The Unexpected Turns of My Career Change Journey

The Great Quarter-Life Crisis…Or Was It a Career Change?

Honestly, I thought I had it all figured out. Fresh out of college, shiny new degree, a job that seemed…okay. You know, the kind that paid the bills and didn’t make me want to scream into the void (every day, at least). But a few years in, something felt…off. Like wearing shoes that were a size too small. I started dreading Mondays, and the excitement I once had for my work dwindled down to…well, nothing. Was I the only one feeling this? I began questioning everything. My skills, my choices, my entire life plan. It felt like a quarter-life crisis on steroids.

I remember one particularly awful Tuesday. I was stuck in a meeting that could have been an email, staring out the window, dreaming of literally anything else. And then it hit me: This wasn’t just a funk. This was a full-blown, “I need to change my life” moment. Now, the sensible thing would have been to maybe talk to a career counselor, or, I don’t know, *think* about it for a bit. Instead, I impulsively started applying for jobs in completely unrelated fields. Looking back, maybe not the smartest move.

From Corporate Drone to…Something Else Entirely

So, I jumped. I left my perfectly stable, albeit soul-crushing, job for…uncertainty. A grand adventure, if you will. At first, it was exhilarating. The freedom! The possibilities! I envisioned myself reinventing myself, becoming some amazing, successful entrepreneur. I even entertained the idea of becoming a travel blogger for like, a week. Ugh, what a mess! The reality, though, was a bit less glamorous. It was a lot of late nights, endless online courses (Skillshare became my new best friend), and a whole lot of self-doubt.

I spent hours researching different career paths, trying to figure out what I was actually good at and what I actually enjoyed. Funny thing is, I spent more time taking those online personality quizzes than I actually did on figuring out if I had skills that matched the career I was interested in. I totally messed up a coding course by getting overwhelmed by the syntax, and spent more time trying to figure out CSS selectors than actually building a web page. My background was in finance, so coding wasn’t exactly intuitive. I mean, I knew I wasn’t going to become a software engineer overnight, but I definitely underestimated the learning curve. Who even knows what’s next?

The Rollercoaster of Ups and Downs

The job search itself was a rollercoaster. There were moments of hope, followed by crushing disappointment. Rejection emails became my new normal. I even had one interview where I completely blanked on a basic question about, like, Excel. I kid you not. Excel! The tool I used every single day for years in my old job. But under pressure, my mind just went completely empty. It’s kind of like that feeling when you’re trying to remember someone’s name, and it’s right on the tip of your tongue, but you just can’t grasp it.

There were moments when I thought I’d made a huge mistake. Times when I missed the stability and predictability of my old job. Times when I considered crawling back, tail between my legs, begging for my old position back. But something inside me wouldn’t let me. A stubborn refusal to admit defeat, perhaps. Or maybe just the sheer terror of going back to a job I hated.

A Moment of Clarity (and a Terrible App)

I remember one specific moment vividly. I was scrolling through LinkedIn, feeling particularly sorry for myself, when I stumbled across an ad for some career assessment app. “Discover Your True Potential!” it proclaimed. Desperate for some guidance, I downloaded it. Big mistake. The app was clunky, the questions were generic, and the results were…well, let’s just say they suggested I become a professional dog walker. Now, I love dogs, but I wasn’t exactly picturing myself spending my days scooping poop.

It was in that moment, surrounded by dog-walking fantasies and existential dread, that I realized I needed to stop relying on apps and quizzes and start trusting my own instincts. That’s when I decided to actually reach out to people who were doing work I found interesting, and just have honest conversations with them. Turns out, that was way more valuable than any app could ever be. If you’re as curious as I was, you might want to dig into this other topic of networking tips for introverts.

Finding My (New) Path

It wasn’t easy, and it definitely wasn’t linear. There were setbacks, detours, and moments of sheer panic. But eventually, I found my way. I ended up landing a role in a small startup, working on something completely different from what I had done before. It wasn’t perfect, and it certainly wasn’t glamorous, but it was…challenging. And engaging. And, dare I say, even a little bit fun. It wasn’t what I expected, but it was *right*.

The biggest lesson I learned throughout this whole experience? That career changes are messy, unpredictable, and often terrifying. But they can also be incredibly rewarding. It’s about being open to new possibilities, embracing the unknown, and trusting that you’ll eventually find your way, even if it’s not the way you originally planned. And, hey, if you end up as a professional dog walker along the way, well, there are worse things, right?