“You have a college degree? What are you doing here?”

The coworker looked at the other, sitting in a cubicle side to side, and trying to answer the best they could.

“I mean, do YOU have a college degree?”

“I mean I have an associates in civil engineering, but that’s about it.”

“I mean, that is still a college degree.”

“I know, I know, I’m not saying it isn’t.”

“Okay. Well, yes, I do have a degree. I have a bachelor’s in Child’s psychology, but I couldn’t find a job anywhere. Not at a school, hospital, mental health center, nothing. At. All. All the places that would have hired me were public services that have been defunded and now can’t afford more than a few. I mean, I would like to work at those places, feel like I’m doing something important, buuut I can’t because, well, you know, and now I’m stuck here, trying to get investors to buy mousepads…”

“Yeah, I feel that, I feel that. Most of the jobs that are available right now for civil engineering want someone who “has experience for 5 years”. Like, how am I supposed to gain experience without a job in it?”

“Yeah that’s fair. I’ve been here for 3 years and haven’t seen a single cent raise. I make barely enough to even just support myself and still don’t know how I will be able to continue when the market inevitably raises in price. I know a couple people who are buddies with the higher ups and now they are our assistant and head floor managers. I’m just over it at this point.”

“Same boat. I have to send money back to my family, since they live in a poorer country than I am, so I got to cut down on the days I eat just to support them. Also, with that being the case, I make too much even to apply for food stamps, which just kinda sucks.”

“Damn, that really does suck. A lot, truly. Side note, we should get back to work, I see Mike staring daggers into me and I don’t want to deal with that.”

“Fair enough. See ya.”

“See you.”

The workers continued at their cubicles and typed away, with a feeling of melancholy and sorrow, with nothing to do but work.