For the year I worked at my job I was the model employee, always on time and doing my best. I would come in having driven 2 hours from family gatherings to make it, or would come in exhausted, barely able to think straight. I was the first person people turned to to cover their shifts.
But the one day in my entire career there where I put my foot down and called out due to being so physically tired and in pain I could barely walk. I put my foot down even through the guilt tripping and the “everyone has been calling out” and the threats about getting in trouble.
I called out for the first time and I was able to take a step back and realize that I can put so much effort into my work and it will never change anything. I will still be treated like shit for being a human being.
I am taking a break from working for the school year, but I don't exactly know where I'll go afterwards. I hope I can find somewhere where they disguise the fact I'm just a cog in a machine just a little bit better.