I just turned 25 and I'm pissed off. I'm pissed that I'm stuck in the cogs of capitalism. It feels so oppressive to me.
I quit my shitty job–where I was getting harrassed constantly–6 weeks ago and I haven't been able to find another one yet. I am lucky enough right now that I am allowed to live in my Grandpa's house rent-free, which is why I felt comfortable quitting, but I want my own space. Even before quitting, I was looking for a job, so that I wouldn't be unemployed, but I couldn't find anything decent. I had several interviews and job offers, but I turned them down because the environment seemed poopy, the hours were ludicrous, or they weren't offering me enough money, or a combo of those. And it feels like that's the case with every job I try for, even now, months later. I need to make a certain amount of money to afford to live comfortably, i.e. have my own apartment, pay my utilities, pay my car loan +car insurance, pay for phone and internet, buy food, and still have enough to put into savings. I'd like to buy a house, but there's no way I can afford a down payment, let alone the additional costs that come along with repairs and furniture and appliances when you first buy a house. I have no 401k or any other high-yield savings account or large, passive investments, just a few hundred dollars in the stock market that loses its value every day.
It seems like jobs nowadays–or maybe its just in my area, idk–want/expect/think its normal and okay to have their employees work more than 40hrs per week. I got a job a couple weeks ago and was assured more than once throughout the hiring process that there was minimal overtime(in their words “only a couple times per year, and even then, only two or three days in the week”) and quit after one day bc I found out from an employee that they had been on 50+ hour weeks since spring and she didn't think they'd be done on overtime until at least early 2023. The audacity of them to lie to me when I asked directly how much overtime they work is astonishing. I DO NOT want to work that many hours. I've done it in the past and it made me become a shell of a person. I was miserable. Tired all the time, had very little personal time, as I spent most of my free time getting ready for/cleaning up and eating after my shift.
It feels like this is the norm for a lot of industries/workplaces/the U.S. as a whole and I AM SICK OF IT. Sometimes when I talk about it to people they act like I'm crazy or lazy or just some freeloading piece of crap, but I strongly believe we SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WORK THAT MUCH TO GET BY. We get one life(as far as anyone knows) as conscious creatures on this planet so why tf would I want to spend a large majority of my days working for a paycheck, one that doesn't even cover the cost of living a comfortable and fulfilling life? Hot ass take apparently, but I don't even want to work 40 hrs a week. Its too much. Even in jobs where I did work only 40 hrs, I still felt like I didn't have enough time to properly relax and enjoy myself after, not to mention not having enough energy/motivation to pursue any of my own interests and hobbies. And I feel like a lot of people would listen to me say that stuff and say, “oh you're just a whining, lazy, snowflake who thinks everything should be handed to them, and you clearly have no work ethic, you need to work hard to get what you want in life, and I worked overtime all my life that's just the way it is!” But the thing is, I consider myself an excellent worker, I LIKE having things to do, I LIKE working, it gives me a sense of purpose and accomplishment, but I feel no one should have to work that fucking hard to be able to afford the basic necessities in life.
The way the working climate is presently is that you have to work super hard and hustle like crazy to afford shelter, warmth, food, and it shouldn't be like that in an advanced society like ours. None of us asked to be born here, so why tf are we being forced into a miserable existence like this? Those same indignant people would say to that, “well just get into a different line of work, go back to college and get a degree and jet a better job.” How tf am I supposed to afford living while I attend school full time? How tf am I supposed to pay back all the student loans? Its seems to me that university education is rigged. Predatory loans at high high interest, tuition that's exorbitantly overpriced, and even if you do go through it and get a degree, there's no guarantee you'll actually be able to find a job in that field, let alone one that actually pays well enough to help you pay back the tens of thousands you now have in student loan debt. I am not university educated, but I do have a degree from a trade school I got in 2019, but after graduation I wasn't able to find a job in that field despite applying to a ton of places. Finally a few months ago I did get an interview with a company in that industry and they offered me a position…at $16/hr. I told them I can't live off of that, they said they can't go any higher. I digress.
So bc I am minimally educated I am stuck in these low-paying service industry jobs that think its perfectly normal and fine to pay their workers like shit and work them to the bone with overtime. And everyone else around me seems to think that its fine and take it like there's no issue. And I don't get it, bc I feel like the overtime is SO unnecessary. Like, can't they just tell their customers its going to take longer for them to get their product? And then send their employees home after 8 hours exactly? I feel like shit wouldn't be delayed much at all, especially bc the things would be being made/delivered by workers who are NOT overworked, over tired, underpaid, and bitter. Those workers would then feel rested, appreciated, valued, and be willing to do their best at their job, most likely resulting in better quality products, more efficient deliveries, better customer service.
I've read articles in favor of less-than-40hr work weeks, and they site studies that prove that productivity and overall satisfaction in the workplace increases when you reduce the hours in the work week by just a few hours. So like, why tf aren't we doing it?! There's so much emphasis in the U.S. to get everything done faster. We are so conditioned toward instant gratification that it has created this hustle-grind mindset to keep us feeling like we need to work harder and faster and longer otherwise we're not good enough.
I can't move out of the U.S. bc–at least, this is what I've heard–other countries don't just let anybody in, you need to have work skills that will contribute to their society, and I don't have those, bc I've only had experience in low-level retail and manufacturing. I want to get out of those industries but it seems like that's all there is in my area with my level of education and experience, and all of those(surprise surprise) want you to work really hard, overtime hours, menial pay.
I just want to slow down and take the time to enjoy my existence here, I want to live a fulfilling and happy life, and I just can't figure out how to do that.
TL;DR I don't mind working, I simply want a job that pays well, doesn't work me to the point of contemplating suicide, and actually leaves me feeling satisfied and accomplished in my duties, yet its like trying to find bigfoot. I'm so tired. I'm so depressed. I just want to get what I need to live and not be absolutely miserable doing it.