Where It All Began

So, I’ll give you a bit of background on me. I didn’t start life in this field. I spent almost 15 years working in the IT industry as a QA Engineer. My main role was to test websites, software, and even computer games in the beginning of my career. It was an amazing job that I loved. However, I eventually left the industry due to low pay and the need for a more “adult” job. This decision turned out to be a mistake because it was the only time in my working life that I felt truly happy. I miss the excitement of my 12-hour shifts, working from 7pm to 7am, and the unique schedule that came with it. I even learned to love the office politics! Ever since I transitioned to the “proper” working world, I’ve been desperately trying to recapture that feeling of contentment. But I continued working to make ends meet and ‘do the right thing’; it was the right thing for everyone else, just not me.

I moved from one job to another, never able to find something I truly enjoyed. I despised every minute of each job I had. My career and everything I had worked for fell apart in 2016 at my final IT job. Initially, this job was exciting as I could build my own QA department from scratch, hire and fire, and shape the whole testing structure of the business, which I did. I enjoyed having a degree of control, but internally, I was struggling. There were months of lulls with no work, and I would sit around twiddling my thumbs, despite my begging for tasks. However, when I was busy, I worked 50-60 hour weeks with very rare lunch breaks, and I would sit at my desk the entire time hunched over my keyboard like some sort of Bridge Troll. I was with this company for almost 3 years, and I never received the respect I deserved and no one ever thanked me for my hard work. I did everything I could for that company, yet they treated me poorly.

It All Came To A Head

In 2016, my health had been declining for a while. After sustaining a further injury, I officially became disabled in the eyes of the law. Although I had been working from home without any issues, my employer didn’t agree with my decision to move closer to my family for additional support. Despite my requests for help, they threatened to fire me if I didn’t resign. With no other options, I felt compelled to quit. I sought legal advice, but it was financially unfeasible for me to take any legal action against my employer. As a result, I lost my 15-year career abruptly and I haven’t worked since. I hold them solely responsible for killing my career, and although we are told to not hold on to regrets and bitterness, this is one I will never forget about. I will never forgive them.

And I haven’t worked since. I’ve wanted to work so much, but being out of work was completely new to me. My job was gone, and with it, my sense of identity and independence. It was all I had known for such a long time, and I had no idea what the future would hold for me. Since then, I have earned a BSc Honors degree and a Masters in Forensic Psychology (I’ll save that for another post), but it didn’t lead to anything. Apparently, the industry doesn’t require disabled people, and I couldn’t compete with younger individuals who could work all hours and gain more experience. So that dream was over before it even began. I’ve been at home with nothing to do, feeling like a complete waste of space. I have nothing to offer, no skills to utilize, and no connections. Just when I thought I was at my lowest, I stumbled across two videos on YouTube that changed everything: how to create books and how to open an Etsy shop.

All Change Please

I have now published 7 books and have over 100 products in my Etsy shop. I never imagined this happening. I initially thought I wasn’t capable of achieving anything like this, but here I am! I’ve found something I love, and I’m determined to keep going. It gives me a sense of purpose, and I’m willing to hold onto this feeling as long as possible. Although my Etsy shop and books are not performing well, I remind myself that I’m still new in this industry and have lots to learn. Marketing and social media advertising are crucial now, but it’s challenging to shift my focus from the creative aspect of the business. Despite my frustration, I am grateful for the journey that has led me to this point. I might have still been stuck in a job I hate, feeling miserable every day. Instead, I’ve learned to work around my disabilities and give myself time off when needed. My goal is to create a stable passive income stream so that I can work at my own pace and do as much or as little as I like, especially on bad days. This sense of freedom makes me genuinely happy for the first time in a long while.