“I earn much less than in IT, but I live more peacefully.” Emigration due to war, dismissal and work as a salesperson: a personal story of the transition from IT to psychology

The rise and fall of the IT world

Olga's journey in high-tech began as a technical writer at a large company. Later, she realized that this job did not have significant prospects for professional growth and salary increases, and decided to develop in the development direction.

Initially, the IT field attracted her with its interest, constant growth and training, and high salaries. Olga is proud of the period when she worked on food projects, in particular, developing an online store and an application for catering establishments.

However, what was attractive at the start later began to exhaust me. The need to "constantly grow and develop" eventually led to fatigue. Thoughts of leaving the field appeared periodically.

The cardinal decision was made not of his own free will, but due to a tragic coincidence of circumstances.

"Everything changed with the start of the war and emigration. I was left alone with a child in a foreign country and simply couldn't cope with all the workload. And then I was fired," the former AIT worker shares her experience.

The paradox of financial stability

The hardest and scariest moment for Olga was being left without a job in another country in a rented apartment. The woman admits that sometimes there was literally not enough money for food, and she had to ask for help, which she received from her family and friends.

It is because of the financial instability on her new path that Olga has to combine her psychotherapy practice with other part-time jobs to support herself. She worked as an administrator in beauty salons, and now she is a salesperson in a clothing store.

Although Olga now earns significantly less than in IT, she claims to feel great. Olga quickly adapted to lower incomes, learned to plan a budget, and even allow herself small pleasures.

"Surprisingly, I adapted to lower incomes quite quickly, learned to allocate money so that it would last until the end of the month, and even allowed myself small pleasures like my favorite coffee, sports, and dancing," the heroine noted.

Of course, she had to give up a lot of things, for example, traveling is now beyond her reach. But the loss of a high income brought an unexpected positive.

"I had a lot of free time, I finally managed to slow down and notice that there is life around me," said Olga.

A new calling

The decision to retrain as a psychologist was made back in 2018, solely for personal reasons. At that time, Olga was going through a difficult period and had been a client of a psychologist for five years. She received her education by studying at the first and second levels of the Gestalt approach, as well as at the MAUP.

What Olga most enjoys about her new job is the lack of intellectual stress that is necessary after burnout. She wanted to find a part-time job where she could “do something automatically, without thinking.” In addition, working among people helps combat loneliness.

"When you sit and work at home alone, and in the evening you have nowhere to go and no one to talk to, because you are alone in another country, it is very, very depressing. Now I have colleagues around, some of them are also refugees, and this supports me a lot. I no longer feel as lonely as before," said Olga.

Her experience in IT helps Olga better understand her current clients. She knows what burnout is like at work and has no illusions about the “ideal IT bubble.” Olga said she already has IT clients who are mostly in search of themselves, have relationship difficulties, and suffer from anxiety.

Although she sometimes has a desire to "fiddle with the code again," it quickly passes. Most of all, Olga misses only the previous standard of living.

Tips and plans

The heroine notes that certain difficulties arise due to financial instability, when the number of clients changes dramatically from month to month. This makes it difficult to plan expenses, however, despite these organizational challenges, she has no doubts about her professional choice to become a psychotherapist.

"I see meaning in this for myself and I want to do it. It's much more mine than IT," Olga concludes.

For those who are afraid of changing their field of activity and losing stability, Olga advises: "Do it gradually, don't cut off all the ends at once, because development in any new field takes time."

Olga Chirkova plans to develop in the Ukrainian psychology market and dreams of returning to Ukraine after the war ends.

Read the country's main IT news in our Telegram

On the topic

Read the country's main IT news in our Telegram

“I no longer felt any sense.” The story of a designer who left a high-paying IT job for nutrition and is now self-employed

On the topic

“I no longer felt any sense.” The story of a designer who left a high-paying IT job for nutrition and is now self-employed

"I was covered after three months of searching." How a June IT girl made her way to an offer in IT through depression, constant attacks, and trashy interviews

On the topic

"I was covered after three months of searching." How a June IT girl made her way to an offer in IT through depression, constant attacks, and trashy interviews

“I lost the thrill of what used to be so inspiring.” The story of an iOS developer who left an IT startup to create his own apps and a family brand of scented candles

On the topic

“I lost the thrill of what used to be so inspiring.” The story of an iOS developer who left an IT startup to create his own apps and a family brand of scented candles