'Waking at 3 am, working weekends': Graduate shares reality of first job in US, says he works 50-60 hours

Gaurav Chintamneedi clarified that the purpose of his post was not to complain, but to show solidarity with others experiencing similar struggles.

A Virginia-based assistant store manager has gone viral on LinkedIn after candidly sharing his struggles with the transition from university life to the demanding realities of corporate work. Gaurav Chintamneedi, a graduate of Chapman University, opened up about the emotional and physical toll of his first year in the workforce, describing it as one of the “most challenging” periods of his life.

In the widely shared post, Chintamneedi wrote about the stark difference between his expectations of post-college life and the exhausting schedule he now maintains. He revealed that he works between 50 to 60 hours a week, frequently starting his day as early as 3 am, and spends nearly every weekend at work.

“When I first arrived in the DMV,I imagined living the dream early-20s life—like the ones we see on TV or romanticise on social media,” he wrote. “I pictured myself working a 9–5, grabbing drinks with coworkers after work, striking up conversations with strangers on the metro who’d eventually become close friends. I thought weekends would be filled with brunches, coffee shop side projects, and late-night online courses to build new skills.”

However, Chintamneedi said the reality was vastly different. “Over the past year, I’ve worked 50–60 hours a week—often waking up at 3 am for opening shifts. I’ve spent 95% of my weekends working. And on the rare days off, I was too exhausted to do much of anything,” he said.

The long work hours left him physically and mentally drained. “I found myself lying in bed doomscrolling on Instagram, drained from six consecutive days of work, using my limited free time to catch up with friends and family thousands of miles away. Making new connections in a new city wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped. I even started to wonder: Did I peak in college?”

Chintamneedi clarified that the purpose of his post was not to complain, but to show solidarity with others experiencing similar struggles. “The mental transition from college to the real world was harder than I expected,” he said. “If you’re also in your first year post-grad, and struggling to adjust, you are not alone. The feelings of doubt, disconnection, or disillusionment are more common than we think.”

The post has resonated with thousands of young professionals online, sparking a wider conversation about the realities of entering the workforce, the pressure to perform, and the gap between expectations and reality in early adulthood.