Getting a job for the first time is a pretty big deal for most of us. It represents that first step toward independence (voluntary or forced), and it’s also a way to get out of the house and away from your parents for a while. Making money can be exciting, but there are a lot of other emotions that go along with that first taste of employment. Allow us to break a few of them down for you using animated GIFs.
Before you get the job, you have to ace the interview—a nerve-wracking experience unlike anything you have ever done in your life. The questions are hard, your brain shuts down, and you sweat through that new button-down you bought the night before.
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After the interview, the waiting begins. You should be applying for other jobs, but you won’t. The anxiety left over from the interview intensifies, as you wonder what’s taking them so long to recognize your awesomeness.
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You get the call and instantly feel a combination of relief and immense joy—the kind of joy that makes you dance like no one is watching.
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The morning of your first day comes, and it’s lit. You get up two hours earlier than you need to after laying your outfit out the night before, and you leave home smiling. You have no idea that this may be the last time you experience happiness.
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The first hour is always the most rewarding. You feel validated and confident because people are shaking your hand and saying that it’s nice to meet you. Your biggest problem in life is finding a way to remember the names of all of your new friends as they welcome you into the clique.
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After that initial hour, time slows down and boredom kicks in.
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Actually, it does more than slow down…it stops completely.
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We’ll abandon the chronological theme of this list now, because it’s around this point that the idea of time means absolutely nothing to the emotional rollercoaster that you call your life. There are some really great moments, but it’s mostly a lot of confusion, frustration, boredom, and anger as you try to learn the ropes and survive the day.
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After many hours and days of hard work, you get your first check and you’re feeling lavish. It’s time to shop at the mall #AllDay.
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But then you actually peep your bank account and realize that the direct deposit was a lot less than you expected it to be.
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Then you remember that you have to do this for the rest of your life.
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