“Because the dream job doesn’t come without scratches.”

Topic: Frustrated With Work

I used to believe that reaching a certain age would mean that work worries would disappear and I’d have the dream job: productive days, smooth communication, and a clean desk, heading home at 5 PM.

Instead, I found myself surrounded by chaos, fueled by caffeine, papers everywhere, and feeling inadequate as an adult. My actual experience highlights how our expectations about work often differ from reality, leaving us frustrated and restless.

Any of this sounding familiar yet?

“So, what’s the real dream job? One where we know exactly what to do and where to put the coffee mug… or one where we learn to make it work, even when the papers are piled high?”

The truth is, dream jobs come with their own fine print—sometimes in the form of vague expectations, coffee stains, or a desk that seems to have weathered a small tornado.

Expectation vs. Reality Gap

For as long as I’ve been able to work, I have always worked retail. Shoe stores, clothing stores,  home  stores, etc. I can confidently say I’ve only worked at a total of five jobs, which includes my current job. Each had its good points and the points where I’ve contemplated quitting

For instance, with retail, you are constantly dealing with entitled, rude, and overall crappy individuals. It doesn’t always suck; the people you work with in a retail setting often have the best sense of humor!

“You know what they say, there’s nothing like trauma-bonding to create a warm workplace!”

I’ve been at my current job since 2023. And yes, it’s much better than my previous retail job, particularly in terms of hours and workload. I’m a proud 8 to fiver, Monday-Friday, with a cushy office and an hour lunch. A nice gig for someone who grew up working in retail. And those who have worked retail know what kind of battlefield I mean.

For those who don’t, well bless your heart… you never want to and I hope you never have to.. though with the way the current economics are my hopes are quivering.

You’d think an office job would be simple. You know respond to emails, print documents, and keep your coffee mug full… .  Most days, I thought my work would be simple, receiving timely responses from my coworkers, having respect and, above all, maintaining a healthy work-life balance. If I were lucky, I might experience less stress and some professional courtesy in my job… nothing but the good life.

Apparently, Life is full of jokes.

Job Frustration Happens

Obviously, I knew that going from a retail life to an office setting would be different. I just wasn’t expecting it to feel like a group project where the teacher doesn’t tell you what your project is… and it’s somehow your fault it fails?

This job is completely different than what I expected. The people are great.. mostly. The problem is it can become overwhelming due to the lack of communication, accountability, basic conversation and the drama.

I thought retail drama was bad… Customers yelling for not being able to use their digital coupons, or coworkers having a breakdown on the sales floor. But this? Ridiculous.

You’d think we were still in high school, with the passive-aggressive emails, Knowing looks in meetings, and people ability to go seven hours without reporting broken equipment until its already the end of day or days later.

My job is to keep the tech running… How do I keep the tech functioning if nobody wants to communicate with me?

Last week, I follow up with a notification about a broken tablet, All that was mentioned was it was dropped… Great start.. any other details you’d like to mention?

Apparently not because it came to my office with scotch tape holding it together… All I could do was stare at it like it was Exhibit A in a tech crime scene.

For me, frustration can look like starting a to-do list that multiplies faster than I can check anything off. Other days, it’s the quiet voice that asks, “Is this really it?”

For me, frustration can look like starting a to-do list that multiplies faster than I can check anything off. Other days, it’s the quiet voice that asks, “Is this really it?”

“I feel like a cat trapped in a box that’s too small. Sometimes, the job just isn’t a good fit, and it’s leaving me restless.“

That creeping restlessness always seems to make you wonder if the problem is the job, coworkers, or you.

The Emotional Side

So far this month, the number of times I’ve felt underappreciated, irrelevant, or just straight-up incompetent… should not be this high.

In a recent post, I mentioned my boss was out of town, leaving me alone in the office. Well, here’s what that actually looked like ; and how it’s bleeding into this week.

Only two people handle all tech for a department of around 500, give or take. Take one out the picture, and suddenly it’s 500:1.

Those are Hunger Games odds and well… I’m not a Victor.

What made it worse wasn’t the workload, but the silence. I always try to kept up, take responsibility and learn. But at every turn, I ask for directions or clarification, it felt like I was getting stonewalled.

My boss guards information like it’s top secret – not in a “protect the company” way, more of he’s afraid someone might actually get good at this job and overthrow him.

And just for clarification. I don’t think I’m better than him. He has seniority. He’s smart and competent. I just want to be prepared.

He still has a ways to go before retirement and I want to one day be qualified to run this department. It want to stop feeling like I’m constantly failing and winging it through issues I should’ve been trained for.

I shouldn’t have to beg to understand the job I was hired to do.

Because sometimes, the real frustration at work isn’t about the task you have. It’s the weight that follows you home. That sigh you let out before opening your laptop. The 3PM fog that drifts in like clockwork. It’s the deep, isolating tiredness. The kind that makes you feel like you’re the only one being hit by a truck, while everyone else is walking around just fine.

“Is it really imposter syndrome… if the system is designed to keep you uninformed? Because some days, I’m not sure I know the difference.”

Conclusion

I can say with confidence it’s been a journey. When I first took this job, I was convinced this would be a breezy job, you know? I was equipped with the experience of managing retail chaos, honestly how much different could an office job be?

Different.. very different it turns out…

I quickly realized that office life is its own kind of trainwreck, just a different brand of chaos. I didn’t expect to feel like I was constantly fighting an uphill battle, trying to move forward while navigating drama, miscommunication, and ever-growing repair list.

Things I wish I had known before:

Drama doesn’t disappear, it’s just a different style

In retail, drama was easy to spot, you could practically smell it when anyone had an issue with the schedule. But in the office world? It’s subtle, passive aggressive, side conversations, feeling like an outsider.

Your to-do list will grow faster than you can finish it

In retail, my day was marked by customer transactions, stocking shelves and making sales. In the office, a whole different beast. I though it be a few emails, tasks, and a clean desk. Instead I have random pop ups, tasks multiply and “getting ahead is laughed out the room”

Not having all the answers, is okay

In the beginning, I thought that knowing the answers and getting everything right was everything. But there is a learning curve and you can expect not to know all the answers or what to do. Just know it’s perfectly okay, I just wish I was told up front.

The answers won’t be on a silver platter

The hardest part wasn’t dealing with damaged equipment or deadlines. It was having to beg for information. Asking for help felt taboo, like I was expected to fail and mess up. And now, I’m learning that I can mess up and ask questions. Or even admit I don’t know something, because that is the only way to improve and grow.

“The hardest part about growing is that you can’t always see the progress while you’re in the middle of it”

My take away from this is that you can always expect some form of drama. Some days, you have to laugh at the passive-aggressiveness and tension that fills the office.

Avoid getting caught up in it, do the job you were hired to do. Learn to communicate effectively and stay away from office gossip or people that will drag me down.

Also, in my ever growing experience about navigating the office world. Not having it all figured out doesn’t make me a failure. It just means I’m still figuring out the work, office politics, and expectations.

Most of the time, it’s better to take a step back. Give myself grace, and remind myself that you can’t grow without growing pains.

And the most important thing to remember is this Perfection isn’t expected. It’s understandable to stumble, ask for help and absolutely okay to not have it all under control all the time.

At the end of the day, it’s not how well you can manage the chaos. It’s about how resilient you are despite the chaos.

-Quill