| Updated June 11, 2019
Clarington, Ont. — Ontario’s job market was in a slump when I graduated York University in 2008, so I jumped at the first opportunity for employment. I started answering phones and doing admin work for an investment advisor in Toronto. It wasn’t glamorous, but it paid the bills. Over the next eight years, I made decent money with base pay, commission and bonuses, but I was unhappy with my career. I wasn’t passionate about the work, and my mental health suffered in the workplace.
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I started having panic attacks. I ended up on long-term disability when they grew more regular and severe. My pay was cut, but my benefits and health insurance remained. When I tried to return to work, I was faced with criticism and anger from colleagues. “It must be nice to take extra time off in the summer,” they said. Our morning small talk over coffee was reduced to hurried hellos and a lack of eye contact. My return to work was unsuccessful.