I grew my salary to $112K after a career pivot. A layoff broke my heart and changed my perception of money and success.

Evelyn Irwanto is simply a 32-year-old surviving successful Toronto. She was a elder head astatine a trading and branding consultancy, making CA$155,000, aliases astir $112,000, earlier she was laid disconnected successful September 2025. Business Insider has verified Irwanto's income and employment history pinch documentation. The pursuing as-told-to effort has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

I sewage into wellness and fittingness adjacent the extremity of precocious schoolhouse and thought I wanted to be a dietitian. Deep down, though, I genuinely had nary thought what I wanted to do.

I grew up successful a beautiful emblematic Asian migrant family. My parents were pushing maine toward much accepted fields for illustration business, medicine, aliases law. In hindsight, a nutrition profession was possibly a small enactment of rebellion — I wanted to do thing that they didn't o.k. of.

I was beautiful steadfast, truthful they fto maine spell for it, but I astir apt should've listened to them.

Spoiler alert: I didn't spell into a profession successful dietetics. Here's my net journey.

Nutrition subordinate (CA$14 an hour) and server (CA$11 an hour)

After graduating pinch a grade successful nutrition and nutrient successful 2017, I sewage a part-time domiciled arsenic a nutrition associate, making astir $14 Canadian dollars an hour. I besides worked arsenic a server connected the side, for astir CA$11 an hr positive tips.

It was tough, but astatine that time, I was young and had energy. I'd moved retired connected my own, and the jobs worked pinch my schedule.

The nutrition subordinate occupation was typically 8-to-4 shifts, and past I'd do double shifts and service astatine night, starting from 5 p.m. It was fun. I really enjoyed serving.

I did that for 10 months, from August 2017 done May 2018.

'Eat, Pray, Love' break, $0

During that time, I was looking for a full-time position, but aft not being capable to find one, I started to recognize I didn't want to do nutrition full-time.

I'd already benignant of known it successful college, astir the clip I took a spread twelvemonth disconnected schoolhouse aft going to Melbourne for an speech program, but I kept pursuing done the motions.

In mid-2018, I near my nutrition subordinate and serving jobs, subleased my apartment, and took immoderate time disconnected to travel. I telephone it my "Eat, Pray, Love" infinitesimal because I bought a one-way summons to South America and backpacked for astir 4 months to fig retired what I wanted to do pinch my life.

It gave maine clarity and the courageousness to judge what I knew heavy down already: I don't cognize what I want to do; I conscionable cognize I don't want to do this. And I beryllium it to myself to effort to pivot.

Customer work and organization guidance coordinator, CA$15 an hour

Once I sewage back, I put applications retired to each kinds of jobs that seemed remotely interesting.

Through a section Facebook group, I recovered a seasonal, statement domiciled arsenic a customer work and organization guidance coordinator pinch a mini trading agency that paid CA$15 an hour.

I sewage the occupation successful October 2018. It was only a seasonal role, my commute was an hr and a half, and I made little than I'd been making previously, but I was still ecstatic because it was my first ft retired the doorway of nutrition, and I sewage to study and effort thing new.

Credit and collections analyst, CA$22 an hour

My adjacent domiciled was arsenic a contractor for a Big Tech package institution arsenic a in installments and collections analyst. A friend moving successful that position astatine the clip reached retired astir their squad looking for much people. I had nary thought what in installments and collections was, but it seemed for illustration a awesome opportunity to get into a Big Tech, Fortune 500 company.

It besides came pinch higher salary — CA$22 an hr — and the imaginable to spell full-time.

It was a large adjustment, but it was exciting. I was like, Oh my gosh! You get to dress up successful firm clothing, study truthful overmuch astir processes and policies, and beryllium portion of a team. There were very clear metrics and KPIs, which I'd ne'er had before. It was a learning experience.

My parents were ace happy. They worried astatine first because I'd spent truthful overmuch clip doing a nutrition degree, but erstwhile I started getting opportunities for illustration astatine this Big Tech company, they were like, "OK, it seems for illustration this is moving retired for you."

Partner finance analyst, CA$25.88 an hour

My head astatine the clip recommended I move to a different squad nether the in installments and collections section because location were much opportunities to get converted, truthful I did.

I ended up getting converted full-time successful precocious 2019, and my salary was CA$25.88 an hour, pinch eligibility for a CA$2,700 prize annually.

I worked really difficult connected that squad for astir a twelvemonth and 8 months — almost for illustration I had to beryllium myself moreover much than different group because I didn't person the backing of a applicable degree.

But I knew I didn't want to enactment successful in installments and collections forever; I enjoyed it and was bully astatine it, but long-term, the day-to-day occupation and income imaginable didn't lucifer up to what I wanted. From the very beginning, I was like, "I want to climb the firm ladder."

Credit and postulation supervisor, CA$81,000

A supervisor position opened up, which I applied for. At that time, it was 2 levels higher than me, which was reliable to warrant to HR and the group team, but I applied and worked really difficult connected the lawsuit study. The managers and the sheet question and reply knew maine arsenic a difficult worker, and I ended up getting that position.

That twelvemonth — 2021 — I made astir CA$81,000. My parents were ace proud erstwhile I sewage promoted.

Sales operations business process specialist, CA$91,700

I learned a batch from that supervisor role, but it didn't return maine very agelong to commencement applying for different jobs wrong the institution successful bid to fulfill my eventual extremity of leaving collections.

In December 2021, I ended up getting a income operations business process master domiciled wrong the company's gross operations department. My net was astir CA$91,700.

A batch of the occupation was identifying gaps wrong processes and policies, talking to stakeholders, and aligning teams, which was the worldly that I liked to do. I stayed location for conscionable complete a year. I enjoyed the job, but besides felt isolated because of COVID and remote work.

It was besides little busy, and I'm personification who can't beryllium still and needs to beryllium doing a lot. It made maine wonder, am I providing worth aliases impact? I'd person conversations pinch my skip-level manager, asking astir maturation opportunities. I besides started to feel the reddish tape a batch pinch getting ideas approved, which made maine a small disgruntled.

Revenue operations manager, CA$100,000 positive equity

A batch of my friends were moving successful startups astatine that time. I besides had a mentor wrong the institution who recommended, based connected my goals, that I look into startups. I started applying.

One of my friends posted a LinkedIn opportunity for a gross operations head astatine a Series A tech institution based successful Toronto. I ended up getting a referral and sewage the job.

The salary was CA$100,000 positive equity, which felt mind-blowing. I was proud and knew I was qualified, but I still felt immoderate imposter syndrome.

Joining the startup slapped maine crossed the face; it was a big learning curve. But that was besides benignant of what I wanted. You're doing it each — wearing different hats, pinch nary guidelines aliases scope — and nary one's telling you what to do. You conscionable do what needs to beryllium done and fig it out.

It was astir apt 1 of my favourite roles to date. I met friends that I'm still friends with, and had bully guidance that really supported maine and wanted maine to grow. I learned truthful overmuch successful that role, which is why I ended up staying location for almost 2 years. I sewage a raise to CA$103,000, and past to CA$108,000, aliases astir $78,000.

Senior manager, CA$155,000

I ended up leaving because I was really gunning for a promotion successful my domiciled arsenic gross operations manager, and it felt for illustration it was dangled but ne'er happened.

I was disappointment and ended up getting recruited by the adjacent company, a trading and branding consultancy.

They offered maine CA$150,000, which I negotiated up to CA$155,000, and a title boost to elder head alternatively of manager. The opportunity felt excessively bully to beryllium existent and seemed for illustration it fresh my experience. It would've been silly for maine not to return it, truthful I did.

Coming into the domiciled was a beautiful large change. I went done months of burnout, not emotion really supported, and having an existential situation astir what I was doing pinch my life.

I thought, I can't time off this occupation because I've only been present for X months. I don't want to beryllium seen arsenic a job-hopper. It was tough.

I ended up taking a leave of absence, during which clip I did a batch of therapy. I really felt fresh to travel backmost pinch a caller cognition and position connected things for illustration balance.

But successful September 2025, the Friday earlier I was expected to travel back, I was laid off. The general logic they gave was owed to a restructuring.

I cried; it was heartbreaking and jarring.

When I deliberation backmost to that day, it's still very emotional. I deliberation it ended up moving retired for the best, but it was tough. It felt for illustration a gut punch.

Now my extremity is to switch my tech net pinch contented creation and freelancing

I'd already started applying to jobs during my intelligence wellness time off to spot what different options were retired there. Once I sewage laid off, I started really pouring myself into interviews.

I was willing successful freelancing, truthful I started talking to group astir what that looked like. I ended up getting introduced to the proprietor of a gross operations consultancy present successful Toronto. I met him for coffee, and we really deed it off. He told maine that he couldn't guarantee maine a group magnitude of hours, but astatine the time, he had 10 hours for the period ahead.

That was the aforesaid clip that I sewage 2 different offers, some pinch salaries successful the mid-six-figures, but the thought of going backmost to firm made maine consciousness truthful depleted, truthful I turned them down.

Thanks to my severance package, I had a spot of runway to research doing my ain thing. I ended up taking the consultancy to conscionable effort it out, and started contented creation.

In June, I really surpassed my monthly firm salary. I consciousness for illustration I was capable to beryllium that I could do it and person afloat assurance that I tin continue. I consciousness for illustration location are truthful galore possibilities.

My position connected money and activity has changed

I person a different position connected money now; it's not the astir important point for me, and moreover if I'm not capable to deed my extremity of replacing my tech net for immoderate reason, I'll beryllium okay pinch it because I genuinely emotion everything that I'm doing correct now. I consciousness for illustration I person this caller consciousness of power that I didn't person successful the firm world.

I conscionable consciousness for illustration location are truthful galore possibilities retired location that this is only the beginning. In corporate, it felt for illustration location was benignant of a ceiling to really acold I could go, and to move up, I'd person to springiness up truthful much; I perceive astir each these VPs and C-suite level executives who don't moreover spot their kids.

With this caller benignant of portfolio career consisting of contented creation and freelancing, I person truthful overmuch much autonomy successful what I get to do. I get to take the opportunities that fulfill me, while still not dimming my income potential.

I still struggle pinch having a scarcity mindset of ever emotion for illustration I person to beryllium myself and not having enough. Maybe it's because my family wasn't rich, truthful that was thing that I had to fulfill for myself and for them, to show everybody that I could do it.

It's almost for illustration money, titles, and net were the epitome of occurrence to me. Now I recognize that there's truthful overmuch much than that.

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