I can’t think of any reason why so many foreign corporations have chosen to set up offices in Romania other than cheap labor and fast internet. Hard working people? Perhaps desperate people trying to find a job.

Coming out financially shaken from a summer of working in the US via the Work and Travel program, I was in major debt after the loan I took from the bank to be able to go there. And banks have zero patience when it comes to returning money. It put a rather large amount of pressure on me as the phone calls and letters kept harassing me almost daily. Apparently, the more they scream at you over the phone, the more persuasive they think they are. I needed to find a job stat. But before I knew it, the year ended and I stepped into the new one with the wrong foot. By March I had lost a boyfriend, the relationship with my parents was hanging by a thread (still living with them, nice), I was unemployed, with huge debt, and I was in my senior year of college which meant that I’d be working a significantly greater amount for the bachelor’s degree. I was also getting clinically depressed. Huh.

The first job I could easily find was at Subway, the sandwich shop. I had the experience from the States and I’ll admit, I was desperate. Needless to say, the pay was a joke and I could only handle making people sandwiches for so long. I called it quits after barely one month. Little did I know that the next job opportunity would be something so far away from greasy counters. I came across this multinational IT outsourcing company which was hiring at the time. There was a job opening that required my English and customer care skills. Of course I’m gonna submit my resume. I would figure all that IT stuff later anyway. And to get an idea of how bad I was with interviews, I didn't even bother to look up what IT outsourcing means. Surprisingly enough, I had gotten the position.

When you think about a corporate job, I’m guessing you would imagine all the cliches: crammed cubicles in an open space, grey and white walls, low ceiling with fluorescent lights, people working on their computers which causes a background noise that transcends the real world from outside those walls; the moment you step into the offices, you get the eerie feeling that the real world and all its problems cease to exist. It’s all about work. Well, it’s sadly all true. And this is 2013. Given the fact that I had found a stable job that paid decently, I couldn't complain. Me? Not to complain about something? No, that did not happen. Actually, for the first few weeks I was willing to tolerate the idea of working there and most of all, the people. Not accept, but tolerate. Frankly, I was more concerned about keeping the job given the fact that I had very little to no experience in the field. But as the days progressed, my inner Judge Judy was rising to the surface.

I regarded my co-workers in a condescending manner, as if they were the “hit or miss” kind of people. You know, people who put a pin in their college degree and morph into a corporate John or Jane Doe. But I learned that I had jumped to a conclusion. Not all of them entered this environment blind folded. Perhaps it was just a step in a series of steps in their lives and they were just like me — trying to support themselves until they got the job they actually wanted. This is me trying to be less of a judgmental moron and more of an understanding human being. Trial and error, trial and error. However, the thing that bothered and frightened me the most was the change in attitude some of my co-workers were experiencing once they were past the “newbie” status. How are you going to walk around the office all cocky and pretend this is your dream job? How are you going to tell me what an amazing opportunity this was for you and that you don’t know exactly what you’re doing, but then months later you apply for that upper level position? You want to make a career out of this? Fine. Just cut the bullshit and answer the goddamn phone like you’re supposed to. I believe that this shift in personality comes with the social status they acquire on the job. It boosts their ego to a higher floor level in the skyscraper than the one they’re actually working from.

The team meetings were the worst. A higher manager comes in and basically tells us that money is everything, especially the large amounts of money we make for him and others like him. Um, what? As it was the first time I witnessed this kind of scenery, it took a lot of self-control to not punch the guy in his ugly toad face. In moments like these exasperation hits new highs. But I kept calm and was earning that low income salary (as I was paying the bank monthly, I was left with less money) because let’s face it; my desk was not so bad compared to dealing with crass customers at a restaurant. Was I ungrateful? Was I an hypocrite for staying there? Two things can be true at the same time. And then there were the night shifts. My anxieties couldn't have been happier when the time came for me to work at night. Midnight to 8 in the morning — time well spent numbly watching clips of America’s Next Top Model and pointing out everything that’s wrong with the universe every second of it. I was a brave employee as long as my head didn't fall on my desk and stayed there until the end of the shift.

Compared to my colleagues, I was definitely the black sheep of the team. I was constantly late, at first lower than the standard employee performance and then slightly above it (that’s progress right there) and generally without clue. When I was asked about the reasons why my work performance was so weak (they’d worked up a self-development plan for me as well), I avoided the real answer to mask an unappealing depression that no one would have cared about anyway. I couldn't have said “I’m sorry I’m always late, but I just fucking hate it here” or “I don’t care about the job, I’m in it for the financial security and I’ll be out of your way once I figure things out”. When things got really bad, I’d just call in sick. I couldn't get out of the house because of how upset I was. I must say that I was actually surprised by my manager’s understanding and thankful for not firing me on the spot.

However murky and antisocial I was, I managed to make a few connections with certain people. One was stronger in particular. I was having lunch with this new girl who didn't seem to fit the corporate profile as she was smart, funny and sarcasm blew from her nostrils. “Cause you can always use a double chin”, she said casually, looking at a girl eating bread with her large meal. I instantly knew she was going to be my partner in crime. The humor (usually offensive) we shared somehow kept my spirit afloat.

Months passed and the loan debt was coming to its end, thus I was seriously considering quitting. Enthusiasm rushed to my head like big ocean waves. Yet the day I was going to announce my resignation brought a queasy feeling over me: the possibility of changing my mind, sit at my desk and go on about my ordinary day. It scared me so much, that I convinced myself to be 100% decided to do it. Jump without a safety net. Quit.

The transitory year and a half long glimpse I had into the corporate world was enough to make me realize that I don’t belong there. However out of place I had felt, I got used to the daily routine and the work. But I had no intention of evolving up the corporate ladder, nor was I a proactive employee. Kudos to those who can bear it. I couldn’t. So after the financial burden was lifted, I left the office life under those ugly-ass fluorescent lights.