As a working adult who has been in the office world for about 4 years since graduation, I think I finally understand why I am so down with my current life and miss my army and uni days so much. Just one word, bros.
These years in the corporate world, the toughest thing has not perhaps been the work, or adjusting to working life vis-a-vis student life. It is no longer having “bros” around with you all the time anymore.
The same kind of camaraderie of army or uni days is impossible to form at the workplace, ppl have their own agendas and focused on climbing the ladder and all the related office politics, or they don’t want to mix work with personal, or they just see work as work and colleagues are not friends (fair point).
I know my bros are still there, but the truth is that friendships mostly don’t end in dramatic “you betrayed me” fashion.
It’s ppl drifting apart, slowly, the harsh reality of priorities setting in. Want to meet ppl is no longer a spontaneous “eh tonight supper/eh tonight drink aimai” thing, it’s like setting up a work meeting, eh does Friday work for you, what about Sunday afternoon, etc.
Hanging out together as a gang no longer happens, usually it is a smaller meet up, at most a yearly thing. Instead of creating new memories together, all these meetups tend to end up being mere reminiscing of the past.
Ppl will say, this is life, this is the next phase. You lose friends. I don’t disagree at all. But if the only options ahead of me for the rest of my life are (a) being married and spending the rest of my life with 1 woman and possibly pop out a kid or two, or (b) remain single for the rest of my life, all the while with a boring office job. then I cannot help but feel sad because the best days of my life and well and truly behind me.
I’m somewhat envious of the foreign workers who live together in dormitories. Communal living. Yes I know, it’s hard as shit work, but they live together, eat together, sleep together, drink together. Shouting together. Doing crazy shit together. I miss that.
Maybe I shd get a more exciting career. Most important is a job that allows me to stay in, something ppl usually hate in army but I realise, is so good.