The beginnings
At 37, Audrey* has never counted her hours. After a business school and an MBA in marketing and advertising, then stays in Great Britain, the young woman returned to Paris (isn’t it the center of the world?), determined to do battle with the professional world. . “I worked a lot. Commercial in events, I was poorly paid at 22,000 euros gross per year. I was 27 and the world was in front of me. After 5 years, I earned nearly 38,000 euros gross per year with bonuses”.
That is to say if she was not reluctant to work in a box that took but rarely gave.
Management was not listening. It ended when I requested 2 days off to attend a personal event and management refused for no reason. I was toiling away without return. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I quickly organized my departure. I left my employer on Tuesday evening to hire elsewhere the next day.
Audrey*
A second lemon squeezer employer and a first child
The salary was substantial: 39,000 euros gross per year and annual bonuses of around 8,000 euros. The episode ran for three seasons. The time (from 2016 to 2019) to have a child and work like crazy.
I cried while sleeping and I slept while crying.
“I added up the mental burden of a newborn and the vagaries of an employer whose mentality did not suit me. One evening, following a minor argument with my husband, I started to cry. It continued the next day. I cried while sleeping and I slept while crying. I could no longer put my foot on the ground. Everything was painful. I thought I had contracted cancer. I went to see a doctor. I only wanted him to stop me for a short time. I started working again. I could no longer write an email. I was paralyzed. My boss told me to rest as long as necessary. I could not afford this delay. What would I do if, when I came back, it started again? I decided to leave my employer via a mutual agreement. To leave with nothing, to flee, to receive unemployment. And let it happen quickly.”
A year of burnout followed by a rebound, finally
It lasted a year of deep loneliness. She left Paris. Then, very slowly, Audrey regained her strength. She started looking for a job with meaning. She multiplied the contacts at Pôle emploi to measure that the jobs of ecology were rather looking for engineers and that those of real estate led to extended hours and a very variable remuneration…
I decided to put everything down, to reflect. My burnout was ultimately lifesaving. I would never have stopped without it. I wrote a list of my desires and of what I never wanted to experience again. On the one hand, I wanted to keep customer relations (exciting), to be able to pick up my child from school (essential). On the other hand, I didn’t want any more commercial pressure (dangerous), nor extended hours that I never catch up with (unbearable).
Training as a vital impetus
I also had many job interviews. I took courses. I could have worked in my sector without training. But it allowed me to understand the challenges of my new job. Then I visited a fair promoting digital professions for women. I who am not techno, I found myself there. I got an education at Rocket school. I was thrilled: a consulting business without commercial pressure. The course lasted 3 months then I did an internship, all financed by my unemployment benefits.
The installation 200km from Paris
In October 2021, Audrey was recruited by her current employer. Audrey is now account manager in digital. In abstruse globish, this is stated as “customer experience manager”. “I receive 42,000 euros gross per year and a variable that is around 3,000 euros in 6 months of activity”.
No commercial pressure, constant help to customers.
“The goal of my job is to do everything possible to get them to re-subscribe”. A job that allows you to pick up your child at 6 p.m. Happiness.
“I live 200 km from Ile-de-France. Far from the nuisances. I return to Paris 2 days a week. My employer is benevolent and finances my weekly hotel room and train transport. For my child, this is ideal. For my couple too. Admittedly, we do not see each other during the week but we meet on weekends. The game is worth it, for me, the candle. How do I see myself in 2025? Never again in Paris. Always in my box that respects me and makes my life easier, in a job with even more responsibility. »
“Do like me but change faster”
“In 10 years, I see myself living not far from the sea or the mountains with a second child and why not abroad. No one believed in me when I suffered this burnout. My relatives considered it a vacation. Everyone advised me not to train, to change function, sector and region at the same time… Yet, I did it. And my change of direction is a real success. I am now cited as an example. I earn more than before my illness even though I don’t have a year’s seniority. It is a total success. Do like me but change faster. I saw myself slipped, seeing the burn-out arrived, but thinking that everything was going to be back to normal. You have to have the guts to change everything before you crack…”.
*Audrey’s name is not Audrey. She preferred to testify anonymously. The names of its companies and regions have also been changed at its request.