Exactly a year ago, I was retrenched.
It was a terrible feeling but it didn’t sink in immediately. I remember this scene like it was yesterday. When everyone left the office, I was told to pack up and leave with immediate effect. I didn’t even have a chance to bid goodbye to my colleagues. I realised later that some others in the company got retrenched as well. I was the first to set the curveball rolling.
A year on, things have changed. I’ve moved on to do what I’ve always wanted – marketing. From barely given anything to work on previously to given a six-digit budget for advertising & promotion, the difference is day and night. Now my work days are more fulfilling, I get to meet with more people. I could leave the office and visit outlets, I have a nice boss and best of all, my commute time is halved. All this comes with a pay raise too. I couldn’t have imagined this a year back, where everything appeared bleak and depressing.
Though I wish some things could be better – like having better colleagues to work with, longer vacation days, and the opportunity to work from home etc, I’ve plenty to be grateful for as well. It’s far more than I asked for and I’m treasuring every minute of it.