Celebrating my first Headoutversary! 😳

What started as the cool start-up it seemed everyone was talking about, turned into the cool start-up I can’t stop talking about.

It's my first work anniversary (alternatively: the longest relationship of my life 😛) and I wasn't about to let it slip away without writing about it.

The past year has been a ride that's helped me evolve for the better — personally and professionally. It's challenged me, made me think, taken my all and then some more, simply because everything feels like it's worth it.

What started as a tryst as a Content Writer for the Headout website:

looked something like this 4 months in:

(Yes, I talk to myself on Slack. It's normal. 😤)

Fun fact: the screenshot I've attached isn't from a day when I was working on an uber-cool project that would change Headout's trajectory forever. It was at the end of a very normal, usual work day. 👀

Sometimes, the most ordinary days are the most special. Which is jussst about every day at Headout for me. 🙈

But getting here wasn't as smooth as you would've thought it'd be.

During my first few months at Headout, I was slow and lazy. You could even call me a pain to work with. A blog post that would've taken me a day to write, used to take me 3 — just because. It wasn't until I had a sit-down with my manager that I realised I could do a lot more and the only thing stopping me…was me.

You'd be right to think that I haven't looked back since. I've worked on Blogs, SEO projects, Social Media, Branding, Employee Engagement and then some more — and all of it is a year's work! I've helped organise hackathons, build kick-ass games like World-le, and essentially all sorts of tasks that might be outside the purview of a 'Content Writer.' This has worked because I can never do just one thing at a time. I get bored easily, and it shows. 🙈

Thankfully, I'm working at a place that lets me pick & choose the problem statements I want to work on, and I'm rarely left bored. Which is great!

Over time, my role has evolved. I'm solving more complex problem statements, scaling properties and creating a voice for Headout.

I've had the privilege to work with some of the coolest and brightest minds in the company, and to do it over a variety of functions. Every conversation I've had with the people here, has left me smarter in some sense, and I've always taken back more than I came with. I can only hope it's been the same for the people who've interacted with me. 😂

I didn't fall in love with Headout because I can choose when, where, how and what to work on. Sure, all of these are huge perks, but to me it's always been the people of Headout that make it what it is.

I've annoyed leads and managers with the stupidest questions, I've learnt from Headouters that have nothing to do with writing, and I've had memorable times with just about…everybody!

I'm feeling a tad bit emotional now that I've written all of this down, and think it might be the perfect time to stop rambling.

There's tons of people I want to thank for their faith and support, but I might just run out of words if I do that. To the people who've helped me grow (at work and outside of it): you know who you are and how grateful I am to have you in my corner. 💜

And to Headout: thank you for being my best first job. We're just getting started! ✨

Until next time,
P.