After an unsuccessful experience as a promoter, I almost immediately found myself in a new job. I also continued to study in the first year at the Art and Graphic Faculty. And still, Vika continued to exert her ambiguous influence on me.
It is Vika who insists that I go to work again. And now I'm going to tell a story that aims to show that you can't mix your personal life and work and that you shouldn't trust people if you're not sure of their feelings for you.
After my failure as a promoter, Vika increases her influence on me. Criticism of Vicky in my attitude began to sound more often. She sets herself the task of getting me a job in her own way.
Mother
Vika shared that her mother held a managerial position at one of the largest telecom companies. Initially, Vika mentioned that we could work together in the office, doing routine tasks like scanning or printing documents. This job offer gave me confidence, and I agreed to the terms, as working side by side with my girlfriend seemed more like a pleasure than a chore. However, my relationship with her mother was not the best. Firstly, she insulted me indirectly by giving me a poor assessment and disapproving of her daughter's choice. Vika informed me of this with a fond smile filled with satisfaction. Secondly, her mother constantly demonstrated signs of imagined superiority towards me, for example, not allowing me to enter her house beyond the hallway and seating me on a shoe bench. She also criticized me for slamming her car door too hard.
I think it's worth mentioning the background of this family. Vika's mother had once married a military man and spent a long time in the Far East, moving from one military unit to another. This military man often resorted to violence against both her and her daughter. Thus, they had to flee from him, first to Saint Petersburg and then to Moscow. Many oddities in the mother's and daughter's behavior now seem more understandable.
Nevertheless, Vika's mother arranged a part-time job for me at the telecom office, where alongside experienced men and women with specialized education, I had to spend my time after school. For some reason, Vika and her mother thought that a Moscow student was in dire need of their assistance.
"Project"
Only now do I realize that Vika and her mother, like two cunning friends, discussed me behind my back. Getting me this job became their joint project. Vika started to change my image, constantly focusing on the clothes I should buy. She instilled in me the idea that I should have a different hairstyle, which she would choose and approve herself. In the end, I transformed into a typical office worker, ready to work every day.
Today, of course, I wouldn't approve of such actions towards me. I didn't really need this job. I simply wanted to spend more time with Vika. But for her, it was important that I earned money. Every time I entered the office, I experienced immense stress. I couldn't stand the people I interacted with at the office. I had to endure their poor treatment.
The most hurtful part was that Vika's words about working together in the office turned out to be untrue. She suddenly forgot about her involvement and vehemently denied it. In the end, I found myself deceived and had to work alone at the computer in the office.
Responsibilities
It was hard to imagine a more boring job. I worked in the archive department, and even I didn't know the title of my position. Among my colleagues, I was known as an intern. I was in charge of a computer with databases, and I was granted access to all contracts signed by the company.
My job boiled down to "monkey work": I had to obtain a scanned copy of a contract, manually enter its number in the database, print it out, and go to the adjacent office to place it there. Mostly, these were contracts related to the use of ever-new communication towers. Such work required maximum concentration. God forbid I'd write a wrong digit - it would provoke the indignation of my colleague who sat to my right. I made mistakes often because I simply couldn't maintain such concentration. My stress accumulated with each visit to the office.
For example, I often went to the kitchen to drink coffee, and once decided to take a cup back to my desk. My nerves were so tense that a sudden hand movement led to flooding my table and keyboard.
Another example of strong anxiety was when I once mixed up words and, in all seriousness, told a female colleague "Wellcum back" instead of congratulating her on the end of her vacation and saying "Welcome back." These kinds of absurdities filled my entire work experience among these people.
Colleagues
In my relationships with colleagues, I have also encountered difficulties. Once, when a coworker went on vacation to the beach, I was moved to her desk. I worked, adapting it for my own convenience. However, upon her return, the desk's owner rudely scolded me in front of everyone for allegedly disrupting the order of her folders on the computer. I was uncomfortable, but I didn't let this go without a response. I firmly and decisively retorted, "I didn't change anything, I optimized my workspace." This response silenced the coworker and left her stunned. Later, she began to communicate with me in a friendly and interesting manner. Perhaps my response made her respect me.
My boss, Vicky's mom, also never missed an opportunity to remind me of her presence. Once, when I was at my limit, I came to the office with a light beard and was 10 minutes late. Vicky's mom immediately shouted at me, making a remark in front of everyone. She scolded me for being late and having an unkempt appearance as if I were in a barracks instead of at work. This time, I didn't risk giving a decisive resistance simply because I didn't have the energy. The job I had to rush to after university completely exhausted me.
It is also worth mentioning one of my male colleagues. He was quite strange and not very respected in the team, but he constantly showed that he could easily make acquaintances with girls in the office and charm them with his charisma (once, I witnessed one of his unsuccessful attempts). It seemed to me that he was the only one who answered my questions. However, once he asked me quite harshly if I was ready to sign off on the action he was going to take. Perhaps I made a mistake somewhere in the document again, but he didn't explain the details. His strange appearance and severity of tone did not match each other, causing me confusion. I couldn't understand his abrupt change in mood and aggressive tone, but for some reason, I calmly answered that I was ready. After that, he fell silent as if he couldn't find anything to say in response. Eventually, this employee left the team, and we arranged for him to have a farewell with a cake and champagne. I had the courage to give a farewell speech in his honor and even thanked him for his help. Everyone looked at me very strangely at that moment because the departing colleague clearly did not enjoy any authority, especially among the female part of the team.
Another colleague was a young man who came to the office closer to the end of my career in this department, just to replace me. He was a student who had just graduated from university, dressed in a blue suit and was preparing to build his future. He constantly turned to me with questions, and as much as possible, I tried to answer them, even when they distracted me from work. Perhaps I sympathized with him in my heart, as he displayed shyness and politeness. Like any other newcomer, he needed support at first. Moreover, I realized that he would have to adapt to this team, and I understood that it would not be easy for him. Then this guy took my place.
Breakup
In general, under these conditions, I worked for about six months (from February to July 2008). In May, Vika and I had a quarrel and broke up. Therefore, her mother's reaction did not wait long. I remember how she once approached my workplace and hinted that it would be nice to make up with Vika. I did not follow her advice, and already in July, she directly told me that I could no longer work for them since my education did not meet their requirements. At that time, I did not even have a completed education and sacrificed my studies for this useless job.
My salary was 11,000 rubles per month, which is a fairly low income, especially considering the difficult working conditions and unpleasant communication with colleagues. During these six months, I did not learn anything useful because I worked with an internal program that is not used elsewhere. My experience mainly consisted of constant conflicts with colleagues, stress, and an endless conveyor of boring numbers.
Results
As a result of my experience working in this company, I faced a number of problems and difficulties, largely related to personal relationships. My job was boring and monotonous, not allowing me to fulfill my potential and develop professionally.
The team was challenging and not always friendly, creating an unpleasant atmosphere in the workplace. The relationship with Vika's mother, my boss, was particularly tense due to her imaginary superiority and interference in my personal life.
After the breakup with Vika, the situation worsened, and ultimately I had to leave this job. Despite all the difficulties, I was able to find common ground with some colleagues and learned that sometimes decisiveness and honesty can command respect.
Thus, this work experience showed me the importance of choosing a job that aligns with my interests, education, and well-being. It is important not to let external influences affect one's personal life and professional path and to engage in activities that bring satisfaction and growth. It is also crucial to remember that personal life and work are separate entities.
Skills Developed
- Patience: Working in a stressful environment and performing monotonous tasks, I learned to be patient and deal with challenging situations.
- Attention to detail: My work required maximum concentration and accuracy when entering data into the database.
- Communication skills: Despite the difficulties, I learned to communicate with different colleagues, including those who were difficult to interact with.
- Independence: I was able to find approaches to problem-solving and handle various situations without anyone's assistance.
- Receiving criticism: My job involved a lot of criticism from superiors and colleagues, and I was able to cope with it and continue working.