My decision to accept a job at Gisele, a global cosmetics empire, was easy. Lack of options and desperation lead to swift decision-making.

After my first week of work, my three best friends took me out to our favourite pub, The Betty Ford Clinic, as consolation, rather than celebration. While settling didn’t deserve a fist bump, it certainly served as a valid reason to drink excessively.

“Cheers to selling your soul!” A mixture of beer bottles and glasses clinked together in honour of my future at Gisele.

“Hopefully I’ll just be selling makeup and not any souls,” I replied after taking a generous sip of my gin and tonic.

“Gisele is a great resume builder,” Calista said to offset Jackie’s charming proclamation of the demise of my soul. Calista is doing her PhD in Economics and will soon rule the world. She is very brilliant and the sweetest person I know, after my mom. “Two years at Gisele and Amnesty International will be begging you to come work for them.”

Amnesty International was my first and only choice after graduating with an MBA. Gisele was on my Top 5, as in Top 5 companies I would only consider if desperate.

“I expect a lot of free makeup.” It never fails to surprise me how successful Jackie is at getting what she wants just by asking for it. The one thing that she never has to ask for is a date. She has dated and dumped half of Toronto. Life is good for Jackie. “And I can teach you how to put it on,” she offered.

“I think it’s so funny that you got the job and you never wear make-up.” Lindsay, my most practical friend, never wears makeup. She works in environmental management for the city but isn’t the granola tree-hugging type. She’s refreshingly down to earth and actually believes in love.

In my eyes, my three best friends, Jackie, Calista and Lindsay, were wise old souls. They had been building their careers and lives for the past two years while I was trying to figure out my life’s calling at grad school. The frustrating thing about a life’s calling is that it’s not prone to fall into one’s lap. A life’s calling would be so much easier if it didn’t play hard to get.

“So what are the people like?” Lindsay asked.

“I don’t know why but they all hate me. How could they hate me so much before they even know me?” This bothered me more than I liked to admit. I was still young and naïve enough to believe that my self-worth was determined by my popularity. “There’s also something very strange about them. I don’t know, maybe I’m being too harsh but they seem almost...dishonourable. I don’t trust them.”

“But most importantly, is your boss hot?” Jackie interjected.