In the wise words of Peter Griffin, it really grinds my gears when people stay in jobs that make them unhappy and unfulfilled.

Everyone’s excuse is always, well hey – that’s life, gotta make money somehow. Yes, you do have to make money in today’s world, but you don’t have to be unhappy and unfulfilled while doing it, that’s a choice.

The Young Years 

Obviously, life didn’t just hand me the lemons to make the perfect lemonade of becoming an established writer as soon as I began working. So, I went through the typical phases of working multiple part-time and full-time jobs until I got here. There’s something to be said about the people you work with.

When I look back, the element that leaves the longest-lasting impression on any job are the people you work with.

I can easily divide my jobs into two categories: “Job sucked because of co-workers” and “Job was awesome because of co-workers”.

My first job was during high school. I was a part-time cashier at Canadian Tire in Leduc, Alberta. Category? “Job sucked because of co-workers”.

It was a mismatch of socially awkward adults mixed with teens who didn’t care about anything besides getting off early, plus my manager was a creep who offered back massages in his office – yuck.

Post High School 

After high school graduation, I took a full-time job in the bakery department of a grocery store. Category? “Job sucked because of co-workers”.

I couldn’t tell you a single person’s name that I worked with at the time, let alone now. Nobody spoke to each other, and everyone was really uptight and intimidating.

I began serving. I started out at Boston Pizza, which I would categorize on the very borderline of “Job was awesome because of co-workers” – you didn’t want to get stuck in the middle of the gossiping crossfire. I then took a job that provided better tips at a bar called Original Joe’s. I worked at the Leduc location for almost a year before leaving to New York City for college. After returning home, I headed back to the same job because; “Job was awesome because of co-workers”.

Feels Like Home 

The second time around however, it slowly turned into “Job sucked because of co-workers”. New servers and bartenders had been hired, and a bar filled with a bunch of 20-something-year-old girls triggered more drama than high school.

I moved to downtown Edmonton, and began working at the Original Joe’s location there. This is the first job I’ve ever felt like part of a family.

I miss Original Joe’s 102. I get homesick for the bar itself, and the people who I worked with that changed my life. I stay in touch with most of them including some who even became really great friends of mine outside of work.

However, here I am at 24-years-old living out the beginning of my dream job, my writing career, in an office building that feels like home.

The Newfoundland Herald? “Job is awesome because of co-workers”.