Thinking back now, I believe that I took a step back from the blogging world back in 2018 so that was four years ago now. I need to be brutally honest now thinking back two things I need to share.
Well to start off I suggest visiting a previous post entitled Talk about a blast from the past. Which will give you a better insight to where I was in 2020 from 2018 where I took a step back from the crypto/blogging world, and where I am now.
So I have had this freelancing regular work since 2019 and it has been an absolute blessing, to be honest I never thought there was such a thing in the end as work you really loved to do, but there I went and found it. Typing data in excel daily, being left alone to do it, and then getting paid at the end of the week. Everything was going amazing super even though 2020 was probably the worst year for nearly all of us, when it got around September, and I got asked to go into a call, with one of my clients managers. The call went something like this.....
Manager: Hello Darren :)
Me: Hello, how are you is there a problem, (thinking i'm about to be laid off.)
Manager: No no, there is no problem, Im fine thank you for asking. You know the content manager who provides you work is leaving us in December?
Me: Yes I had heard that.
Manager: Would you be interested in covering the role as Content Manager for us until February, and we will arrange a replacement, once we can recruit again? It would be on your freelancing contract, we understand your SEO knowledge is limited but you will be trained.
Credit Pixabay
I had to take a minute to think was I being promoted in a sense? I was being given a role and a team of freelancers to look after doing the job I had been doing. I mean ok, it was not a contract or an actual job offer, but SEO knowledge was something I craved and had for a long time. I took the plunge and said yes, and besides I had plenty of time to get my flow before starting like four months.
Because two weeks later I was contacted again and asked if I could lead another team the following week, and thats where panic set in, I had never led a team, nor did I know anything hardly about the job, but even though as crazy as it seemed I still said yes.
My official take over date was October 22nd there was a lot to learn and Black Friday is the companies busiest time of the year. So I felt that I never had a second to stop, but then things went even more crazy, a week after I started the company had a massive shake up, jobs were lost people were moved and no one knew what was going on.
The next thing I new I was in a meeting with two people I never knew or had seen before, they asked me who I was, and I explained sheepishly who I was and what my position was, in the company. The meeting was very short and I just kept thinking, I wont be here much longer but did ask them to confirm if they wanted to keep me till February, or if they wanted me to return to a previous role in the hope I would not get kicked out altogether.
In the next few months being an SEO content manager, I was like a sponge, soaking in as much info as I could about Keywords, long tail keywords, backlinks, rankings, content verticals, and more. February came and went and I was still in the role, I got on well with my coworkers and we worked well as a team. Next thing it was summer time, and there was no sign of me being let go, or demoted so I was happy to continue with the role, my skills increased, I used these to produce better results.
And I am told, so this team event we want you there it will be in the Netherlands do you think you can make it? Everything was being paid for so of course I am not going to say no and thank them for the kind invitation, which they replied well we could not leave you out you are one of use now, or you will be on the first day you get there. I sat confused, while they sat smiling waiting for me to work it out, I was too afraid to see if we were on the same wavelength so one of them broke the ice.
"We want to offer you a full time contract to work with us, would you accept that?"
Now call me selfish I don't care but the first thing that entered my head is paid vacation, because as a Freelancer you can take holiday but you don't get paid. So while I could afford time off, the back of my mind had me thinking well i'm not getting paid for this though am I. I was so choked up I had to end the meeting and come back to them of course I would accept the offer.
The next few months of 2021 I ended up in Netherlands, Germany, Italy, UK and some other places, to be honest i've been having the time of my life. I still have to pinch myself from time to time. I have gotten some great perks I work from home, they paid for all my home office equipment a new laptop and monitor, ergonomic desk, everything really.
The team on our regional bonding trip. There was a lot of Vodka included.
The benefits are too many to mention, but its good to know that i'm with a company who seems rock solid, that also they care about the wellbeing of their staff also. I have been in so many jobs where even to try to get to a dentist appointment you had to jump through so many hoops to be able to do this, or taking sick and managers saying to you, when will you be back? I mean when you are sick you're sick right?
So it kind of brings me right up to date to be honest with everything that is going on right now, but why my title? To be honest I miss writing for the personal means of wanting to write, I have learned not to take this so seriously now, plus the fact I can also afford to not take this so seriously. The thing is now is what do I want to write about, which I actually have no idea currently, but its just nice to be able to put some words down and to be able to reflect back on memories.
Its good to be back writing again.
