I got this again when I went to my university office to hand in my claim forms for the month.

The accounts person took one skeptical look at me and I could guess what was coming next. Sure enough..

“Are you the part-time tutor? You look like a student,” she said with raised eyebrows.

This isn’t the first time I have been mistaken for one at the university where I teach at. Even my students thought I was a new transfer on the first day of classes lol. When I go out to meet people at my job as a journalist, I always get the ‘Oh, how long have you been working as a writer? A year? You look really young.”

Thank them Asian genes.

While it can be flattering in some instances to be asked for my ID at 21-and-above outlets, it gets tiresome to explain to people that I’m actually going on 25 next year. People also tend to not to take you seriously, because they think you’re inexperienced. This is a big problem in an industry such as mine, where experience is very much valued. You get treated differently when you’re a ‘veteran’, and it’s a very pronounced difference.

It doesn’t help that I don’t dress like a 20-something-year-old at all : I love my jeans and sweaters, and I rarely put on makeup.

Maybe I should try doing that and wearing more mature clothes for a change…

What do you think? Is it a good thing to look younger than your age in the working world?