Lost in the Job Jungle — A Tale of Failed Ventures, Wacky Jobs, and the Return of the Business Spirit
I had the privilege of working on my business ideas after high school. I was young, inspired, and didn’t know anything. The beauty of not knowing created this illusion that I could do whatever it took. However, after encountering a couple of roadblocks in my business and facing new challenges that required tough decision-making, I became very scared of failure. I told myself that I was going to settle for jobs and pursue something other than business. I quit my hard work, networks, and the leverage I had built over the past four years, completely changing my journey.
After quitting my business, I took a gap year and then joined a bachelor’s program. Over the past three years, I have worked in various jobs, including at a bank, a design firm, a museum, a startup, and as a freelancer. Despite my attempts to move on, ideas kept coming to my head. I continued to follow business news, witnessing startups closing and opening. I even unsubscribed from all my media subscriptions, but the entrepreneurial drive just didn’t go away. Now, I realize that taking a break from pursuing my business ideas and settling for jobs was my biggest mistake. I should have believed in myself and followed the ideas that interested me.
I thought I was going to write a comprehensive reflection and learn from my experiences on a larger scale. However, given that the past three years have been filled with experiences of what not to do, full-scale writing seems unnecessary. I can be slow sometimes, but it feels like the past few years have been a more challenging feat. I quit social media and lost my network. I stopped attending business events, but the most disappointing aspect was that I became aimless and simply waited for what life had in store for me.
After three years of waiting, I felt like I had no control over my life. Opportunities just didn’t come, and luck wouldn’t favour those who dedicated their hours to working jobs. Opportunities and luck are more likely to come to those who hustle, create, and build businesses, products, and more. I had to remind myself of this. And now, after some time, I am back to starting and pursuing my business once again. I’m on the verge of relearning the basics and applying them. This time, it feels a little more secure, perhaps because I have become more mature, crossed my teenage years, and accepted myself and my failures as part of my journey. I’m more than excited.
