03 Mar 2020

Starting full-time work is most of the time, inevitable. Eventually, most of us will have to say goodbye to our previous, part-time or casual work lives, and jump into the gargantuan hamster wheel of the work-force. I started my first office job a month ago and there are some things I’ve learnt that I for sure was not expecting.

You’re always tired

Before full-time work, I had an amazing study schedule, where my first class was earliest at 10 am. Full-time work has me sometimes starting at 8.30am, and working till 6pm. No matter how much sleep I get, it always hits around 1pm, and I’m gone. 

I’ve learnt to “go to the bathroom”

When I want to text my friends and If anyone tells my boss this, I’ll deny it profusely, but sometimes you gotta check in with the gals or pals! 

I’ve gotten very good at pretending I’m busy

Pretending to be busy can be one of the most thrilling games full-time work has to offer. I can’t tell you how many times I've spent standing by the printer, I’ve spent reading The Guardian articles, or writing numbers aimlessly on an excel spreadsheet. Obviously, at a certain point, the work has to get done, but this is a great way to pass the time.

Office dogs can change your life

 

If you’re lucky enough to land an office dog in your job, cherish them. There is no dopamine rush like it when a dog nestles up to your leg when you’re doing work you’d much rather be ignoring. 

“Working from home” is code for doing the bare minimum

I remember the first day I was gifted with being to work from home. I was assigned a few tasks that didn't need managerial supervision and I was convinced working by myself, in my own environment, was going to make it a much more productive day than in the office. Truth is, I screwed around all day. Made banana cupcakes, looked at Airbnb's, ate those banana cupcakes. All in all, it was an absolutely lovely day, just a lovely day where I didn’t really do much!

 Routine is nice, but working at a desk for 8 hours is dumb

If I’m looking at the positives of full-time work, a routine is really nice. I have a structure to my life that felt like it was lacking before jumping into the workforce, but regardless of structure, I think that 8 hours at a desk is dumb. There’s no way for you to maintain focus for that amount of time, and you begin to feel sluggish from no fault of your own. If you’re able to, try changing up your work desk, take breaths of fresh air!

Full-time work is something you have to come to terms with sooner than later, but if you’re lucky, whilst there are some definite downfalls, you’ll be working in something you are passionate about or at the least enjoy, with a team of like-minded people, and you’ll also have money, and money is nice!