The Messy, Honest Start of My Social Media Career

Nobody tells you what it feels like to get tired of a life you built yourself.

For more than ten years, I managed a store at a big retail chain in Indonesia. I was good at it, and I’m still grateful for everything it taught me about people, pressure, and showing up even on the days you don’t feel like it. But somewhere along the way, I got tired. Not angry, not dramatic, just tired in a way that a day off couldn’t fix.

Around then, social media marketing was suddenly everywhere. Online shops were popping up every day, and big brands filled my feed on TikTok and Instagram. I found myself watching how they did it instead of just scrolling. Who makes these designs? How do they write a caption that makes you stop? How does an idea turn into something people actually care about? I kept wondering, and the wondering didn’t go away.

I’d love to say I jumped in with confidence. I didn’t. I was in my early thirties, with no marketing background and no degree to lean on, and starting over felt like a risk I wasn’t sure I was allowed to take. What if I failed? What if it was too late? All I had was a handful of free courses on YouTube and a lot of marketing creators I watched on repeat, taking notes like it was homework. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was a start.

Then came my first client, and honestly, it was awkward. I didn’t have a contract. I didn’t have an onboarding process. I wasn’t sure how to set my rate, so I took a guess and hoped for the best. Looking back, I had so many things to figure out, and I figured them out as I went, usually a little late and a little embarrassed.

That client stayed for only one month. But that one month taught me more than any video ever did, because it was real work with a real person on the other side. It stopped being theory and became practice, and I still use a lot of what I learned then, even now.

That was two years ago. I’m still learning, and I’ve made peace with that, because I think that’s the best part of this job.

If you’re sitting where I once sat, tired of what you do and quietly curious about something new, I hope this makes it feel a little less lonely. You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need one small step you’re willing to take, and that can be enough for today.