*Inspired by Human of GradSimple, Angela H.
Most of us grow up thinking careers are linear. Choose once, move up, don’t f*ck it up.
Angela’s story shows that’s not how it actually works.
She graduated in 2020. Peak COVID. Lost her first “real” job. Worked unpaid. Got laid off again. Took roles that didn’t look impressive on paper. Freelanced. Dog-sat. Sold embroidery on the side. Changed directions more than once.
And still, she found her career.
At every stage, Angela noticed what pulled her in and what drained her. In marketing, she realized blog writing gave her energy. Freelancing taught her that freedom comes with tradeoffs. Remote work showed her how much lifestyle mattered. None of those insights came from a career test or a five-year plan. They came from being inside the work.
That’s the part most people miss.
We’re taught clarity comes before action. Angela’s path shows the opposite. Action creates clarity. Trying things is how you learn what fits.
Even the so-called bad jobs weren’t mistakes. Each one taught her something she carried forward. Nothing was wasted.
You don’t need to pick the “right” career. You learn what fits by adjusting as you go.
If you’re early in your career and feeling behind, Angela’s story is a reminder that you’re probably not lost. The path reveals itself while you’re walking it.
That’s how careers are found.
If you ever read stuff like this and think, “ok… but what am I actually supposed to do with this?”
That’s what GradSimple Insiders is for. It’s where I share how I’m thinking about career decisions behind the scenes so people don’t end up reacting to the wrong signal or locking themselves into a move they regret.
