Man, sometimes you just hit a wall, you know? That’s kinda where I was hanging out, right before May 2023 rolled around. I’d been plugging away at the same old gig for what felt like ages. It wasn’t bad, don’t get me wrong. Steady paycheck, decent people, but after a while, it just started to feel… flat. Like I was just going through the motions every single day. The spark was gone, probably took a vacation and never came back.
So, what did I do? Well, first off, I spent a lot of time just staring at my ceiling. Seriously. Thinking, pondering, probably overthinking everything, as I usually do. I knew something needed to shift, but actually figuring out what and how felt like trying to climb Mount Everest in flip-flops. I wasn’t actively looking for a new job, not really. It was more like an itch that wouldn’t go away.
Then, one evening, after another particularly ‘meh’ day at the office, I just cracked. I opened my laptop and started poking around. Not on job sites right away, no. I was looking at articles, success stories, just anything to get some ideas brewing. I wanted to see what other folks were up to, what kind of changes they were making. It was a slow burn, for sure.
Getting the Ball Rolling
Eventually, I decided to spruce up my old resume. Man, that thing was gathering dust from like, five jobs ago. It felt like an archeological dig just trying to remember what I even did back then. I spent a whole weekend just updating it, tweaking sentences, trying to make it sound less like a robot wrote it and more like, well, me. It was a pain, but also kind of good to see all the stuff I had actually done over the years.
After that, I started passively browsing. Just seeing what was out there. Didn’t apply to anything serious, just kinda clicked around, saved a few things that looked interesting. It was like I was testing the water with my toe, not ready to jump in. Most of the stuff I saw just didn’t click. Same old, same old. Felt like everyone was asking for the moon and offering peanuts.
Then, out of the blue, a friend from way back, someone I hadn’t properly talked to in years, messaged me. Said his company was looking for someone with my kind of background. My first thought was, “Nah, couldn’t be.” But he kept pushing, saying, “Just talk to them, what’s the harm?” So, I finally gave in.
We set up a quick virtual coffee. Just a casual chat, I thought. I figured it would be a nice way to catch up and maybe get a feel for what else was out there. I wasn’t dressed up, just my usual T-shirt. But as we talked, he started describing the role, the team, the projects. And something just clicked. It sounded different. It sounded challenging. It sounded… exciting. That was a feeling I hadn’t had about work in a long, long time.
The Interview Grinder and the “Big News”
- First, there was a phone call with their HR person. Just to see if I was a human being, mostly. It went okay, nothing spectacular, but I didn’t mess it up either.
- Then came the first proper interview with the hiring manager. This one was a bit more intense. We dug into my past projects, what I learned, how I handled tricky situations. I tried to be honest and just tell it like it was. No fancy corporate speak.
- After that, they asked me to do a small task. A practical exercise. I spent a few evenings after work just banging that out. It was actually fun, like solving a puzzle. It made me realize I still liked doing the work, just maybe not my current work.
- Then came the big one: a panel interview with a few of the senior folks. That was nerve-wracking. Felt like I was on trial or something. But I just tried to stay calm, listen carefully, and answer as best I could.
Days turned into a week, then another. I was trying not to obsess, but man, it was tough. Every time my phone buzzed, I jumped. My wife was probably sick of me talking about it by then. I tried to just carry on with my regular job, but my head was definitely elsewhere.
Then, late one afternoon in mid-May, my phone rang. It was them. My heart just hammered in my chest. I answered, trying to sound cool, calm, and collected. They offered me the job. Just like that. It wasn’t just an offer; it was a significant step up, a totally different direction, and for a company that was actually doing some pretty cool stuff. It was the big news.
I remember just sitting there after hanging up, staring at my computer screen, but not seeing anything. It was a massive wave of relief, excitement, and a little bit of pure terror all mixed together. I walked into the living room and just blurted it out to my wife, “They offered it! I got it!” She just laughed, because she knew how much I’d been agonizing over it.
It was a huge leap, you know? Leaving the comfort of the old place, diving into something completely new. But looking back, taking that leap in May 2023 was absolutely the right move. Sometimes you just gotta trust that gut feeling and jump, even if your knees are knocking.
