Life After College

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 Life After College

    As a first-generation and a woman in STEM, I had lots of expectations for myself. I wanted to find a stable full-time job that I can utilize my degree in as soon as possible -- I was on a time crunch. I was only 2 months away from moving back home and being helicoptered by my parents. I have gotten used to bedroom doors that can properly close and be locked. Back home, while the bedroom is slightly bigger, the door just wouldn't close properly nor be locked. Not being able to have privacy as a 22 year-old adult bothered me a lot. My family isn't particularly wealthy, and we lived our lives frugally. The cost of renting apartments in Davis was a big expense for them, so I was given until the end of my lease to figure out what my plans are. 

Honestly, I don't remember being exceedingly exited about graduating college. I felt anxious to the extent of not being able to fall asleep for days on end. I was anxious about the life after college. The thought of having to move back home felt suffocating to me. My adoptive mom told me that she'd expect me to give my emotional support cat -- Hank -- away; otherwise I cannot go home. It is understandable since most of the family have allergies to cats. I'm adopted, so I am not affected. (Thank God I'm not allergic to cats.)

Anyhow, I had to push myself extra hard to find a job. The process was gruesome. I applied to many jobs. Other than that, my biological mom pulled the financial rug under me as a method to force me to move back to my adoptive mom's home. "Saves money" -- is the consensus of my mothers. 👽

Looking back, I probably should've asked them to wait one more month. I was on such a time crunch that I had to accept the first offer that I got, which was a DNA sequencing company in the Greater Sacramento area. Maybe I could've gotten better jobs. 

I am still thankful for the taste of what a bad workplace looks like.

In short, a female senior lab technician bullied a newer lab technicians after being they snitched to the management that the senior lab tech made sexual harassing comments about a rivaling promotion competitor. Somehow this senior lab technician never got fired for her behavior. The HR of that company even wanted to fire the team leader who stood to removing said senior lab technician from his team, where the victim of the situation also work in. 

Within the first few months of my experience in the biotechnology industry, I learned that HR does not typically care about employee feelings. They only care about what makes the most money and costs least. Keeping the senior lab technician on the same team, even after the workplace harassment would be cheaper for operation than to hire a new employee to train. I disagree with this practice. Employees are the backbone of every company that relies on a continual workforce. Most companies, like this one, don't seem to think so. 

It didn't take long before this first job begin to take a toll on my overall health. Before my first year anniversary, I got really sick and had to quit. I've been under too much pressure and stress back then, and that stress crushed me. Luckily, I got back on my feet and got another job relatively soon. 

I am currently 6 months into my current job. 
Honestly, I love the work that I do. It's fun, and I see myself grow long term here. 
My overall health has been stabilizing and slowly recovering from the explosion of health issues I had last Summer. 

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02.12.2026
Serena's Adventures 1st Blog

KH

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