I feel like a slave. I work an average of 70 hours a week, enduring disrespect, bowing my head, and constantly telling a team of fully grown adults to behave like adults. It’s Sunday night before work, and I just want to cry and scream at the thought of going back.
I’m only 23, and I have to bow my head and take the bullshit because I’m trying to secure my future. Most people my age are in college, but I’ve had to work for as long as I can remember because I just didn’t have that kind of situation at home.
Everything I’ve gotten, I’ve had to give up pieces of my life force to earn. Even my car — I had to work two jobs, overnight shifts and weekends, just to afford to buy one. It’s draining.
It feels like I’m building my future not just for myself, but for my family — because we have no wealth, and inside, it’s so heavy to carry. It feels like I’m dragging chains just to make this happen. But if I don’t do it, then what? Nothing changes. The cycle just repeats.
I don’t want my kids to watch me struggle the way I watched my mother struggle — working two jobs and going to school just to support me on her own. That’s the only reason I keep pushing: to build some kind of foundation.
I’m tired, but I’m going to keep going. I don’t want to just survive anymore — I want to live.
Thank you for reading — I just needed to vent this out to real people.
Comments
Remember that it’s work to live, not live to work. Building a foundation is the right idea, but meditate on if what you’re doing is sustainable. Long term – will I meet my goals? Short term – what am I sacrificing? How’s my quality of life?
I’ve been there. It’s literally torture.
The only thing that saved me was changing jobs. It took me leaving to realize that wasn’t acceptable. I sacrificed so much–my mind, body and even my family.
I’m not sure if leaving is an option for you. I’m not sure what keeps you there, but I hope you find your way to a job that respects you and treats you like a human.
Regardless, I hope things improve. The grind can definitely kill more than your spirit.
You deserve better.
This is life for most folks. Good luck, sir
No job is worth feeling like this in
The way we’re going nearly everybody is going to struggle.
39 years old here, and I have my dream job. I work 6 months a year and get 6 months off. I make six figures.
I say all this because I came from a family of high school dropouts. I had to piece together money by working 5 jobs while in school. I’ve had chemical burns, wrists so swollen that I couldn’t close a fist, and went to bed with construction boots on only to wake up and walk out the door more times than I can count.
When I was 23 I was watching friends living lives I couldn’t dream of. Now I cover their bar tabs because they lived free in their 20’s and can’t afford shit now.
Stay the course. Be strategic and focus on the overarching goal and keep working towards it.
I am rooting for you to be able to tell your success story to a 23 year old when you’re my age.
Change jobs, get away from the stress. There are lots of work enviroments out there that won’t make you miserable. I mean, most jobs aren’t going to make you over the moon happy, but you don’t need to be miserable.
Please remember to hydrate, feed yourself veggies and get good sleep
I feel like early 20s fucking sucks. I have friends who didn’t go to college and they say they feel behind because everyone they know are.
But those friends are way more financially secure than I am. I have a TONE of debt. Have a paper for what? My friend works at a factory and does 40-100 hours a week, gets amazing pay and PTO. I make nothing cuz I’m unemployed loving off of mostly credit cards.
My mom went to college when I sinor in highschool. We went to the same college together. Our family is also mostly highschool drop outs. My childhood wasn’t fun, I know what it’s like to be poor and nearly survive. I have my mother who now makes 6 figures, but with all the years we’ve lived, we have a huge amount of debt. So we’re still not that greatly well off.
Go to a tech school if it suits you. Do plumbing, electric what have you. They pay the big bucks, 2 years of work, and you should be able to pay it back quickly. The job market is fucked, but don’t let that deter you from reaching higher. You’re worth it.
Keep it up. I have a feeling it will turn around for all of us in our early twenties.
Dobby don’t get freedom. Dobby needs money.
I had a job like this worked my way from the bottom. I felt like my whole life revolved around work. I ended up quitting making far less found a cheaper living situation. I’m happier now making less than I have been in years.
Take pride in your life young fella, your level is your level, don’t overlook the moments