Breaking Free: My Journey from Workplace Struggles to Self-Discovery
I would like to start by extending a warm welcome to everyone reading my first blog post.
When I decided to embark in this blogging journey, the topic of my debut post was crystal clear - quitting my job.
I began the New Year with a full-time job, which i was tremendously excited about. However, there was an odd sense of déjà vu as my start date coincided with the same time I had started my first full-time job three years ago. Yes, three years had passed, and I couldn't help but feel that I might be retracing the footsteps of my previous experience. Little did I know, this journey would prove to be far more challenging.
To delve into the details, by the second or third week at my new workplace, I suddenly found myself stepping into someone else's shoes, taking on all their responsibilities and tasks. It might not sound too bad at first, but it required not only cleaning up the work they had left behind but also fixing the damage they had caused. This added an immense amount of stress and workload.
Besides the stress, I made sure to voice my concerns. However, my seniors offered no constructive insights; instead, they imposed their experiences upon me as if I were obligated to relate or follow in their footsteps. Although there was a time when I was encouraged to prioritize my work as I saw fit, two months later, I was gaslit for doing precisely that, as if I had no right to prioritize tasks based on importance. Eventually, I was expected to take in the workload of someone who no longer worked there, to which I firmly expressed my refusal. Nonetheless, I ended up taking some of the work later on, as it was divided between myself and someone else.
The breaking point came one day when a visitor almost harassed me, leaving me traumatized. Shockingly, the head of my department did nothing to address the situation. Instead, he gaslit me, indirectly implying that I was fabricating the incident, belittled my feelings, echoing the behavior of the senior staff, and even mocked me. However, I stood my ground, ensuring that the Director of HR was informed about the situation. Fortunately, they took action and extended an apology on behalf of my department.
Fast forward three months, I decided to submit my resignation without notice. Not a single day has passed since then when I've regretted my decision.
You might wonder why it took seven months to quit, why not sooner or when the incident occurred. The answer is simple. I wanted to give it my all and every ounce of my power to convince myself that I could endure for at least a year for the sake of gaining experience. In the end, that experience didn't matter to me. Now, I can move on with my life, knowing that I tried, was vocal about my concerns when no one cared to listen or understand and live without any regrets.
In conclusion, my biggest takeaway from this experience was finding my voice, taking action, standing up for myself, refusing to settle for less, and only saying "yes" when I could genuinely deliver. I must say that I am also grateful for this experience because it has brought me a step closer to the person I am meant to be. Through this struggle, I have found myself, just as I will in my pursuit of success and the life I desire.