“I had been working in luxury and lifestyle media sales for about 20 years, but in August 2020, the pandemic hit our industry pretty hard, and my company was forced to let me go.
Unsure about what to do next, I bought over a friend’s marketing company and ran it for a few months, trying to secure as many clients as possible. I also looked for full-time employment and did a Skillsfuture course in digital marketing.
In February 2021, I got a job in the tech and start-up online media industry. My role was in account servicing, which was different from what I used to do.
It took a while for me to get the hang of my new job. When I first started, I had no knowledge of the tech and start-up environment, and I discovered that I had to do many things myself. Over the last year, though, I think I’ve adapted quite well. I’m thankful to be learning new things every day.
After losing my job in 2020, I could have held out for a position that I had experience in, in an industry I was familiar with, but I told myself to be open to new and different opportunities. In fact, before I landed my current job, I even applied to do administrative work – something I hadn’t done before. The way I saw it, I could do something different that paid less, or I could stay at home and wait forever for another media sales job to come my way.
This whole journey has taught me that I’m more flexible, versatile and resilient than I thought. I had to change my perception of the ideal job in order to embrace something totally new. The pandemic put me in a difficult situation, but I swallowed my pride and applied for every position I came across, even if it paid less than my old job in media sales.
I’m earning less now, but because I work from home almost every day, I’m not spending as much as I used to on dining out, so it’s fine. In fact, thanks to my new job I’ve become more financially disciplined. That’s another thing I learnt through this experience – our lifestyle can change in the blink of an eye, but we adapt.”