I've followed a similar career path, in a way. I always worked in stores and restaurants. (and not high-end ones, either) I started writing as an escape route, but also as a way to move a little closer to the future I'd like for myself. I've finally taken the plunge into freelance remote work, and it's left me feeling empty and exhausted.
What you've written helped me admit that to myself. Sometimes, I want to go back. I know that it'd feel better. But even just admitting that, yeah, it's hard, makes it easier to keep going. I don't love writing full-time, and I'm going to do it anyway because it's what's furthering my goals right now.
I'm glad I'm not alone or crazy in wanting to go back, and I'm really, really glad you've shared this, so thanks.
I felt really inspired after reading this, so I bit the bullet and started my own Substack. I've been meaning to do it for a while now.
Thanks again for sharing, I bet your new workplace smells awesome.
oh wow :,) comments like these make writing here all worth it!! it means so much to me you took the time to say this, thank you. i’m so happy to have played a role in inspiring you, too!
i’m glad you’ll keep going w remote work, we all have our own battles to fight - doing what your gut tells you is the “harder path” is often the most rewarding.
barista-ing has been much harder for me historically, but it’s also been more fulfilling - at least, more than this specific job. but i’m open to all paths, just trying to follow my goals and my gut like you ♥️ i aim to support myself via substack in the coming years, and by learning the ropes of café-management, chase my long-held dream of owning my own coffee shop!
the fact that we can use a platform like this to write for a living, bypass traditional publishing, and find our audience over time is such a beautiful thing!
i haven’t started work there yet, but am still weighing the pros and cons. if i make the switch, ill start in the spring! 🥰 i’m v excited to follow along with all that you post! thanks again for reading, and for your thoughts ♥️
This honest and vulnerable piece is almost the exact opposite of "regressing," so don't let yourself believe any of that negativity! I feel like the reason why going back to something in the past feels so gutting is because our society glorifies these "email" jobs and climbing the ladder and making "linear progress" when progress isn't ever linear. Comparison is truly the thief of joy... and often times mental health is sacrificed when it shouldn't be. I am looking forward to hearing about the results of the cafe interview! 💕
no idea how i missed this catherine. thank you for these truths, progress certainly isn't linear and there are so many ways success are measured - some are infinitely valuable than others, as we know. i'm still going back and forth on what i should do, but very blessed to even have the options, especially while still having a job. i will keep you updated and hugely appreciate your thoughtfulness - and i will stop comparing! 🫶🙏
Last August, I left my corporate job after nearly a decade in marketing. I didn’t want to leave without something else lined up, so I found my safety net in returning to hospitality. I doubt it’ll be my forever job - I still aspire to the growth my previous role wasn’t giving me - but it’s a good in-between while I figure things out. It’s also surprising how comforting it is to return to customer service. It’s demanding, yes, but in a very different way. It has also given me space to think, to let my mind wander, to take a breather. And meeting people from all walks of life has been so refreshing. Your essay really resonated with me—thank you for sharing <3
thank you for sharing your experience amandine - meeting new people and working with our hands can be so comforting, and like you said, can inspire creative regeneration in a way that corporate work really can't. here's to hoping that better conditions can be found elsewhere in our ideal fields sometime soon, and i'm glad i'm not the only one who'd prefer to trade jobs for a time, rather than stay in a dead-end role! thank u again for commenting and reading, it means so much to me! ♥️
I've followed a similar career path, in a way. I always worked in stores and restaurants. (and not high-end ones, either) I started writing as an escape route, but also as a way to move a little closer to the future I'd like for myself. I've finally taken the plunge into freelance remote work, and it's left me feeling empty and exhausted.
What you've written helped me admit that to myself. Sometimes, I want to go back. I know that it'd feel better. But even just admitting that, yeah, it's hard, makes it easier to keep going. I don't love writing full-time, and I'm going to do it anyway because it's what's furthering my goals right now.
I'm glad I'm not alone or crazy in wanting to go back, and I'm really, really glad you've shared this, so thanks.
I felt really inspired after reading this, so I bit the bullet and started my own Substack. I've been meaning to do it for a while now.
Thanks again for sharing, I bet your new workplace smells awesome.
oh wow :,) comments like these make writing here all worth it!! it means so much to me you took the time to say this, thank you. i’m so happy to have played a role in inspiring you, too!
i’m glad you’ll keep going w remote work, we all have our own battles to fight - doing what your gut tells you is the “harder path” is often the most rewarding.
barista-ing has been much harder for me historically, but it’s also been more fulfilling - at least, more than this specific job. but i’m open to all paths, just trying to follow my goals and my gut like you ♥️ i aim to support myself via substack in the coming years, and by learning the ropes of café-management, chase my long-held dream of owning my own coffee shop!
the fact that we can use a platform like this to write for a living, bypass traditional publishing, and find our audience over time is such a beautiful thing!
i haven’t started work there yet, but am still weighing the pros and cons. if i make the switch, ill start in the spring! 🥰 i’m v excited to follow along with all that you post! thanks again for reading, and for your thoughts ♥️
This honest and vulnerable piece is almost the exact opposite of "regressing," so don't let yourself believe any of that negativity! I feel like the reason why going back to something in the past feels so gutting is because our society glorifies these "email" jobs and climbing the ladder and making "linear progress" when progress isn't ever linear. Comparison is truly the thief of joy... and often times mental health is sacrificed when it shouldn't be. I am looking forward to hearing about the results of the cafe interview! 💕
no idea how i missed this catherine. thank you for these truths, progress certainly isn't linear and there are so many ways success are measured - some are infinitely valuable than others, as we know. i'm still going back and forth on what i should do, but very blessed to even have the options, especially while still having a job. i will keep you updated and hugely appreciate your thoughtfulness - and i will stop comparing! 🫶🙏
Last August, I left my corporate job after nearly a decade in marketing. I didn’t want to leave without something else lined up, so I found my safety net in returning to hospitality. I doubt it’ll be my forever job - I still aspire to the growth my previous role wasn’t giving me - but it’s a good in-between while I figure things out. It’s also surprising how comforting it is to return to customer service. It’s demanding, yes, but in a very different way. It has also given me space to think, to let my mind wander, to take a breather. And meeting people from all walks of life has been so refreshing. Your essay really resonated with me—thank you for sharing <3
thank you for sharing your experience amandine - meeting new people and working with our hands can be so comforting, and like you said, can inspire creative regeneration in a way that corporate work really can't. here's to hoping that better conditions can be found elsewhere in our ideal fields sometime soon, and i'm glad i'm not the only one who'd prefer to trade jobs for a time, rather than stay in a dead-end role! thank u again for commenting and reading, it means so much to me! ♥️