“Like every other job prospect in journalism isn’t struggling with the same issue. How do you think I score so many side gigs?” Julia didn’t make any attempt to hide the sarcasm in her voice. Her gut twisted again. She tried not to think about how taking those freelance writing assignments meant she was probably taking a job from someone just like her. But it was the nature of the business, and she depended on the extra income from those gigs to make ends meet.

“You summarized it perfectly, Kat. It sucks.” Andie scowled. “And it’s not just journalism. My mom’s said similar things about teaching positions at her university. They’re retaining fewer full-time professors and hiring more adjuncts.”

“Who get paid a lot less and don’t qualify for a benefits package,” Julia grumbled.

“I can’t imagine TrendList paying anyone much less. You’ve been there almost three years and your pay is still peanuts.” Kat paused when the server returned to clear their table.

“The pay is peanuts, thanks for the reminder,” Julia agreed. “But the benefit package is solid, and you know how much I need that.” The words summoned forth the weight of her parents’ judgment from hundreds of miles away. She slumped deeper into the booth.

They didn’t agree on much, but when it came to Julia’s life choices, her parents formed an irritatingly unified front. At the top of Fifty Reasons Our Daughter Shouldn’t Pursue a Career in Journalism was their concern over a lack of steady full-time jobs with health benefits. Perhaps even more irritating was the fact they were right. Though Julia was determined to do whatever she could to prove them wrong.

She’d been so proud when she first scored the position at the popular digital media company, sure that it was the start of great things. Julia liked her job at TrendList. She enjoyed creating lighthearted content that offered entertainment and distraction to the masses. But she’d been churning out lists and quizzes for nearly three years and didn’t seem to have much to show for it. She had to admit she was starting to feel stuck.

Maybe Kat was onto something and getting canned would be a good thing. The thought hadn’t even finished forming in her brain before Julia was already dismissing it. Being underappreciated and occasionally understimulated was more appealing than unemployment, definitely easier than losing her health insurance, and infinitely better than having to head back home and acknowledge that her parents had known best all along.

“Whoa, I’m getting some very negative vibes from you right now,” Kat said, nudging Julia with her shoulder. “Bright side time. You still have your job at this current moment, correct?”