I Resigned Before Even Getting Hired
Great resignation here I come
This year is the year I graduate meaning the year I find a job, a regular 9 to 5 that provides me with just enough money to make it through the month in exchange for my time.
My father is already concerned about where I’ll work and how much I’ll earn.
I totally understand his concerns; he believes it’s the only way to make a life. Sometimes I even feel like he’s speaking the “doubting voice in my head”, the one that I choose to ignore.
My roommate passed her end of studies internship inside one of the big four.
She had to wake up at 6 am each day, deal with the traffic, have a full day of office work, and come back home with no energy left for herself.
I can see that she doesn’t like this style of living already and I don’t either. I don’t think anyone does.
I guess the majority of workers just believe that they don’t have another choice or fear the unknown.
I’ve been reading about great resignation and stories of people that chose another way which I found inspiring for someone that is not excited about trying a 9 to 5.
In Tunisia, I don’t think the great resignation affected the economy as much as it did in the US.
The pandemic led to some changes such as the adoption of remote work and a significant increase in the unemployment rate by 33% between February and October 2020. But the majority of workers didn’t resign, they lost their jobs or experienced temporary layoffs.
I can’t be part of a non-existent movement at least in my country or maybe everywhere.
But for me, titles and big names aren’t the main “thing”.
I choose freedom. I choose possibilities.
A boring corporate job was never attractive to me. I always wanted to fulfill my potential, to serve and gain money.
My experience working with skills21:
My first part-time job was with skills21 an ed-tech startup that helps people acquire the business skills they need to thrive in the 21st century. It was my first writing job. I didn’t earn much money, but I learned that I can make money on my own and that I can leverage my writing skills to help businesses grow. And it was clear to me that I want to do that again and again.
That summer was the most fruitful one I got so far. I had an internship in content writing and another part-time job as a business developer. The interesting thing is that all of the startups I worked for were ed-techs. Then, as a senior student going back to college, I had to prioritize my studies. I had to stick with just one simultaneous experience that promises me the most growth I can get. And as you can tell I continued my journey with skills21.
Working inside the startup shaped me in different ways. Here’s a list of a few of what it did provide me with:
1. Freedom and flexibility:
I worked in the comfort of my home or wherever I found WIFI and whenever my ideas flowed and I had a high level of energy. Sometimes at night and sometimes early in the morning.
Lack of freedom is the thing that I hate the most about corporate jobs.
When I think about it, I have the picture of myself being glued to a chair for a whole day, feeling sleepy, not having the possibility to take my nap, working with low energy because I just need to work, or spending the rest of the day on a chair doing nothing after finishing my tasks because I just have to be there. It just feels like a nightmare.
2. The ability to be me:
The startup’s values align with mine.
I can be true to who I am. I don’t have to suppress any part of me just to fit in or look a little bit more serious.
That doesn't mean I’m not serious about work, but I just can be playful and serious while being of service to my highest good and to that of others around me. I can bring my blueprint and my unique signature to work. Corporate jobs seem a little bit too rigid for me.
3. Growth opportunities:
A startup is a fertile land for growth and innovation. It unfolds limitless possibilities of creation.
In a land of growth, you can’t help but grow yourself. I’m always compelled to learn more. I can get my ideas out there, implement and test them. I can lead the way starting by leading and growing myself.
Nothing is constant in life and I don’t want to be left with static tasks to perform constantly every day as if I’m a machine. It’s not about specialization. That’s something that I’m all about. But it’s about going through it as a learning process and having the ability to explore, innovate and test.
4. A supportive team:
I had some hard times lately. I didn’t know how to deal with life or myself or anything. I simply didn’t want to be alive and didn’t have the energy to deal with work. I allowed myself to be a human being that has feelings and all I received was care, genuine care.
Working with a team that feels like home makes work a lot more enjoyable, easy and human. We care about results, we build these together and we care about one another because none of these denies the other.
I believe in the influence of people and interactions on any outcome we want to create. All it takes is the right people to create magic. And the right team to thrive. I can’t tell if corporations, where it’s all about hustle and competition, can create truly supportive teams.
What’s next for me?
I’m not sure how the path will unfold but I’m sure it will. From this place in my human experience, I claim “money” as a recourse that I can create while doing something that I love rather than a constraint that I should trade my time for and I choose that to be my reality.
The road to financial freedom and independence may be hard and long, but as long as we stick to it enough I believe we can achieve anything. My next goal or milestone, for now, is to offer my writing services as a freelancer and see how things go from there.
What do you think about my journey? And how is yours unfolding? What did you choose?
