Member-only story
Stay for Pay?
Should You Keep a Toxic Job Just for the Money
The first time I was introduced to “corporate America” I was fresh out of college. I was not in, in, corporate America, but I was around it. I worked in a corporate kitchen. I saw how the pawns acted in their daily roles, the hierarchy, drama, and racism. The rat race is all about who you know versus what you know. And the people that actually know things are usually not in the right roles. Needless to say 23 year old me did not want any part of that life.
At 31, however, I somehow found myself in a corporate environment. And I realize, that it really is not for me. For one thing, I’m the only black person in my office. So that part. And somehow, even while trying my hardest to avoid drama, it found me. It went from ostracism to slick remarks, work sabotage, and then gaslighting. When you’re a quiet, introverted black woman, the drama starters are drawn to you. They want to see the real you. Corporate America does not come with a handbook, which makes it that much harder to navigate. And many people like myself end up burnt out and miserable.
As the post-post-pandi opens up new horizons for people, employees are now finding ways to avoid the rat wheel. People are taking their side-hustles and turning them into lucrative businesses. They completely avoid the extraness of the working world…
