It’s the end of the day, 5:03pm on the clock, and I’m gathering my things to get ready to leave. Today has been hectic. So many clients and meetings all throughout the day. Apart from my half hour lunch break, I have been moving around the office carrying files and serving food and making coffee and doing all sorts of little tasks that are constantly demanded by impatient colleagues. I didn’t expect an office job to be so labour intensive and draining. Maybe I should’ve thought more carefully before deciding to drop out of university three months ago, at just 18 years old, to pursue an entry level job with no real qualifications, and no requirements apart from looking pretty and doing what I’m told.
My feet are aching from the high heels that I’m made to wear as part of the dress code. The tight black dress with a restrictive skirt is so impractical but rules are rules. My hair has to be perfect, my makeup immaculate and my attire always neat and tidy. It bothers me so much seeing that none of my male coworkers have to adhere to such strict rules but I’m not in a position to complain. I’m grateful to even have a job at all, to be completely honest. Having crippling debt on top of wasted student loans with a horrific credit score meant that I would become homeless if I lost this job. It’s really scary to think about so I just try to focus on doing my job as well as I can.