Six years ago, I wrote about my seven takeaways from working in this industry. Looking back now, after 13 years, I realized that while many of those lessons still hold true, life has taught me a few new ones.
This past year wasn’t just another year at work—it became one of the most defining chapters of my career.
For the first time in 13 years, I took a three-and-a-half-month leave of absence. During those months, I was technically unemployed and had no regular source of income. Thankfully, years of saving gave me enough financial cushion to get by. It wasn’t the most comfortable feeling, but it gave me something I hadn’t had in years: time.
Time to slow down. Time to think. Time to take care of myself.
For months, I had been experiencing changes in my bowel movements but kept putting off getting checked because work always seemed to come first. During my leave, I finally underwent a colonoscopy.
Thankfully, everything turned out well.
More than anything, it reminded me that our health should never become something we postpone for “when things get less busy.” Work will always be there. Our health may not wait.
During my break, I visited Region I (Ilocos Region), Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula), Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN), several cities in Region XI (Davao Region), and even Dapitan in Region IX, where José Rizal spent his years in exile.
Those trips reminded me that life is much bigger than deadlines, performance reviews, and project deliverables. I didn’t receive a paycheck during those months, but I came home with experiences, perspectives, and memories that proved just as valuable.
Although my wallet occasionally reminded me that I was unemployed.
If I’m being honest, though, this break wasn’t something I had planned as a sabbatical.
It began with a realization.
After more than a decade in the same organization, I understood how performance evaluations and promotions worked. I also had a clear understanding of my own strengths.
I knew I wasn’t looking for a bigger title for the sake of having one. I wanted another opportunity to prove myself. I wanted to contribute in ways that matched my capabilities and to be rewarded in a way that reflected the value I believed I could create.
Anyone who has spent years growing within the same company in the Philippines will probably understand that feeling. It wasn’t about blaming the organization, the project, or the people I worked with. Every project has different needs, and every role creates value in its own way.
I simply realized that I do my best work when I’m helping build something new. I wanted to be part of a project where I could create, influence, solve problems, and help shape direction from the beginning.
So I asked to be transferred. Unfortunately, the timing didn’t work out before the appraisal cycle.
Eventually, I made the difficult decision to resign.
Instead of accepting my resignation immediately, my leaders offered me a leave of absence while they looked for another opportunity within the organization.
I accepted without knowing how the story would end. Three and a half months later, I’m still here.
Looking back, that leave of absence became one of the greatest gifts I never expected to receive.
Today, I’m part of another pioneering transformation project, with the opportunity to contribute from day one.
The more I reflected on my career, the more I noticed a pattern that had always been there.
Many of the projects I’ve enjoyed the most involved transformation—building new capabilities, modernizing processes, helping organizations navigate change, and creating something that didn’t exist before.
It turns out that’s where I thrive. I enjoy the uncertainty. I enjoy building from scratch. I enjoy figuring things out before there are established playbooks.
Perhaps that’s why this opportunity doesn’t feel like starting over.
It feels like coming home to the kind of work I’ve always loved doing.
Looking back, I’m grateful that my leaders saw potential beyond the role I was leaving. They could have simply accepted my resignation, wished me well, and moved on. Instead, they gave me time, listened to what I was looking for, and eventually entrusted me with an opportunity that aligned much better with my strengths.
Not everyone gets that chance, and I don’t take it for granted.
So what have I learned after 13 years?
If you don’t like where you are, or if you genuinely believe you’ve stopped growing, don’t stay there simply because it’s comfortable.
Speak up. Ask for new opportunities. Advocate for yourself. Your leaders can’t always read your mind.
Sometimes they may not have an opportunity immediately. Sometimes they genuinely do.
And sometimes the conversation itself becomes the first step toward change.
Growth doesn’t always require leaving. Sometimes it requires having the courage to say what you’re looking for.
In my case, I was prepared to walk away. Ironically, that willingness to leave eventually led me to stay. The biggest lesson wasn’t that I needed a different company.
It was realizing that growth begins the moment you stop waiting for opportunities to find you and start advocating for the kind of work that allows you to become your best.
Sometimes the courage to walk away opens the door you’re meant to enter.
And sometimes, that door leads you right back to the same organization—with a renewed sense of purpose, a different opportunity, and a deeper appreciation for the journey that brought you there.
After 13 years, I still believe careers are built one project at a time.
But I’ve also learned that they’re shaped by the conversations we’re willing to have, the risks we’re willing to take, and the people willing to believe in us when we can’t yet see where the next chapter will lead.
For that, I consider myself incredibly blessed.
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