Rat-Race

It's the year of the rat this year as most of the people out there may have already known. It's rather ironic being in a rat year, and being stucked in a rat race at the same time. I have the whole year to feel sucky about this.

Well, perhaps not. I'm not that pessimistic guy my friends have known me of. I'm not too sure what my friends may think of me but then i'm pretty sure it's nothing near pessimistic.

Anyway, just rather disgruntled with what i'm earning in my life. It's rather sucky you know watching people out there enjoying all the luxuries in life, spending money like their dad owns the bank.

You see, being an engineer, a good engineer, you need to be passionate about it. You need to love your job, love being an engineer. You need to understand the structures, the algorithm, how it works and why it doesn't at time. And being an engineer myself, i'm pretty sure i'm not a good engineer.

It sucks you know, holding on to the belief that once you got an engineering degree, being one is just going to be easy. Guess what, that is such a big misconception. I'm just disappointed with my own decision to finish my degree in this field, and now all i'm doing is getting paid peanuts in a job i don't enjoy doing.

If you're already out there working, you may understand this. You work hard, day and night, but your boss don't think you cut out. Your boss don't think you're good enough, that you're not putting in enough effort into your work to make things work.

And then you stayed back at work, trying to finish up the stuffs he gave to you at 6pm, right at the time when you think it's about time to go home. And yous watch your boss leave the office in a hurry back to home to have a nice warm meal with his family while you stay back to finish the job he gave you. Simply because he needs it on his desk first thing tomorrow morning.

At the end of the year, at performance evaluation time, you were hoping you'd score some points with your hard work and diligence you offer to the company and in return hoping for a promotion or a better increment in salary. And then your boss calls you into his room, ask you to close the door, handed you an envelope. Then there it is, he told you the company is not doing too well, and he think the company is giving you how much you're worth.

Imagine peanuts. You're worth peanuts. Does that feel good? Peanuts.

Well, for my part of the story, it didn't went as bad. I mean i was expecting something really good from the company, from my boss. Although it was a total disappointment what the company had to offer, my boss was rather helpful, trying to get me a better offer.

Well, it's still peanuts after the negotiation, but anyway, i did feel better after his effort. It's the thought that counts.

But anyhow, with what i'm earning, there's no way i could live the luxury life i want to live in. So what are you doing in your life to make other ends meet?

If you're the first born guy child in the family, the pressure is there. You're getting older, you're single, drive a beat-up second hand local made car, stays with your parents still, doesn't have much savings and you still owe the government that study loan you took up.

The pressure is about getting married, starting a family. You may not know, doing that is not cheap this day. You need to have your own house before that, a stable monthly income that could feed yourself, your spouse, your parents, and when that cute little baby is born, you need to buy milk powder, diapers. Before you know it, they're asking money from you to go college.

See, all this needs money and getting paid peanuts is not helping. So, please tell me my friends. How are you making your ends meet on this?






ChiM