Intuition
When I was in my late 20’s, I was offered a full-time position at a global ad agency. It was my first six-figure salary.
I was given a glorious job title, doing creative work for renowned brands, in a posh office in Chicago’s River North neighborhood.
With the money, I was able to afford to shop and lunch at nearby spots every day and live comfortably.
Soon enough, I found myself feeling out of place, totally disconnected from everyone around me in the office.
The people were nice. I didn’t receive any direct treatment that was unpleasant. But there was something off about some of them. I couldn’t really put that into words at that time.
And I blamed myself for feeling that way because I was young and unable to trust my judgment. I felt guilty for not vibing with my colleagues and the atmosphere of the office.
Every morning, I dreaded going into the office. I felt so alienated although many “nice” people surrounded me.
A couple of months after my start date, I decided to make up a fake reason and resign from the job. I was terrified about lying just to quit. I didn’t want to burn any bridges.
Years went on. I saw a headline on LinkedIn. A head of an agency was accused of harassment and was fired, along with a few other men who partook in the action. It was the agency I lied to leave.
