I’m currently working at a privately owned bakery—a job that, whenever I mention it, people strongly oppose because I actually hold a bachelor’s degree in law from one of the most prestigious universities in my country. The reason I didn’t pursue my major is that the starting point was extremely challenging. I did try, but it felt overwhelming. Eventually, I looked for a different job to make ends meet, with the mindset that having some job is better than being unemployed. That’s how I ended up in the baking industry—considered a basic, unskilled job that anyone could do. I’ve worked at a couple of bakeries, but this one is the place I’ve stuck with the longest. At first, I quite enjoyed it. My coworkers were decent, and the job wasn’t too complicated, although it was physically demanding. Still, I managed because I actually liked baking. The salary only covered basic living expenses—no savings, no extras. However, from the beginning, there were red flags I chose to ignore. They hired a 16-year-old boy (which is illegal in my country); he was so young, he should’ve still been in school. There was also an older man working there—an uncle of the owner—signaling a "family-run business." Another young girl had taken a break from university to “experience life”; this job was also unrelated to her major in business management. I passed the probation period and was officially hired without any written labor contract. My salary was vaguely agreed upon through text messages—meaning the employer always held the upper hand. After a few months, the owner started announcing random days off during the month due to “personal reasons” which, as I later found out, were just vacations. Then came the long overtime shifts, sometimes until late at night. I was spending more time at work than at home. And then, this month came the tipping point. When I received my salary, I realized I had only been paid the base rate, even though I had worked significant overtime the previous month. I messaged them about it, and only then did they say it was due to a system error, and the overtime pay would be added next time. But... if I hadn’t asked, would they ever have clarified anything? Because when they transferred my salary, they simply said: “Salary sent.” It was in that moment I finally woke up again. The injustice, the lack of transparency—it pulled me out of that fake “safe zone.” I felt such empathy for manual laborers, for unskilled workers, the ones who have little access to knowledge. Perhaps they don’t even know about the unfair treatment they’re subjected to. No labor contract means they lose so much: the employer can fire them anytime, they can be denied their wages, they’re not entitled to social insurance, maternity leave, unemployment benefits, accident insurance, or retirement plans... That moment made me realize: enough is enough. I decided to quit and find a new path for myself—a path that must be tied to knowledge, no matter how difficult the first steps might be. Because I realized: only knowledge can truly change our destiny. I wish everyone could gain knowledge. I wish everyone had the courage to stand up against injustice and dare to change. I wish we could all live happy, fulfilling, and prosperous lives.