Things Will Go Terribly, Horribly Wrong. Or Maybe Not

Even though it's not what I do, I’d like to call myself a "data analyst".
Why? Because I analyze everything, especially things that don’t need analyzing. Like, say... a message with no reply.

Let me tell you a story. And before we go any further: yes, this actually happened. At the time, I was absolutely convinced I was in trouble.

It’s exhausting—living with a brain that turns every quiet moment into a crisis. And yeah, I’ll admit it: sometimes I hate how wired I am for panic. But here we are.

_.....

It was around three years ago. I had a big career transition as I left my usual comfort zone—content writing—for something new: User Experience Writer (UX Writer).

It’s not wildly different from what I’d done before.
The foundation is still writing.
But here’s the catch: content writing is about convincing, educating, and maybe even entertaining readers.
UX writing? That’s a different beast.
It’s about guiding. Retaining. Making the experience feel so smooth that users don’t even realize they’re being written to.

If we do our job right, people don’t notice the words, we just make them trust us, stay with us, and choose our service over the competition’s.

You get the idea, right?

_.....

As you know, change is difficult—especially a career change.
And this time was no different.

It wasn’t just that I was switching from content writing to UX.
I also had to start communicating with my boss in English.

Now, it had been years since I spoke English to another human being (except objects—I speak English to inanimate things around me every day).

English isn’t our native language, and our culture is not quite the same, despite both of us being Asian.

We were both perfectionists.
But again—similar, not the same.
He was the evolved kind of perfectionist: the type who could take its good traits into high standards and growth.
Me? I was a mess.
I’d shake my head at every mistake I made, mentally kick myself for hours.
Eventually, I annoyed him so much that he flat-out told me I had to let things go. That I needed to learn to let something go and my constant self-correcting was getting in the way.

So, yeah—the relationship wasn’t exactly… pleasant.
Or at least, that’s what I thought.

_.....

My probation evaluation was right around the corner.
Every day before clocking out, we’d have a quick fifteen-minute stand-up—a daily catch-up about projects, feedback, or how I was settling into the role.

Looking back now, I was actually doing a great job.
My final evaluation? “Exceeds expectations.”

But I didn’t know that yet.
And that’s where the funny story begins.
It’s the kind of story you tell your friends to make them laugh. You know...once the panic wears off.

Oh, how I wish I could go back in time and see myself in person. I would have definitely suffocated myself with all the laughter.

_....

My boss texted me in the morning asking for my availability and if I had time to talk, to which I responded right away that I did have some time after lunch. I knew what the conversation would be about—the evaluation.

But my boss went radio silent and did not reply at all in the morning, and I saw him in the CFO office looking visibly stressed. It looked like they talked about something serious. And that was when my mind began to wonder.

Were they talking about me?

_.....

Remember when I told you I was a data analyst (sort of, figuratively)? Well, I began to analyze everything. Every. Damn. Thing. All the possibilities that, "I'm free after lunch" could have any more meanings. Did I come across as arrogant? Was I being too confident?

I re-read that text a hundred times trying to see if my tone was wrong, and that it upset my boss so much they thought about letting me go. Hence, his presence in the CFO office.

I was overthinking so much that I went to unsend that text message and noticed myself going over the water machine (because it was near the CFO's office) trying to see if he was still in the office. Now he was gone. I was relieved.

Only to find out he was now in a meeting with HR.

Oh boy, oh boy...

_....

The meeting lasted only a few minutes and he was now back at his desk shaking his hand and asked me if I would like a cup of coffee and that I could talk now.

I knew where this was going.

This was the kind of moment where you were about to get fired.

_.....

In the elevator, before he even said anything, I took the liberty of speaking first. I asked him if he was going to fire me. And that was when he raised his eyebrow and gave me the "are you serious, man?" type of look.

At the cafe, he was explaining that the conversation he had with CFO and HR was, in fact, about me (although He didn’t know I’d been lurking around the water machine like a nervous intern-slash-detective and that I was investigating a bit). He sighed and paused for a few seconds. That was one of the longest five seconds in my life.

It turned out he graded my performance as "exceeds expectations" and that he was asking the management if I could possibly be promoted to a senior position, or any client-facing role and that he thought I was ready to embark on the next step.

I was glad, relieved, and feeling stupid. All at the same time.

_....

And there I was. Sweating over a harmless text message while he was out there fighting for the growth of my career behind closed doors.

So, yes. Sometimes, things do go terribly, horribly wrong.
Other times? Your boss just wants to buy you coffee and reassure you that you're doing great and that he'd like you to keep up the good work.

_.....

And maybe next time I get a text from my boss, I will wait at least two or three seconds before assuming I'm about to get fired.

But you know me...no promises.

_.....

If you like the story I told and would like to buy me a cup of coffee (like my boss did), you can do it here.
https://buymeacoffee.com/mattpiwawattanapanith

😄