Man, 2023 was a trip, I tell ya. Felt like the whole damn year was pulling me into some kinda current, tugging hard. At the start of it all, I was just plugging away at my old spot, doing the usual grind. It wasn’t bad, don’t get me wrong. Decent pay, folks were mostly alright. But deep down, something just felt… off. Like a quiet hum in the background that you can’t quite place, but it keeps buzzing. I’d look out the window sometimes, just thinking, “Is this really it? For the long haul?”
I started noticing little things, you know? Projects that used to light a fire under me just felt like more boxes to tick. Conversations at lunch, I wasn’t really engaging. My gut was telling me something was brewing, stirring up a storm. I just couldn’t pinpoint it. It wasn’t a sudden thing, more like a slow build-up of this feeling that I needed to shake things up, big time.
Feeling the Shift
Then, around spring, things started to get a bit real. My buddy, who’d been talking about moving into something totally different for ages, actually did it. Packed up his desk, learned a whole new skillset, and landed a job that sounded wild. That kinda kicked me in the pants, honestly. It wasn’t just a daydream anymore; people were actually pulling it off. I remember sitting there that evening, just staring at my screen, thinking, “If he can do it, why the hell can’t I?”
I started digging around online, mostly out of curiosity at first. Just browsing different industries, looking at job descriptions for stuff I knew nothing about. It was like I was testing the waters, feeling for a solid bottom. I wasn’t committed yet, just window shopping, but even that felt like a huge step. Used to be I’d just scroll through social media; now I was poring over articles about career pivots and skill gaps. My mind was just soaking it all in.
The Dive Into Change
Then came the real push. A reorg hit my department, and suddenly things were even more uncertain at the old place. It wasn’t about waiting for a sign anymore; it was about getting off the fence. That week, I printed out my resume, sat down, and completely overhauled it. Stripped it bare and built it back up. It felt like tearing down an old house to build a new one. I remembered every little thing I’d done, every tiny achievement, and wrote it all down. It was exhausting but also kinda empowering, seeing all that stuff laid out.
I decided to jump into learning something new. Picked a field that sounded interesting, totally unrelated to my old gig. Signed up for some online courses. Every evening, after dinner, I’d just hunker down and hit the books – or rather, the videos. My brain felt like it was expanding, taking in all this new information. Some nights were tough, felt like banging my head against a wall. But I pushed through. I knew if I didn’t commit now, I never would.
- Updated my old, dusty resume.
- Researched new industries and roles.
- Enrolled in online courses, learning a whole new trade.
- Practiced new skills, building little projects on the side.
- Started reaching out to folks I knew, casually asking about other opportunities.
I started applying for jobs too, just to see what was out there. Most of them were long shots, stuff I probably wasn’t qualified for yet. Got a bunch of rejections, naturally. That stung a bit, but it also made me double down on my learning. Each “no” just fueled the fire to get better, to really understand this new stuff. I did a couple of informational interviews, just talking to people in roles I found interesting. Picked their brains, got a feel for the day-to-day. That was super helpful, gave me a clearer picture of what I was actually aiming for.
Stepping Into the New
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of juggling my old job and my new learning, an interview popped up for something that felt… right. It wasn’t perfect, but it had this energy, this potential. I prepped like crazy for that interview, spent days going over everything, rehearsing answers in my head. When the offer came, it was a mix of pure relief and outright terror. This was it. The big change. I took a deep breath, and I accepted it.
Handing in my notice at the old place was surreal. Everyone was surprised, asking where I was headed. I just smiled and said, “Something new.” The last day was a blur, cleaning out my desk, saying goodbyes. It felt like closing a really long chapter. Then, walking into the new office on my first day, it was like stepping onto a completely different planet. New people, new systems, new jargon. My head was spinning.
Those first few months were a whirlwind. I was learning so much, making mistakes, picking myself up, and figuring things out. It was tough, no sugarcoating it. But every single day, I felt more alive, more engaged. The hum that used to annoy me was gone, replaced by a satisfying sense of purpose. I was building something different, for myself. And looking back at 2023 now, I can see it clearly: those big changes? They weren’t just ahead; I walked right into them, head-first, and I ain’t looking back.
