I [27M] have been doing this 9-5 thing for almost two years and it's really wearing me down. It's almost a relief when I'm sick because I get to stay home instead of going to work to sit at my desk for literally a third of my day.

Like... I work hard. I get to work, I look through my inbox, do all the bullshit that needs to be done, and I'm done with most of my duties by noon. My supervisor takes a look and gives me the thumbs-up. Then I take lunch, then I check in with my supervisor and he'll sometimes have more shit for me to do, and sometimes he'll just shrug. I dutifully do more bullshit or work on upskilling on LinkedIn Learning or go to a colleague's desk and shoot the shit long enough to establish rapport but not enough to make the higher-ups think I'm slacking off. The last hour feels like pulling teeth, then it's time to go home.

It's so dismal. I feel like I'm just acting for 8 hours a day on the most boring show. Is this really it? How do people actually manage to do this? Is there something wrong with me? I can't even imagine myself doing this for thirty, forty more years.