Work throughout my life has felt like a constant struggle and this just can't be what existence is. What event or events opened your eyes to the reality of things?
For me it was being hired as the first employee of a startup. I was so excited because it felt like a dream come true! It was a chance for me to contribute my expertise and have a lot of control over how things went. I would literally be building the tech that made the company work.
I worked there for two years building their tech, testing it in beta. I ultimately made the company a significant amount of money AND proved the founder's idea was feasible. What did I get in return? Fired after the product officially launched.
What really crushed my soul is that I had recently been diagnosed with a mental health condition. I disclosed this to the founder and my direct supervisor and within two months my reviews went from stellar to “we no longer have faith in your ability to perform the job.” Highly suspicious and it really felt like they wanted to drop me after they realized they no longer needed me.