Sometimes the worst moments can turn out to be the best thing for you.

Sometimes the worst moments can turn out to be the best thing for you. I was devastated and afraid when I was laid off from a company that I had been with my entire career (and had received a few promotions during that tenure). However, it was a toxic environment and I internalized those messages so I was too afraid to take a risk and leave. Eight months after getting laid off, I accepted a role in a different industry (where my skills were transferable) and started at $18k more in salary than in the previous role. I was also working on a great team with a supportive culture and for an organization with a positive work culture. Four years later, I applied for an open role on a different team within the same organization and was offered this new role with an additional $34k bump in salary. I love what I do and I have a lot of autonomy to do it. The organization invests in their people and values their contributions. It's not a perfect place (no place is), but it's a good one. I would never have thought that any of this was possible, but it is. So if you're struggling somewhere, if it's toxic, if it isn't a good fit for any reason, consider making a change. I was too scared to make a change and so I just accepted things and endured it, but really, when the company relocated and laid me off, it was the best thing that could have happened for my career, and absolutely one of the best things to happen to me personally. It's scary to go through it, but when you're on the other side of it, it's so much better than where you started.