Alright folks, settle in. We’re gonna talk about 2018, specifically my career. You know, being a Pisces, sometimes things just… happen. You drift along, you feel the currents, and then suddenly you’re in a completely different ocean. That’s pretty much how 2018 rolled for me. It was a year that really shook things up, and honestly, looking back, it needed to happen.
I kicked off 2018 working at this mid-sized company, doing what I thought was pretty solid data analysis. I’d been there a few years, settled into a rhythm, had my routine. Every morning, I’d grab my coffee, sit down, open up the same reports, and start crunching numbers. It was comfortable, you know? Too comfortable, maybe. I was just going through the motions. The pay was decent, the people were fine, but deep down, I felt this itch. This nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right, like I was meant for something else, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it.
The Slow Burn of Discontent
The first few months of 2018, that itch started to get worse. I found myself staring out the window more than at my monitor. I’d get home, and instead of feeling accomplished, I just felt drained, not from hard work, but from boredom. I remember one Tuesday, my boss, good guy, he walks over and asks me to do this super tedious report that I swear I’d done a hundred times before. And as he’s talking, I just zoned out. I nodded, said “Sure, no problem,” but inside, a little voice screamed, “I can’t do this anymore!” That was a pretty big moment, I tell ya. That’s when I really started to acknowledge the discontent. It wasn’t just a mood; it was a deep-seated feeling.
I started doing little things, looking around, just browsing LinkedIn after work, not seriously, just to see what was out there. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but I knew it wasn’t what I had. I’d read job descriptions, and nothing really clicked. It felt like I was in a fog, trying to find a path, but I couldn’t see two feet in front of me. Typical Pisces, right? All dream and no direction sometimes.
The Unexpected Nudge
Then came the real push. It wasn’t a firing, or a huge drama, thankfully. It was more subtle, almost an accident. My company decided to restructure the whole data department. They announced it in a big all-hands meeting, talking about “optimizing workflows” and “synergy.” Sounds fancy, right? What it meant for me was that my specific role was going to change, drastically. It wasn’t going to be pure analysis anymore; they wanted me to manage a small team, but also handle more client-facing stuff, which was completely out of my comfort zone. I’m an introvert, always have been. The thought of all those meetings, all that talking, just drained me.
I went home that day with a pit in my stomach. I mulled it over for a week. I talked to my wife about it, walked around the block a million times. I saw two options: either try to tough it out and morph into someone I wasn’t, or finally take the leap. That restructuring, unintentional as it was, gave me the kick I needed. It removed the comfort, making the familiar suddenly feel alien.
Taking the Plunge
So, I started actively looking. I updated my resume, which hadn’t been touched in years, and let me tell you, that was a chore. I felt so out of practice. I started applying to places, anything that sounded even remotely interesting. I sent out probably fifty applications, and most of them just disappeared into the void. I got a few calls back, went on some interviews. They were awkward at first, I felt rusty, fumbling my words. One interview was for a completely different industry, and I bombed it, but I learned. Each one, good or bad, taught me something about what I wanted and what I definitely didn’t want.
I focused on roles that involved more creative problem-solving and less routine number-crunching. I also started brushing up on some skills I’d always wanted to pick up, like a bit of design software. It felt like I was building myself up from scratch again, piece by piece. There were days I felt completely overwhelmed, like I’d made a huge mistake. Doubts crept in: “Am I too old for this?” “Should I just stick to what I know?” But that internal itch, that yearning for something more fulfilling, kept pushing me forward.
The New Current
After a few months of grinding, networking, and a lot of rejection, something finally clicked. I got a call for a small tech company, a startup, really. They were looking for someone to help them build out their user experience (UX) research capabilities. It wasn’t pure data analysis, but it leveraged my analytical skills in a completely new context. It was all about understanding people, their behaviors, how they interacted with products. It felt fresh, exciting, and honestly, a little scary.
I went through a couple of rounds of interviews, and this time, something felt different. The conversations flowed easily. I felt engaged, energized, talking about ideas instead of just reporting past numbers. They offered me the job, and I accepted it on the spot. It meant a pay cut at first, which was a tough pill to swallow, but I felt this surge of optimism I hadn’t felt in years.
I put in my notice at the old job. It was bittersweet, leaving behind familiar faces and a comfortable routine, but the excitement for the unknown was stronger. Starting the new role was a whirlwind. It was a completely different culture – fast-paced, always changing, lots of new faces, new technologies, new ways of thinking. I had to learn so much so fast, but I loved it. I was finally using my brain in a way that felt meaningful, contributing to something that genuinely interested me. It was hard work, don’t get me wrong, but it was a good kind of hard. It was the kind of challenge that made me feel alive, like I was actually building something instead of just maintaining it.
Looking back at 2018, it was a year of navigating those deep currents, getting swept up, and then finding a new shore. It taught me that comfort isn’t always good, and sometimes, the best thing that can happen is an unexpected push out of your routine. It showed me that being a Pisces isn’t just about drifting; it’s also about being adaptable, learning to swim in new waters, and trusting that inner pull towards where you’re truly meant to be.
