A woman has gone viral on social media after complaining about how stressful and time-consuming her first 9-5 job has been.
Like many graduates, Brielle - who goes by the username @brielleybelly123 on TikTok - opened up about the difficult transition from graduating college to navigating life as a working professional.
In a video posted on the platform with the overlay text: "QOTD (question of the day) in a 9-5 how do u have time for ur life," Brielle vented about her struggles with the new phase of her life.
"I know I'm probably just being so dramatic and annoying, but this is my first job, like my first 9 to 5 job after college. I'm in person, and I'm commuting in the city, and it takes me f***ing forever to get there," she tearfully explained to her followers. "There's no way I'm gonna be able to afford living in the city right now, so that's off the table."
Watch Brielle's TikTok below:
To make it to her job on time, Brielle said she takes the train at 7:30AM and doesn't get home until 6:15PM at the earliest. And by then, she doesn't "have time to do anything" productive or fun.
"I want to shower, eat my dinner, and go to sleep. I don’t have time or energy to cook my dinner either. I don’t have energy to work out, like, that’s out the window," she shared.
The TikToker clarified that it wasn’t her job she was having problems with, but the lifestyle of eight-hour work days. "If it was remote you get off at 5 and you’re home, and everything’s fine," Brielle said.
But because she commutes to work, the work day doesn’t end for her until she physically arrives home, which can be more than an hour after she leaves the office.
"And I know it could be worse. I know I could be working longer, but like, I literally get off [and] it's pitch black. How do you have friends? How do you have time to like meet a guy? How do you have time for dating? I don't have time for anything, and I'm so stressed out," she concluded.
Since Brielle first posted the video on October 19, it has been viewed more than 1.5 million times and counting as of this writing. In addition to this, many people flooded the comments section with support for her frustrations.
"The 40-hour work week is beyond outdated and your feelings are totally valid," one user wrote, while another penned: "40-hour work week was designed with a homemaker to take care of house tasks. We need dual incomes now, so that’s not possible. No time for anything."
A third user commented: "You’re not alone. It’s insane how legit your entire day is gone. This is why we need 4-day work weeks," and a fourth person added: "I remember having this same realization… like this is what I couldn’t wait to grow up for? to live like this?"
After expressing her feelings about her 9-5, the content creator shared a statement with The Independent, explaining that her viral clip emphasizes the importance of how societal standards need to change.
"I want to be able to talk for this next generation and explain that a 40-hour work week plus commute is not necessary for productivity," she said. "I appreciate all the positive comments from other sympathetic workers and hope that more companies consider following in other countries' footsteps in regards to the work week, especially after so many people are used to being remote after Covid."
