Job is Both Stress and Fun
The next day, it was a busy morning. I woke up late, and there was so much to do. I quickly woke the kids up. Evan helped a bit with breakfast and making their tiffins. Even though I was moving at high speed, a thought kept popping up in my mind: What job should I pursue?
“How was today’s breakfast?” Evan asked Mary and Mark as he helped them with their uniforms. I quickly combed their hair.
“Good,” Mark replied.
Mary commented, “It wasn’t mom’s cooking.”
She notices everything when it comes to food—even the slightest change.
“Was it good or bad?” I asked as I handed them their tiffin boxes.
“Three things were bad, and one was good,” she said.
“What were the bad things?” Evan asked.
“The poori wasn’t crispy, the salt was less, and I didn’t like the poori-egg combination,” she said.
“What was the good thing then?” I asked her.
“Dad has improved a lot in his cooking,” she chuckled, showing her newly grown teeth.
“Thank you, that’s a big compliment coming from you,” Evan said, bowing down playfully.
“Mom, I don’t want to wear this tie today,” Mark said.
“Why?” I asked.
“I want to change my look today. The same look every day is boring,” he said.
Evan, ready for the office in his tie and formals, answered, “I agree with you. Let’s go without ties today.” He removed his tie and helped Mark take off his.
“I don’t want to wear mine either,” Mary said, removing her bow tie.
“So, today is ‘no tie day,’” I commented.
“Yes, no tie day,” Mark and Mary said together, jumping in their black shoes.
Their bus arrived, and they got on quickly, waving goodbye.
“Okay, bye, wifey,” Evan was about to leave too.
I quickly asked him, “Do you enjoy your job?”
He looked at me, “Do I need to answer that now?” He checked the time.
“Why? Isn’t it just a yes or no question? Does it need a big paragraph?” I asked with a chuckle.
“Yes, it’s a big story, no, multiple stories,” Evan said. “Let’s sit on the couch. I have 10 more minutes.”
‘I thought it was just a 2-second answer,’ I mentally noted.
“Some days I enjoy my job a lot; some days I hate it like hell. But at the month’s end, when I receive my salary, which fulfills all our family’s needs, it’s pure bliss. I feel the happiest because I can take care of my family. I know many people struggle with that. Yesterday, I met a guy with three kids and no job. There are so many such cases. So instead of focusing on whether I enjoy my job, I try to fulfill my responsibilities at the office and home. My life is pretty good,” he said.
My eyes were almost filled with tears. “You made me cry in the morning itself,” I said, wiping my eyes.
His phone rang. “I’m going; it’s an office call, a small phone meeting. Bye,” he said as he walked towards his car.
In that moment, I realized that it’s okay if a job doesn’t always bring joy. Everything doesn’t have to be about fun and excitement. Jobs come with both fun and stress, but at the end of the month, when we get our salary, it’s pure happiness—a blessing that allows us to meet all our needs and our family’s needs.
No Salary!
I sat on my chair with my morning tea, my thoughts consumed by the topic of finding a job. But my calm moment was ruined by a message from Japan Aunt: “Good morning – all the best on your day 1 of the challenge.”
‘Congrats, you just turned my day into a perfect bad day,’ I thought sarcastically.
However, another message cheered me up—it was from my friend Nora: “Hi, sorry I was busy last night. So, what’s new?”
I typed back, “I’m hunting for a job.”
“Were you serious?” she replied.
I decided to video call her. She answered, holding her morning coffee.
“You’re with your morning coffee,” I observed.
“I’ve joined your club now. I stopped drinking coffee and started drinking tea,” she chuckled.
“Wow, we need to celebrate this change. I want to have a cup of tea with you,” I said. “Let’s meet.”
“I’m free today; we can meet anytime,” she said.
“Shall we meet in an hour at our favorite cafe?” I asked.
“Done,” she gave a thumbs up.
“I’ll hang up now. We’ll discuss everything when we meet face-to-face,” I said. We ended the call.
Within an hour, I was ready to go, wearing a casual green dress. When I reached the cafe, she was already there waiting for me but hadn’t ordered anything.
“Am I late?” I asked as we shared a quick hug.
“No, I was just early, I guess,” she replied.
“Shall we order two teas and two sandwiches?” I asked.
She nodded, and we placed our order.
“So, you’ve started job hunting?” she asked.
“No, to be honest, I don’t know where to start,” I said. “I’m not sure what job I should pursue.”
“Job hunting is a real headache,” she agreed. “But wait, there’s an opening in my office. I saw it in the group this morning.” She opened her WhatsApp to check while the waiter served our tea and sandwiches.
“Yes, see, it’s an entry-level position and doesn’t require any prior experience,” she said.
“That’s good,” I said, almost spilling my tea in excitement.
“But there’s no salary for this job. It’s like training. After three months, you’ll start getting paid. The position is Assistant HR, and it’s a good job. After a year, you’ll be interviewing people,” she explained.
“Wow, that’s good, but no salary… that’s…” I felt a bit demotivated. No salary for three months? Why?
We talked about everything for the next hour. We had a lot to catch up on since we hadn’t seen each other in a long time. She sent me all the details about the job and offered to arrange an interview if I was interested. I told her I would discuss it with Evan first. It was a 9-to-5 job with no initial salary, meaning I’d need a caretaker at home for the kids. And I need to pay her from my pocket. That’s horrible! But if I want something, I have to go through some horrible situation. That’s the rule of our life.
Most situations are like this—when four things are in my favor, one thing goes against me. In such situations, confusion hits me first, followed by clarity. I don’t give up on my confusion, that’s why clarity attacks me at the end.
Unexpected 3 choices
We were all having dinner when I brought up the topic. “Nora mentioned a job opening in her office for an assistant HR position, but the first three months are training,” I said.
“That’s good,” Evan replied.
“But there’s no salary during the training period,” I added, feeling a bit down.
“All jobs should have a salary, Mom,” Mark commented.
Evan seemed deep in thought.
“I don’t have any experience, right? So they need to teach me first before I can work for them. That’s why it’s a training period,” I explained.
“There’s a vacancy at my office too. I saw the post yesterday—it’s for an office admin position. Are you interested?” Evan asked, showing me the job description on his phone.
I reviewed it carefully. The initial salary was 10k, which was a good offer.
“It’s good,” I said.
“There’s also a job post on my school page, I saw it in the morning,” Mark said. “Go to our school page.” I checked it out and found a teacher’s job post with a base salary of 9k.
“This is also good,” I said. “Now I have three job options: teacher, office admin, and assistant HR. I’m not sure what to do.”
“Can’t you take all three jobs?” Mary asked.
“I’m not a superwoman,” I laughed.
“Why not attend all three interviews? It’ll be good experience,” Evan suggested.
“That’s a good idea,” I agreed, giving a thumbs up. “I’ll apply to all three jobs.”
I can choose one, but what if I end up choosing all three? Sometimes it’s about exploring all our options and letting the outcomes decide for us.
5 lessons you can learn from this story
- Balancing Fun and Responsibility: Jobs often come with both enjoyable and stressful aspects. It’s important to focus on the responsibilities and the overall benefits, like providing for your family, rather than just the immediate enjoyment.
- Exploring Opportunities: When faced with multiple options, it’s valuable to explore all possibilities. Attending multiple interviews can provide good experience and help in making a more informed decision.
- Accepting Challenges: Sometimes, pursuing a goal means going through difficult situations, like accepting a job without an initial salary. Overcoming these challenges can lead to better opportunities in the future.
- Family Support: Discussing important decisions with family members can provide different perspectives and valuable support. Sharing concerns and receiving feedback helps in making better choices.
- Adaptability: Being flexible and open to change, like adjusting breakfast routines or considering different job roles, can make it easier to navigate daily challenges and unexpected situations.