I started this blog on impulse. I’ve been experimenting with it for a few months now, but I still don’t have a clear idea of where I’m heading.
If I had a clear path for where to take this blog, I would narrow down the topic to something that really thrills me. But since that’s not the case, I decided to broaden it. I definitely want to keep writing about work, as I genuinely believe that in the society we live in, work defines our existence and who we are—whether we like it or not. Work propels everything around us; if we or our machines weren’t constantly working like little bees, our world would collapse. Yes, we should strive to improve work conditions and make them more sustainable, but we can’t stop working.
If you read any book, any short story, or watch any movie, work is always a pillar of the narrative. It defines characters, sets the scene, and shapes time and space—whether it’s in the background or at the forefront of the storytelling.
However, I don’t want to limit myself to writing only about what happens in my work life. I want to explore short stories, random reflections, and maybe even share one-paragraph posts inspired by things people tell me. And while I enjoy the topic of work, I won’t write solely about it.
I’m trying to step away from my usual control-freak tendencies, where I plan and define everything. Instead, I want to lose control and discover something unexpected and new.
With that in mind, I’ve decided to change the name of the blog from Work Thoughts to Beyond My CV. It aligns with my website name, fits the broader purpose, and creates a mini personal brand. Plus, someone else already has a blog called Work Thoughts, which annoyed me quite a bit.
When I started my new job last November, I thought I would have learned everything there was to know about the role very quickly, that I would have been speaking the smoothest German in no time, and that after a few weeks, I would be having promotion talks with my manager for my outstanding performance. I came from a very challenging position as a Senior Content Designer, handling the end-to-end content of multiple products in different languages for a tax-filing app. Whatever lay ahead of me, will not be more challenging than that. I thought. – Besides. – I said to myself. – It’s just a customer support role. How difficult can it be? Plus. – I concluded. – I am a senior professional with years of experience helping people understand complex topics easily.”
I can’t believe the size of the bait I took from my own ego. My arrogance, ignorance, and stubbornness were totally detrimental to me. On the outside, though, I was handling myself very well—I wore, once more, the shoes of a devoted student who’s fully dedicated to learning as much as possible and who’s very appreciative of the opportunity given, especially in these times when having a job feels more like a privilege than a human right. On the inside, feelings of dissatisfaction and frustration corroded me, as I secretly perceived this new beginning as a step back in my career—a feeling that got in the way of the smoother and more pleasant start I was so much looking for.
But paradoxically, what saved me from complete self-sabotage was exactly the intensity of the challenge I was facing, which stimulated my curiosity and willingness to overcome the obstacles and difficulties I encountered.
The first massive challenge I experienced was communicating with colleagues exclusively in German. The funny thing is that a German-speaking job was something I had been looking for since I moved to Germany, but achieving that isn’t simple. You need a good level of German to start from, and despite the hundreds of hours I had invested in courses, tandems, reading books, and watching movies in German, having a normally paced conversation at work is tough. You can’t really stop and ask people to repeat a sentence constantly.
The second challenge was learning new concepts related to computer networking, electronics, and many other technical topics fundamental to understanding the products and customers.
Finally, the third biggest and maybe most complex challenge is understanding the myriad of problems that customers face and learning how to guide them toward the best, most simple, and satisfying solution possible—all while avoiding taking anything personally and being a company cheerleader.
So how did I keep afloat during these first two months in this radical and challenging career change? How did I maintain my sanity while facing such a steep learning curve? Once more, acceptance and surrender really helped me. Understanding that I couldn’t have everything under control as I did after years of experience in other roles, and that I would struggle to communicate with my colleagues and clients in German, was truly like lifting a huge weight off my shoulders. I know that my German will suck for months until it doesn’t anymore; I know I won’t be in my comfort zone in terms of skills and knowledge until I will again; and I know I will struggle to solve most customer problems until I have mastered the most important of them.
Growth is less about perfection and more about perseverance. It’s more about embracing limitations and focusing on incremental improvements than setting flashy goals and unrealistic expectations. When we restart with a series of overwhelming challenges ahead of us, it’s really okay to feel uncomfortable, to struggle, and to sound silly while speaking a very complex foreign language—that’s learning right there, that’s growth right there! Nothing could be better than that.
Things take time, especially when there are big changes involved that we are not used to handling. But things are difficult until they aren’t anymore.
I’m really looking forward to seeing where I’ll be one year from now. At the same time, I want to exorcise from my future any freaking layoff shadow—even though now I know that I can overcome that too.
