I got headhunted for a role that is not even open yet, and this has been one of the most surprising moments in my job search journey so far.
I have had promising conversations before. I have met people who were kind enough to encourage me, share advice, and point me toward opportunities. Some conversations gave me hope, and some reminded me that my experience still matters. But this one felt different because it made me pause and look at my career from a completely new angle.
At first, I felt excited because it reminded me that the experience I have built, the relationships I have been investing in, and the courage to keep showing up were starting to speak for me in rooms I was not even in yet.
But once the excitement settled, a different feeling started to show up. I began thinking about the possibility of failing, about things not progressing the way I hoped, and about whether I would be ready if the opportunity became real.
It is interesting how quickly excitement can turn into fear when something starts to feel close. The opportunity itself was not what scared me. It was the thought of stepping into something new, being seen at a higher level, and wondering whether I could meet the expectations that came with it.
That is when I remembered something my mentor Mike told me.
He reminded me that layoffs are a reflection of so many things, and they are not always a simple reflection of someoneโs ability or value. Companies change direction. Teams restructure. Budgets shift. Priorities move. A role can stop aligning with where the company is going, or the environment may not match someoneโs skill set, working style, or the kind of support they need to succeed.
Even when performance becomes part of the conversation, it still does not always mean a person is not capable. Sometimes it means the position was not the right fit, the expectations were not aligned, or the timing was not in that personโs favor.
That perspective helped me breathe a little.
Most of us do not usually walk into a role thinking about everything outside of our control, like a company going bankrupt, the market shifting, leadership changing, or a stable department being restructured. But we often still carry the fear of being laid off, replaced, or pushed into an unexpected transition.
The modern age of work is teaching me that job safety is not only about staying with one company until retirement. It is about building the ability to adapt, learn, rebuild, and bounce back when things change in ways we did not expect.
I am starting to think of myself differently now, not only as someone searching for a job, but as an individual consultant or even a small startup who happens to work with one company at a time. That mindset makes me feel more grounded because it reminds me that no matter where I work, I am still carrying my experience, my relationships, and my ability to keep learning into the next chapter.
A company can give me an opportunity, but my career is still something I am responsible for building.
The networking and community work I have been doing did not start from a transactional place. I did not start showing up, writing online, attending events, organizing meetups, or building in public because I wanted someone to give me a job.
It started because I got challenged by two conferences I attended: Commit Your Code Conference and the District 50 Toastmasters Conference. Both experiences pushed me to think differently about visibility, community, and what it means to share my work before I feel fully ready. At first, I was simply trying to step outside of my comfort zone and become more proactive, but I started noticing that showing up in this way was giving me energy.
Meeting people, learning from conversations, sharing what I am building, supporting community events, and documenting my journey started to feel less like another task on my list and more like an energy machine that I could tap into. It reminded me that I do not have to wait until everything is perfect to start showing up.
Now, when opportunities come from the relationships, conversations, and public work I have been building, it feels like a reminder that applications are not the only way doors open. Sometimes they open because people have watched you show up, learn, and contribute consistently.
This opportunity may move forward, or it may not. It may become something amazing, or it may simply become another important conversation that helped me see my value more clearly. Either way, I am grateful because it reminded me that I am not starting from zero.
I have experience, a strong support system, mentors who challenge and encourage me, and a growing ability to reframe fear into perspective.
Most importantly, I am learning to trust that I can succeed in the next chapter, and even when things do not go exactly the way I hope, I believe they can still become part of my learning experience.
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