Theres a woman I went to school with. Lets call her Emily. Emily, by the way, was quite the star back then. After finishing school, she went off to university to study law. Afterwards, she decided to get a second degree and took up something to do with business and management. At university, she met a bloke and eventually married him. He had a well-paid job and never pressured Emily to work, so she completed her studies in peace.
When Emily finished her second degree, she didnt bother looking for a job but stayed at home instead. Whenever friends asked her about it, she insisted she was perfectly content with her life. According to her, her husband liked a tidy, welcoming house and she wouldnt have been able to manage that if she were working. Her husband gave her money for everything she wantedbeauty salons, fitness clubs, you name it.
So thats how they lived. Emily tells me that her husband would now and then say he wanted a child, but she always changed the subject. She really didnt want kidsshe was far too focused on keeping her figure, her health, and having plenty of free time.
The marriage lasted for about twelve years, and then they decided to get divorced. Emily never mentioned exactly what happened, and Im not one to make guesses. They split up, and her husband stopped supporting her financially.
These days, her father is the one giving her money, since hes still working. But its nowhere near enoughEmilys struggling to maintain the lifestyle shes used to. Her father keeps telling her she really ought to get a job; after all, shes thirty-five, a grown woman.
Emily reached out to our old school friends for help finding work. One of them runs a shop in a shopping centre and suggested she try her hand as a sales assistant. But Emily wasnt keen. She said there was no way she was trading her higher education for dealing with old stock.
Its rather funny, isnt it? Shes got no proper work experience, as she finished university ages ago, but her expectations are sky-high. She wants a management job with a fat salary.
What do you make of it? What sort of job can you get at thirty-five when youve never actually worked before?
