Backstory

Three years ago, I quit my full-time job in Mumbai and set out on a goal to find a job overseas. At that point, I realized I wasn’t growing in my career as compared to when I started a couple of years ago. I was looking to change that around and hence I pulled the plug on my job.

I had a plan and I was going to nail it. Little did I know about the complexities involved. Many things didn’t click but some did. Just a few months into the search and I already landed an offer from Startupbootcamp in Berlin.

It was a three months contract that would have allowed me to explore the European waters. I was happy, very happy but that happiness didn’t last long – my visa didn’t go through. Long story short – embassies have a hard time believing freelancers on contract jobs.

Like most humans living in their own bubble, I was finding it very hard to accept what had just happened to me. I lost hope and all the desire to work. So, I visited my family in Gujarat. I just wanted to be surrounded by people who cared for me, no matter what. They’ve always been very supportive of my decisions and I consider myself to be extremely fortunate to have them.

Those two weeks spent with my family helped me regain my mojo and I slowly got back to working towards my goal. A few days later, something prompted me to take a solo trip to Thailand. Carrying my laptop, I went on a month-long vacation and that’s when I discovered the world of remote work.

Meeting with people from different parts of the world and hearing their stories changed my outlook towards the world. I was a different but better person when I returned.

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Thailand wasn’t just about remote work, it was fun too. Here, I’ve written at length about what I did in Thailand.

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Tiny Wins

Now, I could go all day telling you about the things that didn’t work and the ones that did. But let’s save that for another blog post or a series of blog posts 😉

Cut to three years later, I’ve earned a good reputation in the freelance world by helping both local and international clients design successful businesses, traveled to over 10 countries, been a speaker at numerous design events, appeared on a couple of podcasts, grown Product Disrupt to over 3000+ subscribers and made great friends during the journey. So, it hasn’t been bad at all 🙂

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A New Chapter

But those who know me well will tell you that I don’t give up on my goals (not dreams) that easy. I’m not a naturally gifted person but I very strongly believe that consistency outplays talent. And I’m going to show up every day and put in the work, the results will follow.

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And that’s exactly what started to happen when I started interviewing with Contentful a few months ago. During this time, I got a chance to know more about the people of Contentful, the company’s culture, their values and what they were looking for in their next Product Designer.

Things went well between us, there was a match and they showed faith in me by offering me to join their team. Having known a little about Contentful and its people, I couldn’t be more psyched to join them 🤩

So, I’m moving to Berlin to join Contentful as a Product Designer from December 2019. This is the beginning of a whole new chapter in my life. Wish me luck 😇

I would also like to use this opportunity to thank all those who’ve played a part in supporting me and keeping me motivated. You, my friend, have my humblest regards 🙏🏽

Never stop believing in yourself, just show up and do good work. Things will start to fall in place eventually because consistency outplays talent.

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Ich bin ein Berliner.

Phew, I’ve waited so long to say this. See you in Berlin 👋