The Beautiful Chaos of Career Pivot: When Rejection Becomes Redirection
There’s something profoundly moving about reading someone’s journey from redundancy to triumph. I came across a post recently that had me genuinely emotional – someone sharing their experience of being made redundant, facing countless rejections, and then landing their absolute dream role with a $20k pay bump and senior title to boot.
Reading through their story, I found myself nodding along with every twist and turn. The shock of redundancy after years of loyalty. The brutal reality of today’s job market where applications seem to vanish into the digital void. The well-meaning friends suggesting your CV is “too long” (mate, if you’ve got 20 years of experience, you’ve earned the right to a few extra pages). And then that moment of deciding to throw caution to the wind and apply for something that feels completely out of reach.
What struck me most was their decision to pivot industries entirely. After being knocked back repeatedly in their familiar territory, they took a leap of faith into something they’d always wanted to try. It reminds me of conversations I’ve had with my daughter about her future career – how we often box ourselves into thinking we’re only qualified for what we’ve done before, rather than considering what we could do with the skills we’ve accumulated.
The tech industry here in Melbourne has certainly had its fair share of redundancies lately. Walking through the CBD, grabbing my usual batch brew from Market Lane, I’ve bumped into former colleagues who are navigating similar waters. There’s this pervasive sense that the job market has fundamentally shifted. Gone are the days when a decent LinkedIn profile and solid experience guaranteed a steady stream of opportunities. Now it feels like throwing applications into a black hole, hoping something, anything, will stick.
But here’s what I find fascinating about this person’s story – it wasn’t just about persistence. It was about strategic boldness. They didn’t just keep applying for similar roles and hoping for different results. They recognised that their industry was “in a funk” and made a calculated decision to try something new. That takes guts, especially when you’re already feeling vulnerable from redundancy.
The detail about checking their candidate profile and discovering the “please keep an eye for future openings” note is a perfect reminder of how much of job hunting happens behind the scenes. We send off applications and assume silence means disinterest, but sometimes there are conversations happening that we’re not privy to. It’s a good lesson in not taking rejection too personally – often it’s more about timing and fit than your worth as a professional.
What really gets me though is the broader systemic issue here. This person’s experience highlights how loyalty to employers often isn’t reciprocated. They described being “incredibly loyal” to their previous company, only to be made redundant despite their dedication. It’s a harsh reminder that in today’s corporate landscape, job security is largely an illusion. Companies will make “tough decisions” when it suits their bottom line, regardless of employee loyalty or performance.
This is where my slightly left-leaning views kick in – I genuinely believe we need stronger worker protections and a more robust social safety net for people navigating career transitions. The stress and uncertainty of redundancy shouldn’t be compounded by a brutal job market that treats experienced professionals like they’re starting from scratch.
Yet despite these structural issues, there’s something beautifully hopeful about this story. Sometimes the universe has a way of redirecting us toward opportunities we never would have considered if everything had gone according to plan. This person’s redundancy, devastating as it was, became the catalyst for landing a role that exceeded their previous position in every way – salary, seniority, industry appeal, and company prestige.
Their advice to “not think you are not good or not qualified enough for any position” resonates deeply. So often, we become our own biggest obstacle, talking ourselves out of opportunities before we even try. The self-sabotage they mentioned is real – that internal voice that whispers “you’re not ready” or “they’d never pick you” can be more limiting than any external barrier.
Reading the supportive comments on their post reminded me why I love the Australian spirit of celebrating others’ wins. No tall poppy syndrome here – just genuine excitement for someone who took a risk and had it pay off spectacularly.
For anyone currently in the thick of job hunting, especially those facing the soul-crushing experience of redundancy, this story serves as a powerful reminder that sometimes the best opportunities come disguised as disasters. The key is maintaining enough hope and self-belief to keep swinging for the fences, even when the safe bets aren’t working out.
Career pivots at any age require courage, but they also offer the chance to surprise ourselves with what we’re actually capable of achieving. Sometimes being pushed out of our comfort zone – even involuntarily – is exactly what we need to realise we were capable of so much more than we ever imagined.