Man, I vividly remember July 2022. Everyone was buzzing about horoscopes and what not, and for a guy like me, born under Pisces, it was all about finding that career sweet spot. Honestly, I always just kinda shrugged off that stuff, but funny enough, that month really did kick off a whole new chapter for me in terms of work.
Before that July, I was just drifting, you know? My job was alright, paid the bills, but it wasn’t really going anywhere. Every day felt like I was just punching a clock, waiting for the weekend. I knew I needed a change, a real push, but figuring out where to even start? That was the big question mark hanging over my head. I’d sit there after work, staring at the ceiling, feeling this vague itch for something more, but couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
Then something just clicked. It wasn’t some grand revelation, more like a slow burn of frustration finally igniting. I was talking to an old buddy, and he was just rattling off all these cool projects he was working on, learning new tech, and I just felt this pang of envy. Right there, I thought, “Enough of this. I gotta make my own cool stuff happen.” That conversation lit a fire under me, really got me thinking, “What am I actually doing with my time?”
Getting My Hands Dirty and Making Moves
So, the first thing I did was just start looking around. Not for new jobs immediately, but just to see what was out there. I hit up a few online forums, read some articles, trying to get a feel for what skills were hot. I saw a lot of chatter about this one particular skill, let’s just call it “Digital Crafting,” that seemed to be popping up everywhere. It sounded interesting, kinda creative, but also really practical.
I decided to dive in. I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on fancy courses, so I went the free route first. I hunted down some free tutorials on YouTube, dug through a bunch of open-source projects, and just started messing around. It was clunky at first. I remember trying to get this one “Digital Crafting” tool to even install properly, and it took me a good three days. Loads of errors, system crashes, you name it. I wanted to throw my laptop out the window more than once.
But I stuck with it. Each little success, even just getting a basic function to work, felt like a huge win. I’d spend my evenings and weekends just hammering away at it. I built a few small, personal projects. Nothing fancy, just little proofs of concept, but it was enough to see if I actually enjoyed it. Turns out, I really did. There was something satisfying about building something from scratch, seeing it come to life on the screen.
Hitting Those Roadblocks and Pushing Through
Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. There were days I felt like I was hitting a brick wall. I’d get stuck on a problem for hours, sometimes days, and just wanted to give up. I remember one specific bug, it was just this tiny little thing, but it broke everything. I must have reread the documentation a hundred times, tried every suggestion online, until finally, something just clicked, and I saw the typo. A single misplaced character! Oh, the rage and the relief.
I also started connecting with people. I joined a few online communities related to “Digital Crafting.” Didn’t just lurk, mind you. I actually posted questions, tried to answer others’ questions, even if I wasn’t an expert yet. It was a good way to learn, and also to see how others were tackling similar challenges. Got some really solid advice from strangers online, things I wouldn’t have figured out on my own.
By mid-July, I felt like I had a decent grasp on the basics. I had a few small projects under my belt, enough to show what I could do. So, I took the next big step: I updated my resume. I tweaked it to highlight these new “Digital Crafting” skills and those little projects I’d built. It felt a bit like bluffing at first, like, “Who am I kidding with this stuff?” But I figured, if I don’t put it out there, nobody will ever know.
The Breakthrough and What Came Next
Then I started applying to places. Not aiming for the moon, just for entry-level roles where I could use these new skills. I got a bunch of rejections, naturally. Form letters, no responses, the usual drill. It was pretty disheartening. But I kept at it, applying to two or three places every day after work, fine-tuning my cover letter each time, trying to make it more personal.
Finally, end of July, early August, I got a call back. Not for a fancy “Digital Crafting Architect” role, mind you, but for a junior position where I’d mostly be assisting. But it was a foot in the door! I went in for the interview, showed them my little projects, talked about how I learned everything myself. I think my enthusiasm, and the fact that I’d genuinely taught myself without a formal degree in it, actually impressed them.
I got the job. It wasn’t a massive leap in salary, but it was a massive leap in what I was actually doing. I finally felt like I was moving forward, building something meaningful. It was tough learning the ropes in a real work environment, so much to take in, but I was excited to go to work. That feeling, after all that drifting, it was priceless. Looking back, that July really was a turning point, all because I just decided to stop wishing and start doing.
