, out of the three scheduled 4 hr shifts. This week we just mutually but separately, decided this wasn't working. I am feeling tremendous relief, in spite of the need to substitute to make up the hours. Even going to take my time sheet to her to get signed, instead of having the office send it, I felt an instant energy drain. It's hard to be in a profession where it is high stress and the only people you can talk details with (the office) is not particularly helpful. I constantly second-guess myself -- maybe I should have gone to talk to them more often. I just felt like they would let me come in an complain and then wave me out before I felt like I was finished or any resolution had been made. As a caregiver, how long have you stuck with clients who were negative, critical, obsessive about details, and persnickety? What things do you to do reduce caregiver stress and burnout? If you were qualified for another profession would you still do caregiving? What are the rewards you feel you get from caregiving? How long have you been in this field? I'd love to switch to another field but obviously learning something is going to be challenging anywhere. I think to get at least 2 years of job history with the same job is important too. I wanted to quit on the first day after being told what spoon to use and to not use when stirring spaghetti in a pot that was NOT nonstick, and when being greeted with a very startling "YER LATE!!" when in fact I was not late, according to the time that I had been asked by the office to be there. My reason would have been for quitting, besides the fact that I can't seem to do the elaborate food prep desired nor function with someone breathing down my neck and saying everything is done wrong, is that I don't want to be told I cut the sweet potatoes wrong. That was when I made the decision. I should have done this ages ago, but I needed the job. I am now doing a lot of deep breathing trying to get the gut tension out of my system. Have you put up with this type of ludicrous preference-based stuff, and if so, how long before you decided, "phooey on you, I am leaving!!!" I keep trying to search for caregiver resources on the net, but run into stuff about people taking care of their parents. No, I need to know if you are not related, and you are getting stretched at both ends, then how does one cope with the stress load? Do you have rewarding clients or are they all this demanding? The substitute assignments were hard at the beginning not having experience but by contrast now they are easier than what I have just been through.