Man, October 2019. You know, everyone was always talking about their next big career move back then, or just feeling the heavy weight of it all. I was deep in that feeling too, stuck in a grind, feeling like a robot just going through the motions every single day.
I was working as a project coordinator, right? At this medium-sized tech company. At first, it wasn’t bad, kinda exciting even. But over time, it just turned sour. The atmosphere became totally toxic. We were pulling ridiculously long hours, constantly being micromanaged, and there was absolutely no real room to grow or even breathe, it felt like. It was just a constant treadmill to nowhere.
I remember thinking around that specific time, “Man, I gotta get outta here.” But, you know how it is. The fear of the unknown, right? Mortgages, bills piled up, all that jazz. It just keeps you locked in. I started doing the bare minimum, just casually looking for other options. I polished up my old resume, sent out a few feelers here and there, just dipping my toes in the water. Nothing too serious, just testing the vibe, seeing what was out there.
Then, bam! Out of nowhere, it hit. End of October, like, right at the tail end of it, my boss calls me into his office. That walk down the hall, man, you just know. He laid it all out. Said something about “restructuring” and “aligning company goals.” Total corporate speak for “we’re letting you go.” I knew it was just utter nonsense, but whatever. I was honestly shocked at first, but then this weird wave of relief just washed over me. It was a really strange feeling, being fired but also feeling like a weight was lifted.
Suddenly, I was jobless. The shock wore off pretty quick, and then the panic set in. My wife looked at me, totally worried, and asked, “What are we gonna do?” It was a valid question, and I didn’t have an answer. I spent the next couple of weeks in a blur, just applying everywhere. Seriously, everywhere. Any opening that even remotely touched on what I used to do, I sent my resume to it. Got a few interviews, but nothing clicked. It felt like I was running into a brick wall over and over again.
One afternoon, I was just chilling, talking to an old buddy from college. He was working at this small startup, doing something totally different from my field – way more on the creative side, less of the rigid corporate structure I was used to. He casually mentioned they were looking for someone to “just help out with everything.” You know, organizing events, handling their social media, even helping with some content stuff. It sounded wild, totally not what I had ever envisioned for myself.
I mean, it wasn’t what I “trained” for, not my “career path” at all. But at that point, I was pretty desperate, and honestly, it sounded kinda fun, a lot less rigid than what I came from. So, I figured, why not? I sent them my stuff.
The interview was super informal. Just a long chat with the founder, really. No fancy presentations, no corporate jargon. We just talked about what I could bring to the table, how I handled different situations, what I was passionate about. It felt more like a conversation between friends than an actual job interview.
They offered me a role. It started part-time, with the idea that it would go full-time after a month if things worked out. The pay was a bit less than what I was making before, but the entire vibe of the place felt completely different. No micromanaging, just a simple “get stuff done” philosophy. It was refreshing, honestly.
I took it. I started in mid-November 2019. It felt like a massive risk, stepping so far away from that corporate ladder I’d been trying to climb my whole life. My gut was telling me it was the right move, but my brain was screaming “What are you doing?!”
But man, looking back, it was the best decision I ever made. I learned so much in that role. I got to try my hand at stuff I never imagined doing – writing blog posts for their website, shooting short videos for social media, even designing some basic graphics. It was all new, all exciting. It wasn’t about being a “Virgo career move” or whatever; it was about finally listening to myself and just taking that leap when the opportunity showed up, even if it meant pushing myself way out of my comfort zone. That October, getting fired felt like the end of everything, but it actually opened up a whole new path, a much better one.
