For a long time in my career, I used to look at myself and think: I must be a failure.
I don’t have a shiny degree. I never owned a fancy title under a Fortune 500 giant. And I can’t claim to be the kind of expert who wakes up every day laser-focused on one field. My path has always felt scattered, zigzagging between roles, industries, and experiences.
But each of those “zigzags” taught me something I could never have learned on a straight path. And now, looking back, they all connect.
Zigzagging is the norm
We often picture careers as ladders: climb step by step toward prestige and expertise. But in reality, most paths don’t look like ladders at all — they zigzag.
🎙️ As I heard on the DOAC podcast, “The norm in this day and age is that for people who find fulfillment, they often travel a zigzagging path. Along the way they discover things they’re good or bad at, explore unexpected interests, and keep pivoting. They say: here is where I am, here are my skills and interests, here are the opportunities in front of me. I’ll try this now, and maybe change later once I’ve learned more about myself. They keep pivoting until they find what’s called better match quality.”
Source: The No.1 Productivity Expert: 10,000 Hours Is A Lie! This Morning Habit Is Ruining Your Day!
That idea really stuck with me. Because when I look back, that’s exactly what my zigzags gave me:
- discovering strengths I didn’t know I had,
- realizing a weakness in one role could become a strength in another,
- finding energy in interests I once ignored.
This “match quality” — the fit between who you are and the work you do — doesn’t usually come from a straight line. It comes from trying, pivoting, and sometimes, yes, feeling lost.
My Zigzag Path
Wearing Many Hats at The Hive
One of my first roles was at The Hive, a co-working space. Like anyone in a small startup, I had to wear multiple hats—operations, sales, marketing, even finance.
The highlight was community management. I met founders, digital nomads, and freelancers who were building meaningful projects outside the traditional corporate path. That changed the way I thought about success. It didn’t have to mean climbing a hierarchy—it could mean creating a life that matched my own values.
It was also where I got my first real exposure to sales. I learned it’s not just pitching—it’s systems: building inbound and outbound pipelines, nurturing relationships, and tailoring solutions to client needs. That was when I realized: I want to get really good at this.
Witnessing 0 to 1 at Modular Agency
Later, at Modular Agency, I had a front-row seat to the birth of a company. I sat in late-night meetings drafting proposals with the founder, sometimes until 3 a.m. We were on the line with clients 24/7, always ready to answer when they dialed in.
It was exhausting but eye-opening. I learned that winning clients isn’t about fancy presentations—it’s about trust. Show up, overdeliver, and they’ll stay with you.
I also spent months building an operating system on Notion to run the agency more efficiently. At the time, I didn’t fully appreciate how useful that would be. But today, working at Odoo and selling ERP systems, I see how many businesses still rely on fragmented tools and manual workflows. That Notion project was my first taste of solving that problem.
Taking a Leap in Dubai
Eventually, I took a leap of faith and moved to Dubai to join a digital agency. Suddenly, I was working in one of the most diverse business hubs in the world. Every project brought together different cultures, work styles, and expectations. It wasn’t easy, but it sharpened my business acumen and forced me to adapt fast.
I was promoted twice, but more than the titles, the experience gave me resilience. It taught me that every up and down has meaning. Each pivot, each challenge, each “lost” moment was an opportunity for me to pivot and add to my quiet confidence.
Moving Beyond Plateaus
The zigzag path isn’t always thrilling. There are times when growth slows and you feel stuck. But those plateaus aren’t dead ends—they’re signals to adjust, to learn, to push forward again
People who grow through those moments tend to:
- Take ownership of their learning: setting short-term goals, tracking progress, and self-correcting.
- Practice deliberately: focusing on building specific skills rather than just going through the motions.
- Think like scientists: testing new approaches, running small experiments, and learning from the results.
When you see your career as a lifelong journey of discovery rather than a rigid ladder, every plateau becomes part of the process.
Why Being Lost Is a Gift
Not knowing exactly where you’re going can feel uncomfortable—but it’s also freeing. It gives you permission to explore, to pivot, to let new interests and skills emerge.
Being “lost” isn’t failure. It’s a sign that you’re still moving, still questioning, still searching for the place where your skills and passions truly fit.
And when you look back, you realize the zigzags weren’t detours—they were the path all along.
