You stare at the screen. Day 1 at the new company and it's already the exact same nightmare.
You close your laptop.
You send one email: "After careful consideration, I've decided this role isn't the right fit. I'm withdrawing effective immediately. Thank you for the opportunity."
HR calls, confused. "But you haven't even started!"
"Exactly," you say.
You spend two weeks decompressing. You sleep. You read books that aren't about Agile methodologies. You remember what sunlight feels like.
You apply to different jobs. Not "Strategic PM" or "Transformation Lead" positions. Real jobs. A project coordinator role at a library. An operations manager at a small non-profit. Work that has meaning beyond quarterly earnings.
You take a 40% pay cut. Your new job has reasonable hours, clear objectives, and a boss who says "thank you" when you do good work.
No impossible timelines. No Agile theater. No executives promising clients things that don't exist yet.
Your stress levels drop. You start sleeping through the night. You remember what it feels like to enjoy your work.
Sometimes you see LinkedIn posts from your old industry. "Excited to announce our digital transformation journey!" Someone you used to work with is now a VP of Innovation.
You close LinkedIn and go back to your actual life.
You escaped.