Trust your vibes – the bold choices of Shazeena

Not everyone thrives on convention, and then there’s Shazeena – a new hire at CXC who seems to make her own rules as she goes. While most of her peers were earning popular Salesforce certifications to secure stable, in-demand roles, Shazeena took a sharp left turn and pursued the Certina certificate. Niche? Yes. Risky? Absolutely. Worth it? For Shazeena, it wasn’t even a question.

“I trust my vibe,” she says with a smile that suggests she’s always known who she is and what she wants. And really, that’s what makes her story so compelling – the confidence to lean into what feels right, even when it’s not the obvious choice.

A leap into the unknown

Let’s face it: betting on a niche skill isn’t for the faint of heart. After earning her Certina certification, Shazeena found herself in the wilderness of job hunting. Unlike Salesforce, which seemed to have endless opportunities posted online, Certina’s niche meant slim pickings. Some weeks, there were only 20 job listings globally. Others? None at all.

And the competition? Fierce doesn’t even begin to cover it. For one particular role, five different headhunters contacted her about the same job. It was a tough market, and many might have second-guessed their choices. Not Shazeena.

“I didn’t stop to calculate everything,” she admits. “I figured I could always go back to Salesforce if I needed to.” But if you’ve been paying attention, you know she never planned to. For her, it wasn’t just about skills or market trends; it was about staying true to herself and trusting her intuition, no matter the outcome.

Defying norms with every step

This wasn’t Shazeena’s first brush with unconventional choices. During the pandemic, when traditional education was flipped on its head, many opted for full-time online MBAs, hoping to wait out the chaos and emerge with a shiny degree. Shazeena took a different route. She chose distance learning, balancing her coursework alongside her job. “The courses were online anyway, so why not keep working and learning at the same time?” she explains, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

Her career journey began much the same way – not through a perfectly polished CV or a long interview process, but through a spontaneous conversation with a company founder. That chat led to her first role, which, true to form, was remote. While many struggled to adjust to the remote work revolution brought on by COVID, Shazeena thrived. She embraced it immediately, finding freedom and joy in the flexibility. “I’ve always loved the idea of working from anywhere,” she says. “COVID just made it official.”

Why bold decisions matter

Shazeena’s story is a reminder for us to trust ourselves, even when the odds seem stacked against us. It’s about recognising that the conventional route isn’t the only one, and sometimes, the road less travelled is where you’ll find your true path.
The risks she took weren’t calculated moves with guaranteed outcomes. They were gut decisions, driven by her belief in what felt right. And yes, the journey came with challenges – months of few opportunities and intense competition – but she never let that deter her.

“I’m Shazeena,” she says, her words simple but powerful. “I can’t help but be myself.”

Success isn’t always about following the most popular route. Sometimes, it’s about carving out your own path, trusting your instincts, and embracing the uncertainty that comes with it. There is no one-fit-for-all rule. If we aren't the same as others, why should our decisions be the same as theirs or influenced by them?

Shazeena did just that – and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

At Out of Office by CXC, we believe stories like Shazeena’s remind us that career success isn’t about following a set blueprint—it’s about embracing individuality, taking bold risks, and staying true to what drives us. Her journey proves that unconventional choices can lead to extraordinary opportunities, and that trusting yourself is the ultimate competitive advantage in today’s ever-evolving world of work.