Ever fantasize about walking into your boss’s office, handing in your two-week notice, and booking a one-way to Europe on a whim? Or maybe just email them your two-week notice because you’re probably working from home right now anyway? Me too, except I skipped the two-week notice portion…because I got fired!
Where things went horribly right
Silver linings are funny because they sure as shit don’t feel like it at the moment. That panicked feeling when my boss had HR on the phone at 7:30 am on a Monday is a feeling I’ll never forget. It still amazes me how much of a stronghold layoffs and the like have over us emotionally. Here’s the kicker; being let go from investment banking is not uncommon, but being ratted on by a firm you’re interviewing with is much rarer.
Two days after wrapping a 3-month interview process with a private equity firm where I was a final candidate, I got an out-of-the-blue call from my boss that we were parting ways. Something seemed fishy…maybe it was the fact that the week prior we were in his office discussing the roadmap to my promotion in the coming months. Maybe it was the fact that my legal broker-dealer departure forms stated I chose to leave on my terms (thanks?). But I immediately remembered the final interview at the private equity firm where one of the partners recognized the latest transaction on my resume. ”Oh you’re working with John Doe on this deal, yes we go way back he’s a good buddy of mine…didn’t you mention earlier you’re up for promotion? Why are you interviewing now?”.
It turns out that the financial world is a lot smaller than you would think, especially in a city like Los Angeles. A week or two later, I heard internally from my former colleagues that they had caught wind of my shopping around. The irony is the investment bank I worked for was only recently backed by a private equity firm looking to make cost cuts at every corner, and I just gave them a great excuse. I already hated banking at this point, and private equity was like the evil stepsisters from Cinderella, even uglier. I had been interviewing so clearly I was looking for an out. One way or another I got it…silver linings.
What now?
Okay, so you just lost your big fancy 6-figure job. You live in one of the most expensive cities on Earth, health insurance just went out the window, rent and car payments are due in three days, and you have no severance. What’s the responsible thing to do? Book a one-way to Europe, of course.
London
Did I mention my girlfriend ironically quit her job two weeks after me? I promise this wasn’t planned. We spent the next 2 months traveling around Western Europe. We started in London to see Frances Tiafoe at Wimbledon, my former doubles partner and childhood friend from junior tennis. Wimbledon is what every tennis tournament in the world aspires to be. Prices are low, seating is intimate, crowds are respectful, and the grounds are stunning. Tickets were $60, I think, for front row. We did, however, grind it out in the morning queue to get our tickets starting at 4:30 am. Jet lag helped.
Lisbon
We then took a Vueling flight (or was it Ryan Air?) to Lisbon, where I basically just ate countless pastéis de nata while roaming the city. If you don’t know what that is, shame on you. Pastéis de Belém is by far the goat. Lisbon’s beauty and vibe don’t need to be explained. It’s one of those places where you’ll turn to your partner and say, “Should we move here?”.
Sevilla
The next stop was Sevilla, where we got a month-long Airbnb. Yes, I said a month. Mind you, this was mid-July. Google average Sevilla temperature in mid-July, it’ll start with a 1. You get used to the heat, but peak heat aside, Sevilla has a magic to it. I can’t think of a more beautifully historic and preserved European city that has such modern opportunity and culture baked into one. Not to mention an incredible crossroads of culture and religion. The people are warm and welcoming, and it’s not the sort of city where you’ll see “Tourists, go home” spray-painted on walls. It’s more like “Tourists, have you tried espinacas con garbanzos? Here, come have some with us!”. If you try one place in Sevilla, have the churros and chocolate at Bar El Comercio. Trust me…
We used Sevilla as a launching pad to explore much of Andalusia (Southern Spain), including Málaga, Granada, and Cádiz. In the interest of time, I’ll save those explorations for another blog.
Key takeaways from all of this?
- First, spending euros is much more economical than spending dollars. My financial worries were softened by €2 Aperol Spritz. Jokes aside, the older I get the more I realize you can’t put a price on experience. There’s no chance I’ll regret the trip of a lifetime when I’m 80 years old, just because I spent an extra few grand than anticipated at the time. I’ll regret not having gone in the first place, that’s for sure. Traveling is often something saved for retirement, but why not take advantage of your one go around the sun and travel while you are your fittest, healthiest, best-looking self? If your excuse has the word “work” in it, I can’t help you.
- Second, there’s nothing Euro summer can’t solve. In all honesty, you will feel better 10/10 times after exploring other cultures, foods, languages, and nature. Especially when you’re having a life crisis. Sometimes it’s better to clear your head in a place where you have no preconceived notions, no experiences, or trauma for that matter. It doesn’t have to be Europe. Traveling may serve you in ways you wouldn’t imagine.
- Third, I did not have all the answers when I came back from Europe. It took me ~5 more months of trial and error to finally land on pursuing content creation further and achieving some resemblance of success. I think too many people put deadlines on themselves to have things figured out, whether it’s getting a new job, pivoting careers, or what have you. That’s unrealistic and dumb. Stay useful, put your best efforts forward, lean on family and friends as needed and it will work itself out.
- Silver linings take time. It’s ok to have what feel like moments of failure and even sit in those emotions for some time. So long as you dust yourself off and start building towards your next move.
Stay creative,
Josh Hublitz