I’ve started my first 9-5 job and the schedule is so crazy – I don’t have the energy to cook dinner or see friends
A graduate broke down in tears as she revealed she was struggling to adapt to her new nine-to-five work schedule in her first real job.
Brielle, who lives in New Jersey, said she struggled to find time for life outside of her four-hour commute and long work hours.
In a video which racked up more than 1.5 million views, the graduate said she didn’t have the time or energy to cook or shower after returning home.
The content creator added, “Nothing at all to do with my job, but like the 9-5 schedule in general, it’s just crazy.”
Many people flooded the comments in support of a young woman who works in marketing, with some calling for a four-day work week.
Brielle (pictured), who moved to New Jersey for her first job after college, became emotional as she talked about feeling overwhelmed by her four-hour commute and work schedule
Brielle got her role after five months of searching and sending out ‘hundreds’ of applications every day.
The young woman explained that she had no choice but to move to New Jersey for her job in New York because she could not afford the sky-high rents in the city.
The teary-eyed woman revealed it took ‘f****ng forever’ to get to and from her workplace, admitting it would be easier if she lived within walking distance.
Brielle continues: ‘I leave here and get on the train at half past six and won’t be home until 6:15 p.m. at the earliest. I don’t have time to do anything.’
In a later video, she told her TikTok following of about 118,800 people that sometimes she doesn’t get home until 7:30 p.m.
‘I want to shower, eat and go to sleep. I also don’t have the time or energy to cook,” says Brielle.
‘I don’t have the energy to exercise, like that’s out of the window. I’m so upset. Oh my God.’
According to the graduate, it would be easier to balance work and private life if she worked from home.
The content creator emphasized that she doesn’t have the energy to cook after a long day at work
Thinking it “could be worse,” she said, “I know I could work longer, but I get out and it’s literally pitch black, like I have no energy.”
The stressed-out woman branded herself “emotional” and “dramatic” because she worried about how she would make time for her personal life, such as dating and maintaining friendships, outside of her first job.
But many viewers flocked to the comments, sharing how they too were struggling with their work-life balance.
One person wrote: ‘It’s so repetitive and depressing. I feel you girl,” while another chimed in: “Five days of work and two days off honestly feels like hell.”
Others called for a shorter working week, with one individual suggesting: ‘Generation Z must collectively move into management positions and then collectively enforce the four-day working week.’
Another commenter added, “The 40-hour work week is designed with a housewife taking on the household chores.
‘We now need double incomes, so that is not possible. No time for anything.’
One person joked: “The other generations laughed at themselves for saying this was OK.”
Some offered their empathy, noting, “You’re not alone. It’s crazy how legitimate your whole day has been.”
A 30-year-old commuter who had gone remote shared how they would “never go back” to the office, saying, “Life is so much better when you work from home.”
But not everyone was sympathetic to the graduate’s new fate, with certain onlookers welcoming her to ‘the real world’ and ‘adulthood’.
Many users flooded the comments with support for the diploma, with some even calling for a four-day work week. However, not everyone was sympathetic, and many welcomed her into ‘adulthood’ and the ‘real world’
One person joked: “You can always quit and join the military,” while another viewer wrote: “Imagine having kids to come home to after too!”
In a later video, Brielle described herself as “lucky” and “grateful” to land the role so soon after college, acknowledging how much more difficult her schedule would be with children or pets.
About working parents, the graduate said, “I give them so much grace because in America it’s incredibly difficult to be emotionally and mentally stable when your days are structured like that.”
She disclosed that she was unprepared for the nine-to-five schedule because she was studying remotely in both high school and partially in college during the COVID pandemic.
Brielle concluded the video by stating that America needed to change its current nine-to-five schedule.
“It’s not fair that the only people who benefit from this are the people who run the companies,” the content creator said.
‘Or people who are extremely wealthy or influencers who don’t have to work according to a fixed schedule.’