Man, October 2020 was a weird time, wasn’t it? Everything felt a bit up in the air, you know? For me, specifically, my work life felt like it was totally stuck in the mud. I was slogging through my days, just going through the motions. Every morning, I’d pull myself out of bed, drag myself to the coffee machine, and then just stare at the screen. The sparkle was gone, completely. It wasn’t even a bad job, not really, but it just wasn’t it anymore. It felt like I was wearing shoes that were two sizes too small, pinching and uncomfortable all the time.
I remember one specific evening, sometime in that October, I was sitting on my couch, scrolling through some old messages. My buddy, Mark, had sent me a text months prior, “Hey man, still doing that thing? You looked kinda drained last time we grabbed a beer.” It hit me then. He saw it. Everyone probably saw it but me. I was so deep in the routine, I couldn’t see the forest for the trees.
That night, I just stared at the ceiling for hours. I decided right then and there I had to do something. Anything. I was tired of feeling like a zombie. First thing I did was just open my laptop and start looking at stuff, not even job listings, just articles about people making big career changes. I needed some inspiration, some proof that it was even possible to ditch what you knew and try something else without totally falling apart.
The next few weeks were a blur of late-night research. I wasn’t even sure what I was looking for, really. I just knew I needed a change. I talked to anyone who would listen – friends, old colleagues, even my uncle who ran a completely different kind of business. I picked their brains about how they got where they were, what they liked, what they hated. It was like I was trying to map out a new world for myself, piece by piece.
One of the biggest things I started doing was writing down everything. Every little idea, every complaint, every potential skill I had. I filled up notebooks. Pages and pages of scribbles. It was messy, disorganized, but it helped me dump all the noise out of my head and onto paper. I started seeing patterns, realizing what parts of my old job I actually enjoyed, and what I absolutely dreaded. It wasn’t the whole job I hated, just certain parts that had grown into monsters over time.
Then came the hard part: actually making a move. I felt this huge knot in my stomach every time I thought about it. Quitting my stable job? Are you crazy? But the feeling of being stuck became more painful than the fear of the unknown. So, I started applying for things. Not just random jobs, but roles that genuinely interested me, even if I only met like 60% of the requirements. I figured, what’s the worst that could happen? They say no. Big deal. I was already saying no to myself every day by staying put.
I remember a couple of interviews I completely bombed. Just totally flustered, couldn’t articulate my thoughts. It was humiliating. But each time, I’d dust myself off, think about what went wrong, and try to learn from it. I started practicing my elevator pitch, trying to explain my skills and passions in a way that made sense, even to myself. It was like I was re-learning how to talk about myself, how to value what I brought to the table.
Eventually, things started clicking. I landed a few more interviews, and I felt much more confident. I wasn’t just looking for any job, I was looking for the right job. I started asking really pointed questions in interviews about company culture, team dynamics, and growth opportunities. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t jumping from one frying pan into another. I learned to trust my gut. If something felt off, it probably was.
The whole process took months, bleeding well past October 2020 and into the next year. It wasn’t a quick fix, no magic bullet. It was a grind, full of self-doubt and moments where I seriously considered just giving up and settling. But that feeling of being stuck, that vision of my buddy Mark looking at me with pity, kept pushing me forward. I finally got an offer that felt right, a place where I felt I could actually grow and contribute in a meaningful way. It was a significant pay cut initially, which was scary as hell, but it felt like an investment in myself, in my future.
Looking back now, that October was pivotal. It was when I truly started to take charge of my own career path instead of just letting it happen to me. It taught me that sometimes, you just gotta jump, even if you’re not sure where you’ll land. The key was simply starting, even with all the fear and uncertainty. Just making that first move, getting things down on paper, and talking to people. It was messy, it was stressful, but man, it was worth it.
