Dear Freak of the Week,
I’m interning at a small finance firm in New York this summer. I’m really excited to be moving to a new place, but I’m worried because my ex-boyfriend will be interning at the same place (he lowkey helped me get this job). What do I do? I know you can’t date in the workplace, but how do I already have an ex?
Sincerely,
A Firm Handshake
Dear A Firm Handshake,
It may not seem like this now, and this situation is not ideal, but this could be the best thing to ever happen to you.
Think about it: There is no one where you have to be more cordial than in the workplace. Especially during an internship. Both of you will be so concerned about yourselves and your own performance and return offer and everything else people concern themselves with during internships, that you will barely think about the other person. Yes, you’ll see him around. Yes, you’ll probably be in meetings with him. Who knows? Maybe this cordial proximity will be a good thing. If it’s a small intern class, you’ll likely be forced to become friendly, if not friends. Maybe even a new summer fling, but I probably wouldn’t recommend that.
There is the question of competition. That’s unavoidable; You’ll literally be competing with your ex for a job. Nightmare scenario. But if you think about competition in general, regardless of the fact that you’re working with an ex, you should focus on your own work and not concern yourself with anyone else, even your ex-boyfriend.. They may feel like they’re in competition with you, but you can be the bigger person and decide to not care about them.
Think of this as an opportunity. Not only the job itself — but also the opportunity to show your ex that you’re winning the breakup. What could be better?
- Leila
Eli Moyse ’27 is an opinion editor and columnist for The Dartmouth. He studies government and creative writing. He publishes various personal work under a pen name on Substack (https://substack.com/@wesmercer), and you can find his other work in various publications.
