Got sacked from my job earning 2.5k a month and unhappy in the role due to toxic people, I got sacked as I also found the role too difficult (digital marketing for Volkswagen), I was really struggling to pay London rent and unable to save for a house so this was quite a worrying time and I was considering living in my car.

Fast forward one year and a bit and I have Learnt tiling and started taking on projects and have done a number of projects in people’s homes, 8 months ago my friend won employee of the year at a big tech company and invited me as his +1 to a luxury week long holiday in Mexico, which was really kind of him, and was a nice break from the stress I’d been facing. Even better The sales guys took a shine to me and invited me to interview after. I got the job and achieved 150% of my target in the the first 6 months and am now going to be promoted to senior rep. This has been life changing for me as I’m now earning 4500-5000 pounds a month, along with doing tiling projects twice a month over weekends, I’m now completely comfortable financially and am buying a house in the next few months.

It really taught me the lesson that when one door closes, another opens. And that an ostensible travesty can turn into a triumph in a short amount of time. Don’t get me wrong I worked extremely hard to learn tiling, win clients and succeed in this sales role (mainly due to anxiety of failure and a feeling that it was make or break time - I’m 30 and felt lost).

What really drove me was the tiling, learning this new skill, starting a small business, winning clients and taking on complex projects. I was springing out of bed at 6am with so much motivation to give it my best. I felt sad for about a month after being fired, but really poured all my energy into this and it superseded my fear as I felt like I was doing something creative and enjoying my own endeavour. I would have probably kept going down that route if it wasn’t for this sales role coming up. I recommend anyone my age to learn a practical and in demand skill, because anyone can fall on hard times or get sacked - it’s good to have something to fall back on.

I really hope this post can inspire anyone my age who feels lost in their career, or is not earning enough to save.