There's nothing worse than getting laid off . Just kidding, there is something objectively worse than that: finding out you're getting laid off from an outside source days before it happens. Being terminated without pay is possibly worse than getting let go, but getting let go always feels somewhat slimy, especially when your department is seemingly cut for no reason. Getting laid off is like saying, “we'll give you a little unemployment as a treat.” It's seemingly innocuous, but it's just anot…

On Christmas Day, customers usually have enough shame to not show up at a fast food place. They ask insecure questions about when the company lets the employees go home. When you deliver the sad news that you're working until closing, they retreat to their table to eat their McChicken with embarrassed expressions. Unfortunately, during Thanksgiving, customers have a lot less shame. They find it incredibly quirky to go to Popeyes for Thanksgiving instead of cooking a homemade meal. Working in fa…

So many bosses want excessive access to their employees in manners that cross some boundaries. On the first day of my first restaurant job, I asked one of the assistant managers if I could leave at 9 PM since, on the schedule, my shift ended at 9 PM. He laughed at me, said, “it's good you didn't ask that when the manager was around,” and we continued working. At the time, I felt like such an idiot because I had never had a job before, so I assumed all jobs were like that. Now I just realize thi…

Get to it

As time goes on, I've found there are not enough adjectives out there to describe memes adequately. Sure, memes can be funny. They can be random. They can even be dank if you will. Most memes fall into very easily describable categories when looked at individually. However, when presented with a large group of memes, that is a different story. I can't just call a huge conglomerate of memes funny across the board! Usually, at least one of those memes is not funny. To call them all “funny memes”…

Oh they work hard for their bacon

Anyone who has applied for a job in the past couple of years knows it's a very tricky process. So much goes into job hunting, and it's not as simple as being the most qualified person for a position. Job interviews sometimes feel like they're taking place in an alternate reality; how you articulate yourself must be carefully curated to make you sound like a good worker. It's unnatural, but it's a bare necessity if you're going to get a job. With remote work becoming far more common, competition…

The powers that be

When I was applying for jobs, I was a bit skeptical of any job that asked me to take a personality test before the interview. I understand wanting to hire somebody with good vibes, but isn't that what multiple rounds of interviews are for? You would think companies might do such a test to understand someone's temperament and working style to ensure they're right for this position. That, unfortunately, is not usually the purpose. Although it's quite a shady practice, many jobs that use “personal…

It is normal to ask yourself occasionally, “does my job contribute anything substantive to society?” When I worked as a security guard at my college's library, I would have to watch unattended items on the security camera to make sure they weren't stolen. After almost a year of working at these libraries and countless hours watching footage of unattended laptops sitting on a table, I never saw an item get stolen. Never! Not once! My watching it had no positive impact whatsoever. That really mad…

It's hard to let the baby bird leave the nest. Many parents struggle to balance being involved in their kids' lives and being overly involved. I understand the struggle! At one point, you had to work day in and day out to ensure this young human survived. Flash forward a few years, and they seem like they don't need you anymore. This transition can be challenging for parents, but it's of the utmost importance that parents give kids, especially their adult kids, space to function without them. T…

On the clock

Being a nurse is not for the weak of heart. There's nothing more difficult than dealing with the public, especially if the public is feeling sick and angry. It's even worse when they're taking out their frustration on you, an innocent party who has not caused their present suffering. It gets to another level when you're simultaneously trying to deal with a distressed person's emotional needs while administering treatment for them. That's not to mention that you have tens of unique patients that…

Uh oh

That wasn't it

Nobody wants to have a medical emergency , yet sometimes we get shamed or scolded when we do. It's common for people, especially women, to be accused of faking or exaggerating symptoms. Why? Who knows. Usually, the accusation goes that a woman in severe pain is trying to get drugs, attention, or both. It is incredibly dehumanizing to those suffering from excruciating ailments to be dismissed or told that they're making it all up. This kind of dismissal doesn't only happen within the confines of…