If you’ve ever had a miserable job, you know it can suck the life out of you. Trust me, I’ve been there. I honestly feel bad for my roommates at the time because I would come home every day drained and bitter, knowing I was due back in the office the following morning. I was working crazy hours with a long commute, but it honestly wasn’t the workload that made me so unhappy. Note to employers out there, it was the environment.

1. There was ZERO trust, so employees were watched on cameras at all times.

2. The environment was toxic. Employees were screamed and cursed at constantly by upper management.

3. Expectations were unreasonable and micro-managing was second nature.

4. Employees were required to call out their colleagues and offer disciplinary action ideas.  

5. New rules and punishments were instated constantly and at whim.

Need I continue?

I was relatively new in my career when I accepted the job, so I was pretty naive as to how a typical office operates. While I thought it odd that cell phones and heels and socializing at your desk were against the rules, I just figured that’s the fashion industry for you. So I pushed myself to the limit, learning and growing and even moving up in my position. I became close with my colleagues, which made it easier, but the overall tense office vibe made it difficult to enjoy any aspect of the job.

When I eventually made a career switch, I felt ready for anything. Long hours, no problem. Endless responsibility, bring it on. Disparaging boss, I can deal. But to my complete surprise, my day ended at 5pm, I was given a completely reasonable workload, and my boss was as good as it gets. It took me awhile to adjust at my new job, having been accustomed to moving at the speed of light and never being good enough. I was so used to having my work put on display and made into an example if I made a mistake, but at my new job, I was introduced to this thing called performance reviews, which were done civilly and in private. I started looking forward to work and took pride in my projects.

What I had experienced at my previous job wasn’t normal, but without a basis to compare, how was I supposed to know? As awful as it was though, I don’t regret taking the job. I learned more about the fashion industry than I could have had I pursed a fashion degree and having an assistant taught me vital management skills that I still use today. Starting my career in such a high pressure environment showed me that I am more competent than I ever could have imagined and every job since has felt like a walk in the park.

Had I not suffered through such a miserable job, I’m not sure I ever would have realized my full career potential and I definitely would not have felt so blessed at each of my subsequent jobs. Being so turned off from the fashion industry also propelled me to switch over to beauty, which was much more my speed and now as a blogger, I push to set my own boundaries within the fashion community. Above all, being in a miserable job showed me that even though it felt as if I was stuck in a terrible situation forever, I am ultimately in control of my life and not only am I capable of anything, I have the power to make a change.

OUTFIT BREAKDOWN:
Silk Floral Dress: Mango
Pink Pom Pom Cardigan: Trescool (c/o)
Headband: Anthropologie
Pink Swarovski Crossbody: Zac Posen (c/o)
Maroon Velvet Booties: Etienne Aigner (c/o)

Photography: Laurel Creative

xx Esther