Standing Up to Unpaid "Opportunities"
Started Day 91 with some actual clarity - rejected that internship offer. Three months of training before getting paid? Hard pass. I'm not here for free labor disguised as "learning opportunities."
Here's the thing about unpaid internships in tech: they're often just companies trying to get work done without paying for it. Real learning happens when you're solving real problems with real stakes, not when you're treated like free labor for months.
Got connected with someone who's been in IT for 15 years instead. Real connections beat fake opportunities every time. He can actually give referrals that matter, not just promises of "maybe payment later."
Accidental Relationship Counselor
Apparently I've become the love life specialist for my batch. Helped two guys confess to their crushes today. It's wild how people see you as having relationship expertise when you're completely hopeless in that department yourself.
Maybe it's easier to give advice when you're not emotionally invested? Or maybe being on the outside gives you a clearer view of what's actually happening. Either way, I seem to know about most relationships in my circle while having zero experience of my own.
The Phantom Text Syndrome
And then reality hit - found myself checking for texts that never came. From someone who never sends them. But here I am, refreshing like an idiot, hoping for something that isn't coming.
It's not even the person who gave me that heartbroken winter arc. This is someone different, someone who always believed in me even when we're not connected anymore. And somehow that makes the waiting worse.
Working Harder for Ghost Stories
The weird part? I'm gonna work harder because of this. Not in some toxic productivity way, but because I want to have stories to tell when she comes back. Dozens of them. Adventures, achievements, random Tuesday thoughts - everything.
I don't know when "when she comes back" is. Maybe never. Maybe tomorrow. But working toward having something worth sharing feels better than just... waiting.
The Learning Curve of Almost 19
Day 91 taught me a few things:
Free labor isn't learning, it's exploitation
Sometimes you're good at advice you can't take yourself
Phantom texts are a special kind of torture
Working toward something, even uncertainty, beats working toward nothing
Also learned I can turn down "opportunities" that don't serve me. That feels new.
Speaking of connections that actually matter...
Mutiny is launching "Professional Wingman Services" - we'll help your startup slide into investor DMs while you're failing to slide into personal ones. Because at least one area of your life should have game.
We're also introducing "Cosmic Irony Consulting" for founders who can nail business relationships but can't figure out why their crush never texts back. Finally, a platform that acknowledges your professional success and personal disasters are probably related.
Join the beautifully chaotic mess at mutiny-land.vercel.app
Tomorrow's Mystery
Day 91 is done. Said no to exploitation, yes to real connections, and maybe to phantom hope. Day 92 is coming whether those texts arrive or not.
At least I'll have another story to maybe tell someday.
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