In my early twenties, fresh out of university, I was exactly where I thought I was supposed to be.

I had a good job as a software developer at Exact Software—one of the top Dutch providers of accounting solutions at the time. I was good. Not just good at coding, but good at building stuff that worked. Fast. Clean. Sometimes even ahead of what the company was ready for.

But I wasn’t a very good employee. 😊
Not in the classical sense.

Like many developers, I didn’t see much sense in 9-to-5 boundaries. Or in doing things the way they were always done, especially when there were better ways. I asked a lot of “why not?” questions. Pushed for ideas that didn’t fit the main roadmap—like a local payroll software that, I thought, would serve a real need.

They didn’t see it. Or maybe they did, but it wasn’t their priority.

Eventually, I was asked to leave.
Fired. Let go. Freed. Call it what you want.

I remember walking out of that building with my severance pay: 500 USD, and a strange sense of possibility in my chest. I didn’t feel crushed. I felt—lighter.

I had no real plan, but I had two things:

• Time.
• And nothing to lose.

In hindsight, that’s a powerful mix.
The effectuation theory people call this “affordable loss.” I just called it “why not try?”

So I did.

I took the rough version of that payroll idea, cleaned it up, rewrote it in my kitchen, talked to a few businesses, and built something lean. It wasn’t sexy. But it solved a real problem, and people paid for it. And it was built and priced for high-end customers.

Then they told others.

And from there, a small business was born. Then a bigger one.

Years later, the same man who had once fired me became my partner.
We laughed about it. Life has a way of circling back with irony and grace.

Looking back, the firing wasn’t a failure.

It was a fork in the road. One I wouldn’t have chosen—but one I needed. Sometimes what feels like an ending is just the part where the story gets interesting.

If you’re standing at your own fork—by choice or not—maybe it’s not the end of your path.
Maybe it’s the part where you start making the map.

Curious where your professional story could lead next? I work with people building new chapters. Thoughtfully, sustainably, and staying true to themselves.
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