Man, remember that time back in April 2018? For those of us who are Pisces, things were just bonkers on the career front. I mean, it felt like the ground was shifting beneath my feet. I’m telling you, it was a massive wake-up call, and adapting wasn’t exactly easy street, but I got through it, and I want to share how.
I was in this comfortable spot, right? Been doing the same gig for years. It was stable, predictable, and honestly, a little boring. Then, bam! April 2018 hits, and suddenly, my whole department gets restructured. Not a small tweak, but a full-on demolition and rebuild. I was freaking out, thinking I was going to be out of a job or moved into something I absolutely hated.
The Initial Shock and Panic
My first reaction was pure panic. I spent a whole week just spinning my wheels, complaining to anyone who would listen. I felt totally powerless. I distinctly remember sitting at my kitchen table, staring at the restructuring memo, feeling utterly lost. My go-to move was always to resist change, dig my heels in, and hope it all just blew over. That clearly wasn’t going to work this time. This change was happening whether I liked it or not.
I realized I needed to stop resisting and start observing. I made a conscious effort to dial down the emotional reaction. This was the first, hardest step. I grabbed a notepad and just started writing down everything I knew about the new structure, who was going where, and what skills seemed to be prioritized.
Shifting Focus: Learning the New Landscape
The company was moving hard into digital integration, something I had been avoiding. My old skill set was becoming obsolete fast. Instead of moping, I decided to become the most curious person in the room. I started small.
- I began chatting with the team leaders of the new digital projects. Not asking for a job, just asking about the work they were doing. I kept my questions casual and focused on learning.
- I took two online crash courses over the weekends. Nothing expensive, just basic stuff on data analysis and new software platforms we were going to use. I just wanted the lingo so I could follow conversations.
- I started volunteering for the weird, less glamorous tasks within the new setup. The ones no one else wanted. This gave me hands-on practice with the new tools without the pressure of a core responsibility.
This process felt clunky at first. I felt like I was back in school, struggling to grasp basic concepts. But every little bit of knowledge I gained chipped away at the fear. The key here was humility and consistency. I put in an hour of focused learning almost every day after work.
Finding My New Niche
After a couple of months of this aggressive learning, something clicked. I realized that while everyone was focused on the technical execution of the new digital strategy, nobody was focusing on the communication and training aspect for the legacy teams—the folks like me who were struggling to catch up.
I saw an opportunity to bridge that gap. I was uniquely positioned because I understood the old system intimately, and I was actively learning the new one. I started putting together simple, non-technical guides for my teammates on how to use the new platforms for their day-to-day tasks. I kept them super practical, showing real-world examples.
I showed these documents to my new manager, not as a complaint, but as a helpful suggestion for internal training. My manager loved it. Suddenly, I wasn’t just a legacy employee fighting change; I was the guy making the transition smoother for everyone else. This was my adaptation.
That little initiative led directly to a new role focused specifically on internal system documentation and change management within the department. It wasn’t the job I had before, but it was better. It leveraged my old knowledge while forcing me to master the new tools. I learned that when massive change hits, you don’t fight it—you look for the empty spaces the change creates and you move fast to fill them. April 2018 was terrifying, but it forced me to grow in ways I never would have otherwise.
