The cotton fields

Few years ago, on a bright hopeful morning, I found myself at the leather smelling waiting lounge of an Information Technology impressive world known corporation, fifteen minutes before my interview was scheduled.

I remember trying to control my nervousness by holding still my shaking hands and focusing on breathing normal, that much I wanted the job, that dream job. By looking around at the rushing employees going in and outside of the modern glass building, with their fancy badges and top smart attitude, I felt so much respect for what I thought that everything related to that type of company represented, and I said to myself “If only they would pick me!”. And they didn’t.

But one fine day, ambitious and persevering as I am, another big corporation said that will give me the chance. I got in! I couldn’t stop smiling, as I felt so lucky to be able to accomplish another goal I long hoped for.

So starting with that moment, for many coming months, everyday I left and came back to my respectable working place, with my colorful badge and proud attitude, while looking at, and wishing good luck to shaking potential candidates who wanted to be me.

The salary was more than the average on the market, the work conditions were Western European (Romanians who lived to experience the communism, know what I am talking about) –resting areas, business corners, hi technology everywhere, modern furniture, air conditioning, good coffee, fruits every Wednesday, neck and shoulder massages, expensive Christmas parties, etc, and all of that was just for US, the privileged ones.

And taking all this into account, isn’t it funny how people can dream of something, and after they have and experience it, seeing all from the inside, everything becomes like a bad joke?

The reality is, the big employers in Romania whose businesses are based on making more and more money by working harder and harder people’s asses off, give you bananas and 1 Leu ice-cream as a sign of appreciation.

(This reminds me of the ship life where the employees coming from the underdeveloped countries of the world, are deeply exploited by working 15 hours a day during hurricanes, and in return, they get pizza. Not a day off, not 20 $ extra to their pay check, but one Large pizza with cheese.)

And the sad part is, that for most of us, this bribe, this April’s Fools Day consisting in insignificant cheap food, actually works. Giving people the false impression of appreciation, it makes them to continue slavering around on the beautiful, air conditioned cotton fields.

Even though you get caught and tend to love your part in this so called brainwashing process of “making profit”, I believe that the work volume in these corporations is totally unhealthy. Unhealthy meaning colleagues fainting at the desk, others taking medical leave days due to stress.

But the biggest problem of the picture isn’t the work volume, but the fact that the individual work efforts are not taken into consideration, aren’t seen. The efficiency is always reported at the overall level.

The more involved you get, the more you feel that you don’t matter, and that tap on the shoulder you receive every once in awhile, will not be enough anymore.

You then realize that you are just a number in the equation. An enthusiastic number that worked for a while, than lost the enthusiasm and got replaced by another, hopefully, more enthusiastic number.

Corporation: a continuous everlasting circle called Profit based on only enthusiastic numbers.

And yes, I am sure that some of you would disapprove me, but I have never said that I hold the truth. I only stated what I believe in.

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