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Life | Career | Growth
A Glaring Omission: What One Former Colleague’s Goodbye Revealed to Me
I thought he was a leader. He thought I didn’t matter. A story of ambition, silence, and what happens when your worth is overlooked.
Even as I walked through the tall glass doors of the West Coast-based media company, I couldn’t believe what was happening.
It was Spring 2015. Just weeks before, I was sure I would never make it out of my low-income neighborhood or be anything other than a stay-at-home freelance writer who made just enough money to keep Momma off my back.
I had built my career from the bottom up for six long years, finding promise and stability in a professional space that satisfied both the creator within me and the stubborn person who never took to customer service or professional authority well.
Writer’s note: Yes, I realize editors fit the bill of “professional authority,” but I resolve their criticism by remembering that they are fellow creatives — just more demonic than most (kidding!).
And now, here I was, walking around a glass-plated conference room in a huge office space, looking for my new bosses.