The year in review: 2024 at work

In the year 2023, I earned a whopping €5000. I obviously wasn't working in tech at the time. No, I was trying to make my other company a success. I run a coaching company called Live Sensibly, where I help people with their lifestyle (nutrition & strength training). As you can tell, I don't have enough clients to earn even a meager existence. I survived by living off my savings, and Oliver was kind enough to take on the majority of our household costs. It was clear that this situation couldn't last much longer because the bottom of my savings came in sight, and it wasn't fair to Oliver.

Not that I had clear plans for this year, work-wise, but it all worked out in the end. I am very grateful for the people in my network and the power of serendipity! Back in March, someone I worked with a few times in the past, called me with an opportunity for a test coordinator role. The idea of going back to tech did not excite me in the least (I was really trying to leave it), but the plain cold fact that I need money to survive, won. In the end, starting the role took a couple of months, but in July, I was working in tech again!

If you are appalled that I choose to work in a sector I actively loathe, I hate to break it to you, but that is the reality for many people. I find very little meaning by working in tech, and generally, it's my opinion that big tech is making life and the environment worse instead of better. The cloud, genAI, it can all go to hell for all I care.

However, when I do something, I try to do it well. I'm not dicking around, I try to make a positive impact. That is part of my values. But no, this work doesn't bring me joy. Some of the people I work with make work infinitely more tolerable, but that's about it.

It's also mind-boggling to me how much money I make with this job. It's out of proportion. Teachers, nurses, you know, people with actual useful jobs, should earn way more money than they do right now. Let's skip the rest of the argument and rant for now, and let's just conclude that capitalism is the main culprit for how unfair everything in the world is. And yet, I'm using it to my advantage, which does make me a hypocrite to some degree.

Not that I haven't tried to break free. I took 2 years to try and build my coaching business into something I could live off, and so far I have failed. I'm terrible at marketing and sales. These things feel like lying to me. I'd have to exaggerate client results or what can be achieved in regard to weight loss and strength, and I simply refuse to do so. Alternatively, I could use my own physique to lure more people in, but that also feels wrong to me. So yeah, by just posting blogs and Instagram posts I do get some clients, but not a lot. Word of mouth has been the biggest factor in getting new clients, actually.

On top of that, the algorithms (brrr, I hate writing this word) don't favor my content. I don't use rage bait, I want to give people nuanced information, a dose of reality. Alternatively, I can't read the room and my content is just boring, that's also a possibility.

To sum it up: let this be proof that failure does exist. You mostly read success stories everywhere, but be aware that the survivorship bias exists. Tons of people also fail, but it's not cool to read about it and it's shameful. I'd rather try shit out and fail than not having tried at all.

Going back to a gig in tech has alleviated some of the pressure I felt to make my coaching company a success. I took a break from posting on Instagram and writing new blog posts, as it was a lot of work with seemingly little pay-off. On the other hand, some initiatives I was working on are now on hold. I was working on creating a community called Healthy Living for Desk Dwellers, and a course on how to self-coach your nutrition. I put those on hold as I don't fancy working more than 40 hours per week.

What will 2025 have in store for me? Probably even more work in tech. I will also keep chugging out content to get more clients for my coaching company. If you are interested in working on your lifestyle, hit me up. More people should get stronger, is all I'm saying (especially women).

How was 2024 for you, work wise?