After receiving the unexpected news that this chapter in her career was closing, the only promise Amy made to herself was that she would show up for herself every day until the day her badge no longer worked. This is what she looked like the very next day, immediately after receiving the news.
在得知这一突如其来的变动后，Amy 对自己许下的唯一承诺，就是在工牌失效之前的每一天，都要穿得漂漂亮亮。这张照片拍摄于她得知自己不得不与工作了8年的地方告别的第二天。
After returning from Beijing following her wedding, Amy closed an eight-year chapter in her first long-term, formal role—one she entered in her early twenties and grew within, advancing across levels as her skills and responsibilities expanded.
It wasn’t her only job, but it was the first place where a career truly took shape. In a fast-moving world where longevity is rare, staying and growing within one institution for that long created both depth and attachment. Having to leave on immediate notice forced an unplanned pause. For the first time, Amy took a clear-eyed look at her professional journey—what she built, what she learned, and what she postponed in exchange for continuity.
What emerged wasn’t a lack of options, but an abundance of them.
With constraints lifted and priorities reshuffled, she found herself ready to pursue work aligned with her values rather than driven by past momentum. The transition was destabilizing and humbling, marked by self-doubt and the quiet disappearance of people she once assumed would stay. But it also clarified who showed up, how tightly identity can be bound to role and institution, and how short-term security can quietly limit long-term growth.
Looking back, Amy is deeply grateful for what those eight years gave her—and equally clear that leaving was necessary. This wasn’t an ending so much as a redirection to a path she might have taken earlier, had timing and perspective aligned. Youth may be wasted on the young, but clarity comes later. Now, she’s choosing deliberately how to live and work.
婚礼结束、从北京返回之后，Amy 被迫和自己第一份正式的工作告了别。那是一份她二十出头就开始干的工作。在这份工作的见证下她收获了成长，也锻炼了能力。过去的八年时光或许漫长，但是告别却来得措手不及。
这并不是Amy唯一的一份工作，但这里是她“职业生涯”真正成形的地方。在一个高速变化、长期投入愈发稀缺的时代，在同一机构中持续成长，既带来了人脉和技能的积累，也让Amy产生了依赖感。而一次突如其来的辞退，迫使她按下暂停键。她第一次如此清晰地回顾自己的职业路径：她建立了一个什么样的办公室、她从这个过程中学到了什么，以及，为了想象中的稳定，她搁置了哪些可能。
当外在限制被解除、人生优先级被重新排列，Amy发现自己终于准备好去选择那些真正与她价值观契合的工作，而不再被过往的惯性所推动。这段转型过程充满不安，也令人谦卑：自我怀疑悄然出现，一些原本以为会留下的人突然消失。但同时，这些变化也让Amy看清了谁是真正的朋友、自我认同到底是否该绑定于职位与机构之上，以及短期安全感是如何在不知不觉中限制长期成长的。
回头看，Amy 对这八年所带来的一切心怀感激，也同样笃定：离开是必要的。这不是终点，而是一条也许早该走上的分岔路——只是现在，时间与视角终于对齐了。青春或许常被浪费在年轻人的身上，但清醒早晚有一天会到来。而此刻，她终于安心地开始有意识地选择如何生活。
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