It was her first day at her dream job a place at Cloud Mark creative agency, finally after going through so many interviews in different companies, she really hoped she wasn’t going to mess this up. Sun was still rising as she stepped into the sleek glass building downtown, nerves bundled tight beneath her crisp new blazer.
The elevator chimed softly as it arrived on the twelfth floor. Zara took a deep breath and walked into a bright, big office, high ceilings, people in their cubicles and the constant sound of fingers flying over keyboards.
She expected a warm smile. A greeting. Maybe a little tour. Instead, she got a glance and a frown. A woman in heels and a well-tailored gray suit passed by saying. “You’re late.”
Zara checked her watch. “But it’s 8:58…”
“We start at 8:45. It’s in the employee handbook,” the woman said without stopping.
Zara stood frozen not sure what to do until a man in glasses finally looked up from his desk.
“You must be the new content assistant?”
“Yes. Zara,” she said, offering a smile he didn’t return.
“Follow me.” Not caring to check if Zara actually followed, he started moving to a table by the corner where after she sat on it she discovered that the desktop was not functioning. Her login failed. No one had shared the Wi-Fi password. Her email account hadn’t been set up. She asked for help, but she was not paid any attention at 10:15 a.m., someone called, “Zara, we need you in the campaign meeting.”
She wasn’t sure what campaign. Before she could ask anything, the person had already started walking away. Inside the conference room, a long table stretched beneath industrial lighting. People with polished confidence tapped on their laptops. Someone gestured toward her.
“Since you’ll be supporting content for the Women in Tech campaign, do you have any early ideas?”
Zara didn’t know what to say exactly as she had no idea about this till now.
“I… I think we could go for a storytelling approach? Maybe spotlight real women working in the field?”
A beat of silence. Everyone stared blankly at her wanting for something but she didn’t know what else to say
The woman in the gray suit, Mrs. Chen, she learned later said after a while. “Next time, come prepared. We don’t do guesses here.”
The rest of the day followed the same rhythm: Zara trying her best, and the office quietly letting her know it wasn’t enough.
She sent a message to the wrong team channel. Called someone the wrong name, twice. She walked into the wrong meeting room. As if the day couldn’t get any worse, well it did because even her attempts at small talk landed nowhere. People were polite, but brief. Focused on tasks, deadlines, still not paying her any mind. By 5 p.m., the room emptied like someone had pulled a fire alarm. No goodbyes. No “see you tomorrow.” Just laptop bags slung over shoulders and soft footsteps fading toward the elevator. Wondering if this is how everyday would be, Zara stayed back a little longer, pretending to finish something important, even though she couldn’t access half of what she needed.
She finally packed up and left the building as the city transitioned into its evening glow, car lights flickering on, people walking fast with headphones on, some trying to get back home like her, some just beginning the evening. On the train home, she watched her reflection in the window. She looked tired. A little lost. And very much like someone who’d had a rough first day.
Her phone bibbed, it was a text from her sister: “How’d it go? Tell me everything!” Zara stared at the message.
She wanted to say, “It was terrible.” Or she could say, “I think I messed up.” But instead, she replied: “Rough start. But I’ll try again tomorrow.”
That night, after a long shower and a quiet dinner, she sat at her small desk and opened her personal laptop. This one worked just fine. She opened a notes app and made a list of things she thought would help her work better tomorrow
She stared at the list, then added one more:
Don’t let day one decide everything.
Her first day had been a mess. No one held her hand. No one made space. She fumbled and flopped and felt invisible.
But she also made it through.
Lots of love from jhymie 🥰
