Wait a minute…so we just start working and don’t stop until retirement?! There are no extended breaks, no summer vacations? I was right all along! You do have to love what you do. Otherwise, this just seems impossible. My current position has an expiration date, which is frightening because it means my stability will collapse, and by summer’s end I will be forced to sniff out another opportunity. Although, what’s wrong with a short rest stop off the road of employment?
Full-time employment has somehow become synonymous with adulthood. Identities have become shaped around our business suits. Life plans are put on hold because losing the job that might land us our dream job is unthinkable. We begin to live our lives “when I finish this project” or “when I get that raise”. What makes me think that I’ll be any different? Absolutely nothing; herein lays my fear of this professional world I once so longed for.
When I graduated from college, I pretty much hit the ground running. I’ve only just settled into my nine to five, and already my thoughts are racing to the idea of going back to school, back-packing through Europe, or joining the Peace Corp. Why is it that all these things look colorful in my mind, while work looks like an endless black and white road, with no pit stops? What is the secret to life-work-balance and how do I maintain a firm grasp on my unconventional personality in these grey slacks? I’ll let you know when I do.
