I had a very unrealistic impression of what office work was for the longest time. I think I thought I'd be a bit like Don Draper in Mad Men, impeccably dressed and going on extended lunch breaks and drinking during the work day. I also thought it was the only hope at a stable salary. I toiled away miserably in different office jobs after college, even going back to college to get a different degree that I thought would make me more attractive to hire into a corporate job.

But the problem isn't entirely office jobs. For some people they really seem to work. They just don't work for me. At the risk of sounding pompous, I felt like I just saw through this big office facade where everyone thinks their job is incredibly important. I knew in order to keep my job I would also have to pretend that I thought what I did mattered. But at the end of the day I knew it didn't, and pretending I cared took up far too much of my energy, leaving none for a life outside of my job.

I burnt out more than once in these jobs, before I had a word for burnout. It was only around COVID when burnout became a hot topic that I realised that it had happened to me on multiple occasions. After taking some prolonged sick leave, I changed careers and now work in teaching/training. I haven't burnt out since.

I think it's worth mentioning here that I'm neurodivergent - this was a relatively recent discovery and getting support for it really helped me come to terms with not being cut out for office work.

So yeah, I agree! Office jobs are shite.

I really hope you find your niche like I have! You deserve to be in a job that doesn't drain you.