A year into doing the job thing

NOTE: The reason I haven't posted for more than half a year is because nothing interesting (in my opinion) has been going on. But here's a quick update. Still studying (last year finally lol), still working in IT (since March 2023), bought a GoPro Hero 11, went on a vacation to Sakartvelo (here's the video), made a lot of liters of mead. It's a fun hobby. Life's been on a sort of cruise mode, because I have been trying to save up money as much as I can for a trip around the world.

Context

I was desperately running low on money and, by some miracle, got employed as an IT guy in March 2023, with zero experience. Not gonna lie - I got the job because the HR lady liked my talk with her. Anyways it has been almost a year, and I want to share my experience as a 9-to-5 (more like 9-to-6) grey-collar worker.

IT guys be like
IT guys be like

The good

Currently, I have the most money I ever had in my life, about 10k in savings (not a flex lol). If I got fired or decided to go NEET, I would be able to sustain myself for about 2 years (that's a flex). Therefore, I am stable.

Another thing is that I learned some pretty interesting stuff (for nerds): how to setup networks (routers/switches/cables), how to fix PCs and how to deal with incompetent people. The fact that I get to sit in an office most days and not do a labour-intensive job is also a priviledge.

The bad

Everyting I want to do is organised around work. This is my Monday-Friday:

  1. Wake up and go to work (6:35-8:00)
  2. Work (8:00-17:00)
  3. Go home (17:00-17:30)
  4. Change clothes and chill (17:30-18:30)
  5. Workout (18:30-19:30)
  6. Dinner (19:30-20:00)
  7. Prepare lunch for next day (20:00-21:00)
  8. ACTUAL FREE TIME (21:00-22:30)
  9. Sleep (22:30-6:35)

As you can imagine - this really sucks. I have no ambition to work on new things. Free time is scarce, and I use it take care of errands, school stuff or to relax if the work day was intense.

The weekend is literally the only time I can sit down and work on the things I want but after five days of soul drain - it is hard to get out of bed.

I now understand why oldies always preach that time moves fast - it is because they live only on weekends.

Another thing is that I have to keep my power level hidden. My boss is an oldie and any change or automation is met with resistance. These dinosaurs were updating more than 300 hundred Windows 10 machines MANUALLY!

It takes about 3 days (yes, I had to do it too the first time - they were watching me). Once this responsibility was fully mine, I asked if I could automate it. The boss said no. I went and did it anyway. Now it literally takes zero time from my side.

The ugly

One day, an accountant ended up being a no show to work. The following day we found out that she missed work BECAUSE SHE DIED FROM OLD AGE! rip.

Is this how you will die?
Is this how you will die?

No pun intended (okay maybe a bit), but the job itself is a dead-end. My next promotion would happen either when my manager decides to retire or when he croaks (give or take 20 years). But even then, the guy next to me, who has been working in the same position as me for 12 years, will probably be the one to take his place.

The funny

If you're reading this one while eating, sorry, but someone from the 15 guys that work here in the administration building takes super smelly shits. Believe me when I say this - roadkill on a hot summer day smells like high-end barbecue compared to this man's poop. I once retched lol.

The point of this post

The job made me realize that employment is not for me. Anyways, next goal is to build a business. Stay tuned.