Alex Ross

Hi, I m Emirhan.

After graduating with a degree in Economics, I started applying for white-collar jobs at the age of 22. Like many new graduates, I received little to no feedback. To avoid being unemployed, I took a blue-collar job as a CNC operator through my brother, who was already working at a factory. They were clear: there was no open position at the time, but they planned to move to a larger facility and would need staff. I accepted, while being transparent from day one that I would continue pursuing white-collar opportunities if they came up.

I did my best to perform well, even though manual work was not my strongest skill. Eventually, I was contacted by another company for a white-collar role and invited for an interview. I informed HR at the factory honestly. They asked me to wait. About a year and a half later, I had a meeting with HR and the department manager I would be working with. We shook hands and agreed to move forward. I was told there would be a trial period, followed by a proper salary.

During that time, I didn t limit myself to my job description. I learned accounting tasks, supported the production department even though I was in logistics and planning, and spent time with maintenance and quality teams. I wanted to understand the whole system. Months passed, but the promises were delayed. When I asked, I was told it would be handled. Just before the new year, I raised the issue again. They made an exception and gave me a very small raise. When the annual raise came, it was applied on top of that low trial salary, which felt unfair. I communicated this calmly and respectfully, but nothing changed.