Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
Before the Pandemic
I was earning a high five-figure salary in the corporate world. I had a team of six reporting directly to me, with ten others from different departments doing different parts of the same project.
“The job of a Project Manager in fintech and software development is incredibly high-pressure and high-stress.”
It did not help that I am a woman who “doesn’t “speak programmer” – whatever that means.
For illustrative purposes only.
I wasn’t sleeping right, eating right or doing any self-care. The job itself comes with no boundaries. You work with people all over the world. It meant getting up for meetings at 2am due to time zone differences.
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When I Broke
The pandemic had just taken hold in early 2020, everything was on lockdown, and everyone was unprepared for it. It was a meeting with all the concerned stakeholders, with everyone looking to protect their own rice bowl and find a scapegoat.
I remember arguing with several people when I froze and my brain shut down. Everything just went blank. I have vague memories of dropping out of the Zoom Meeting and feeling that something profound and fundamental had just changed.
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Then anxiety, panic, and a feeling of terror and doom hit me, and I just crumbled. Luckily my boyfriend was working from home too. He didn’t understand what was going on, but he just held me and comforted me.
“I spent two days in a nonverbal stupor. It’s not that I couldn’t speak. It was more like I could not get words out. Short sentences left me feeling utterly exhausted.”
Talking was too much effort to be worth it. For almost a week, I just texted things to my boyfriend, and he just took care of things, including arranging a therapist.
A Love of Animals led to My New Job
Besides my boyfriend, I guess you could say animals are the other great love of my life, and I am happy when working with animals. I’ve worked with shelters and animal welfare groups to rescue and home cats, dogs, smaller animals and even a snake once.
For illustrative purposes only.
The vet is a fifteen-minute walk from my home, and I had to take my cats in for their annual vaccinations. When I got there, the sign on the door revealed they wanted to hire a full-time receptionist. I figured, “Why not?” and applied.
The interview was awkward because I was grossly overqualified, but they needed someone immediately. So when I said the salary was fine, and I could start part-time to test the waters, they agreed.
On-The-Job Training
It started out with receptionist work – phone, appointment booking, and answering questions about some treatments, and there was cleaning – rooms between patients and the cages/kennels at the back.
Every day on the job, I learn something new. It started with me helping to restrain animals using the proper techniques, then gradually expanded to include a lot of the back-of-house tasks. This allows the vets to focus on treating the patients and tending to the owners.
“It gets busy at times, but most of the time, its slower paced.”
Sure there have been a few hours of overtime, but those hours saved a family dog; another time was someone’s pet rabbit. Even at its absolute worst, we made sure that a loved, thirteen-year-old feline passed away comfortably with her human family close at hand.
A Long Recovery
It’s been a long road back for me, and I’ve been taking it very slow and steady for almost two years. These days, I continue to work part-time as a vet technician cum receptionist.
“After the hectic insanity of the corporate world, all that madness and chaos of meetings, chasing deadlines, contractors, and politicking, what I do at the vet is strangely unhurried and peaceful.”
I can’t handle the high pressure or stress of Project Management anymore.
“I tried to go back, but It felt like being thrown into the swimming pool’s deep end, from a 10-meter diving board, with lead weights on your ankles.”
I don’t understand how I ever got into it, let alone survived it for so long.
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I will never go back to it.
Earning less, but a lot happier.
I grew up being told the job was something important because the defining thing about life is how much money you make. Because that would determine what house I live in, what kind of car I drive, and the rest of life’s materialistic needs
Nobody stopped to tell me what the price would be. For me, it was punishingly high. It cost my health, my mental health, and perhaps most importantly: Any semblance of happiness. Happiness, it seems, was not important at all.
I still see my therapist every month – instead of every week. I work four days a week, and I’m a housewife the rest of the time.
I’m very grateful for the work because there’s only so much cooking, cleaning, pet care and… “housewifing” you can do before you start to go stir crazy from being home all the time.
I make a lot less money, but I have regained a lot of physical health, and my mental health is better too.
But the most important thing that I have gained for myself is happiness and satisfaction that I’m doing good, honest work.
I go home with a sense of satisfaction and fulfilment. I know I’ve made a difference for an animal and the owners. It’s all going to sound cliched, but it’s nourishing for my soul.
“I’m a receptionist cum vet technician at a small veterinary practice,” she said quietly.
“The doctors here see the usual cats, dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits and other exotics. They’re both excellent veterinarians and good people trying to make a difference for their patients and owners.”
For illustrative purposes only.
She smiled, radiating calm, quiet confidence, “I’m happy here.”
Know anyone with an exciting story to share? Drop us an email at hello@inreallife.my, and we may feature the story!
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