My partner and I both work shitty jobs. We are unskilled blue collar workers. We do not live in our own country, we are immigrants (we do not live in the USA either) and due to the lack of qualifications recognized in the country we live in and too poor knowledge of the language, we do not currently have the opportunity to change jobs for a better one (although we are trying to gain qualifications and learn language)
We come from a poor country, so the earnings we have here satisfy us (relatively). But the pressure of success means that I spend a lot of the money I earn on expensive clothes and jewelry (we have no children or any obligations). I know it's not popular to say such things, but the work I do is simply insulting to me. On the one hand, it is a very important profession (I am a cleaner) but let's be honest, NO ONE cares about people like me or my fiancé in practice. We may have money for expensive clothes or trips abroad, but technically we can't really afford anything. We cannot afford to buy even a small apartment, we cannot afford major surgery if necessary, we cannot afford lawyers in the event of a dispute with an employer, etc. But paradoxically, this is not the worst thing. The worst thing is the feeling of being trash to others, which I feel all the time. People don't treat employees like us well, even though they claim otherwise. You always say to your children “go to school or you will end up as a cashier/cleaner”. When insulting each other, people often use jobs like ours to insult someone, e.g. “you're not even good to be a cashier.” When I discuss with someone, I try not to say what I do, because unlike office jobs, my job can be used against me in the discussion, because for many people, your opinion doesn't matter if you don't do a “respected” job…. I am dissatisfied with my life. I buy expensive clothes, as I have already written, to improve my self-esteem. Yes, I know it sounds pathetic but look at it this way. I am a woman, I like to look nice, I like to take care of myself. In the past, I could do this when I went to school or college (yes, I have a higher education). Now my job takes up MOST of my time. Most of the time during the day where I look like a mess. I work physically with garbage, clean toilets and wash floors. I come home dirty, sweaty and smelly EVERY DAY. I can't even look feminine at work because things like makeup or painted nails are prohibited. It seems like such a trivial thing, but it lowers my self-esteem terribly. I feel less worthy because of the way I look, like a worse kind of woman. I envy women who have jobs that allow them to take care of themselves. I make up for it by buying expensive clothes that I wear after work (practically only on weekends), but my hands say it all… Due to work, my hands are not well-groomed, and so is my fiancé. You can immediately see what we do professionally and I can't hide it. I don't know if this is hate for work or for yourself, but the truth is that work is such a large part of people's lives that everyone will judge you through its prism. For the “average John” I am unambitious, unintelligent and pitiable.