Simple is Hard
I sat in front of my laptop, scrolling through endless job postings, my fingers hovering over the keyboard like they’d forgotten how to type hope. A woman of Indian descent, holding U.S. citizenship, searching for stability in a world that felt increasingly impossible to navigate.
“All I need is a simple life — a job, a home, a family, and a few good friends,” I scribbled in my diary, my handwriting slightly jagged, betraying my frustration. “And that seems the hardest thing in the world.” It was October 10th, 2025, a date that now felt heavy with the weight of unmet expectations.
Simple — such a small, ordinary word — had become a luxury. I thought about the economy, stagnant and unwelcoming, the job market shrinking by the day. But the market wasn’t the only challenge. My own startup loomed over me, a monument of unfulfilled dreams. Two years of tireless effort, sleepless nights, coding marathons, pitches, and strategy sessions, yet not a single client to validate the work I had poured my heart into. I hadn’t even registered the company, foolishly waiting for that elusive first client to arrive. Now, returning to conventional job hunting, I realized the cruel irony: no company seemed to value entrepreneurial grit, and I was no longer the “fresh” engineer they once coveted.
It was a perfect catch-22: too experienced to be considered inexperienced, too independent to fit into someone else’s structure, too determined to settle, and yet too tired to keep trying without acknowledgment. The sense of being trapped gnawed at me, a quiet desperation that made every job posting feel like both a possibility and a cruel joke.
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling slowly, my thoughts a tangled web of ambition, frustration, and longing. Somewhere in the mix, I reminded myself — this was only a pause, not the end. But in that moment, simple seemed impossibly hard.
Applying for jobs left my eyes weary, and studying for interviews left my mind muddled. Every day, the market’s requirements seemed to change — one day it was coding job, the next day business analysis, and by the third day, a recruiter was talking about a testing role.
There were plenty of job postings, but hardly any real hiring from the market and I had no referrals. What am I truly good at? I wondered. I had single-handedly run an entire company — from business analysis to development to testing — I had done it all myself at SkillOns.
I was desperate for money, as I had blown away all the savings and I sat weeping in the corner of my room with no hope being seen.
The phone buzzed. It was Laveena, my buddy from school. She's calling me after 6 months - we are just 24. We all have that one friend who is a part of our journey. But Laveena’s trajectory took her in high spirits and her name and fame gathered her many friends and I became just one of them in the list.
I didn’t pick the phone and I preferred to dwell in my silence and tears. She left a voice message, “There’s an opening in a reality show, it’s a paid reality show. If you are interested, then call the number 2342349900. The pay is about 250 USD per day with food and clothes. You just have to act nice and good to others as you will be on TV ; No kissing or touching — not the kind you’d imagine and refuse infront of the camera”
My tears faded hearing the word job. I quickly called the number 2342349900 and registered myself for the reality show and gave Laveena as my referral.
“Laveena , Oh! Nice" the director said . If Laveena has referred you, I need no introduction. Well, catch the next plane and be here,” the director told me.
