Getting laid off at 21 was the best raise of my life.
It was October 2022.
I'd just graduated and started my first corporate job as a software engineer.
Six weeks in, I was still in "orientation" (didn't know those could run that long, but apparently they can).
Me and three other grads got pulled into a boardroom for a video call with someone from head office in Norway.
The meeting was to brief us on what progression looked like at the company.
Basically, what we'd get back for being loyal.
My salary was just over $50k, which is very good money for a new grad in the UK.
But post-tax, post-insurance, post-inflation, post-everything-else, there still wasn't much left.
About 20 minutes in, we got to the topic of promotions.
"Your salary is fixed for the first year. After that, you'll go through an annual review."
Everyone in the room nodded along, and I nodded with them.
But underneath my nodding, my gut sank.
Everything I'd gotten in life up to that point had been a direct result of what I put in.
If I worked harder at school, I got better grades.
If I put more time into my side hustles, I made more money.
And now I was being told that no matter what I did, my reward wouldn't even be looked at for a year.
Am I being too impatient?
Is this just what normal people do?
Should I ask if there are any exceptions?
Why does everyone else seem so chill about it?
Nope.
I kept my mouth shut, nodded one more time, and walked back to my desk.
1 month later they laid me off.
1 year after that I started my first agency and made $38k.
1 year after that I started my first SaaS.
10 months after that it hit $10k MRR.
3 months after that it hit $30k MRR.
Your output is a function of your inputs.
I understood that part at 21.
But what took me longer to learn is that the inputs with the most leverage aren't the hours you put in.
They're what you tolerate, who you spend your time around, and where you choose to live.
My old corporate job used to review my salary once a year.
Now I review my salary once a month.
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