We rush to apply for roles.
We show up to interviews.
We rehearse answers to questions like, “Why do you want to join our company?”

And let’s be honest: most candidates don’t know much about the company before the interview, and often, they don’t care.

We do the usual checklist: Founder’s name, year established, Glassdoor reviews, but deep down, we know the job title or brand name isn’t what determines our long‑term happiness.

What truly shapes your career is PEOPLE.

As one of my favorite singers says, “People help the people.”

And it’s true. Humans are wired for community. You can land the most prestigious role at the most influential company in the world and still feel disconnected, unseen, or unfulfilled.

Because when we join a new workplace, this is what we do:
We observe.
We analyze.
We read the room.

From the recruiter to HR, from the trainer to the team. We instinctively evaluate whether this environment feels like a place where we can belong.

And usually, we know the answer within the first week.

For me, this has always been the rule since my first job as a 16-year-old:
If I feel like a bystander; like I’m watching the company through a glass window instead of being part of it — I leave.

No hesitation. No guilt.

If the “honeymoon phase” doesn’t exist from day one, if the culture feels cold even during training, then it’s simply not my place. And that’s okay.
Because careers aren’t built on logos.

They’re built on PEOPLE, CONNECTIONS, and the environments that allow us to GROW.

Be warned. This is not a top 10 article, and it is not an opinionated piece on which side to choose.

No, this is simply the ramblings of a mind that has lately been on pause with its words, because it is easier to type in a prompt for Copilot that states:

“Hey, Copilot, create an article in my tone that discusses the positives and negatives of your existence in 300 words”

than it is to sit here at my desk at 18:28 (that is 06:00 PM, for all of your normal people out there) and gush out words of thoughts that have been circulating my brain since my ears first heard the words “Artificial Intelligence”.

As is the case with every piece of new technology, we are faced with the moral dilemma of how to use it, its pros and cons.

Needless to say, I’m not the first one to speak about the two-edged sword that is Generative AI, and I will not be the last.

My work often offers me opportunities of collaborating and hiring creatives, from copywriters, content writers, graphic designers, to videographers and video editors.

One could argue that using AI for creative writing generally lowers the quality and authenticity of the creative piece, while some could say that it is a tool to brainstorm ideas and simply have another voice to discuss the topics with you, and provide you with better arguments, better rhymes and accurate dialect-nuanced phrases.

On one hand, to be able to witness the progress and change AI has brought about to the managerial and operational world, such as the work I do of task creation and tracking, drafting emails, working with sheets and docs, and be able to automate what used to take hours to do, into a task that takes only a maximum of 30 minutes with the help of AI is an undeniable truth, and a huge benefit in optimizing time-consuming tasks, and improving productivity.

Yet, on the other hand, how do you think it affects creativity?

A portion of my workday includes reading, approving and giving feedback on creative work, especially copy and scripts. What used to require an active brain, is now prompted, iterated and perfected alongside the “perfect brain”. I could spot AI-assisted written pieces a mile away, and while it grates me, I have not yet pinpointed the exact reason why it lacks flavor.

Is it because we are inherently egotistical and think highly of our own creations?

Or is it because my own artistic nose can sniff out the inauthenticity?

Or-or, is it because we are simply resistant to change?

The ocean calls for me. He wonders why I haven’t visited for so long. He misses my stories and my gentle songs.

I dream of him day and night between the sunrises, and after the clocks hit midnight. He carries me far, with the promise of sending me back every time. Many fear his wrath, many fear his deadly temperament. To me, he is home; the only place I have felt serenity and safety. The world beside him is quiet; it is calm.

My friend is always there to carry my burdens with me. I have yet to meet such a kind listener amongst the masses of men. He listens and accepts. devoid of judgment, he embraces all with no prejudice.

Dear friend, I –as much as you do– long to meet you again. It has been what seems an eternity since the last time I heard your soothing lullaby. I wish to relive the sensation of being lifted by you and glide to worlds I’ve never visited, and worlds I will visit once more.

Remember these words:

hurricanes, typhoons or monsoons

I will fly to you soon

no matter how long it will take

or the sacrifices I have to make

even if all is at stake

this promise

my dearest friend

I will never break.

O.I.