Bishti

All my life I was told to work hard so I could get a good job. And boy did I listen, I did the honors classes, the clubs the sports and when I got into "a good school," I once again got involved. All for the same stated goal, to get a good job and in my mind consequently have a good life.

Well here I am, age 23, in that good job and it is the most horrible experience of my short life. I never in my wildest dreams imagined my life, the life of an AP student who graduated High School with above a 4.0 and who graduated from College with more work experience than most would end up in this predicament.

Working. Who ever decided a life would be dedicated to 9 to 5 or 8-4 or 9-6. And yet, that is not my problem. I want to work long hours to prove myself and move up in my role. I want to be a better employee. The problem comes with those that are hired to "manage," me. They are the real problem. As a "educated" person (I think that is what you can call yourself after you graduate college) I have never in my life experienced such horrible management on every level. Common sense does not seem to rain supreme here. Instead I interact with people who make me ponder on a daily basis weather you have to prove yourself at all to get promoted. They symbolize the idea that it doesn't matter who the best person is for the job (Mostly because I believe there is no way they were the best). And yet, here they are making perhaps 100K or more, and probably will continue to be promoted. If that sounds odd to you, you have probably never worked in the "real world." I say this because everyone I tell this to that has worked in the "real world," does not seemed surprised by the presence of incompetents at a management level. It is the young that remain shocked. And perhaps I am still the young.

My pledge to you and myself is that I will not take it anymore. I will not give into cynicism and go about my daily business, unfulfilled and unhappy. That shall not be my lot in life and I will make sure it isn't.


I wrote this a while ago on a particularly frustrating day. I look back on it now and am slightly surprised by the intense emotion I seem to be feeling. It is odd given that at this point I've resigned myself and am not so angry about everything anymore. Rather, I understand it is my job to make the situation I am in a positive one and if I can't, then I need to do something about it. Not anyone else.