Career Change - The Quiet Turns That Redefine Us

Career Change - The Quiet Turns That Redefine Us

We often talk about career change as if it’s a sign of uncertainty. As if shifting direction means we haven’t figured ourselves out.
But in truth, every career change is an act of courage, adaptability, and deep inner search.

My own journey has been anything but straight. And for the longest time, I used to worry that this made me “unfocused.” Now I see something entirely different: My path reflects growth, not confusion.

Chapter 1: The Boy Who Fell in Love With Computers

My story began long before adulthood. At just 14, I spent my afternoons in a small local computer shop, learning how machines worked from the inside out. It was the era of Windows 95, a time when technology felt like a new world opening its doors.

That curiosity grew into a full IT career. By 2004, I owned my own computer shop.

But dreams carried alone, with limited support and overwhelming work, can slowly dim the love that built them. Eventually, I burned out. And when the passion disappeared, I knew it was time to let go.

Chapter 2: Awakening the Creative Side

Some of the clients I once helped were architects. Their world stirred something creative inside me, something I didn’t know was waiting to surface. So in 2008, I followed that call.

I studied interior design, architectural drawing, and later completed a bachelor’s degree in interior architecture. I designed kitchens, took on freelance projects, and dove fully into creativity.

But life has seasons. The financial recession hit, and sustaining myself became difficult.
I shifted into retail simply to survive.

What surprised me was that I excelled. I took managerial roles, was part of teams who opened new shops, built new teams. But this taught me something very important:

Being good at something doesn’t mean it’s what your heart wants. (Read this twice).

Chapter 3: A Moment of Reflection

Eventually, a difficult experience at work forced me to pause. To breathe. To reconsider everything.

I didn’t want to live just to survive.
I wanted to work with meaning, impact, and purpose.
I wanted a career where I could give, genuinely give, because I am, by nature, a giver.

And in that honest moment of inner dialogue, I knew:
I wanted to help people where they spend most of their life, in their work.

HR wasn’t an accident. It was the result of introspection.

Chapter 4: Returning to Education, Returning to Purpose

In 2023, I went back to studying. I completed a diploma in HR Management and later a Master’s degree in HRM with a CSR orientation, something deeply aligned with my values.

I studied in the evenings, worked mornings as a junior recruiter, and lived through one of the most intense yet meaningful years of my life.

Through HR, I found what I had been searching for:
Purpose, impact, and the ability to make people feel seen.

The Jobs That Built Me

Between all of these chapters, life brought me through a long list of jobs, DJ, baker, office admin, waiter, car washer, retail seller, catering coordinator & delivery heavy equipment… roles that many people overlook or hide.

I don’t hide them.
I wear them as badges of honour.

Each job taught me resilience, responsibility, adaptability, humility, empathy, and the ability to understand people from all walks of life. Each job shaped the Talent Acquisition professional and the human being I am today.

Chapter 5: Talent Acquisition - My Third Career, My True Alignment

Today, TA is my third career.
And the moment I stepped into it, everything clicked. Every past experience made sense. Every job contributed a piece to the bigger picture.

Career change is not losing direction.
Career change is becoming more aligned with yourself.

It is the willingness to grow.
It is the courage to evolve.
It is the curiosity to search for who you truly are.

What My Journey Taught Me

If my life has taught me anything, it’s this:

The paths we take aren’t mistakes, they are preparation.
Every chapter shapes the person we are becoming.
Every shift brings us closer to our purpose.

And sometimes, the career that finally feels like “home” is not the first or the second…
but the third or even further more. Remain curious, stay alive.

This one is for you

No matter where you stand today, tired, uncertain, inspired, or somewhere in between, remember this:

You are allowed to evolve.
You are allowed to outgrow careers, titles, expectations, and even older versions of yourself.
You are allowed to search for meaning, not just stability.

If life invites you to change paths, trust that invitation.
It’s not failure.
It’s not confusion.
It’s your inner voice whispering, “There is more for you. Keep going.”

Your journey is not linear because growth is never linear.
Every experience, every challenge, every reinvention adds depth to who you are becoming.

Stay curious.
Stay open.
And most importantly, stay true to the version of yourself that refuses to settle for a life without purpose.

Your next chapter might just be the one where everything finally aligns.

Spyridon
Growing with intention, one reflection at a time.