​I had a strong trajectory in the first decade of my career, getting promoted multiple times at a Fortune 500 in IT. Then I quit that job owing to some personal circumstances, and then covid etc happened and I wasn't able to find a job for a while leading to a confidence crisis and a long gap in my resume.

​After a couple of years doing odd jobs to make ends meet etc, I took a low-paying role at a small firm to get back in the corporate track. There I was placed as a contractor for a large tech enterprise. After a while, the client manager I was working with was impressed with my work and advocated hard to convert me to a direct employee. He guided me through the hiring process and was a genuine mensch throughout, even though corporate salary bands etc. meant my pay, while slightly bumped, was still fairly below market rate for my resume.

​Fast forward to now, only a few months after joining directly, I’ve been hating it 70% of the time.…