I want to reflect, personally, on my situation and my work environment. Nothing that follows is made up, and I ask those who read this not to approach it with the perception of someone who is merely complaining, but rather as someone who feels alone, professionally speaking, and is seeking engagement with others who have been in the same situation.

Let’s start here: I truly consider myself fortunate. And by "fortunate" I don’t mean in the usual sense of the word, because the luck that has accompanied me has never been a matter of chance (or in various cases, fortunate). Rather, it is the result of deliberate and reasoned choices. To simplify, I'll use the saying, “He knew how to catch the train when it passed by.” Perhaps, likely, but I was waiting at the station for that train, ticket already in hand.

I began working very young, earlier than many of my peers. It’s been 8 years since I started working full-time, but in reality, if I count the odd jobs I did before I registered my own business, I have over 13 years of experience. I have always chosen the path of self-employment. I was afraid of confining myself to an office to repeat the same tasks every day and fall into monotony. I have always preferred the adventure of entrepreneurship to the security of a permanent job, but back then, between the ages of 15 and 16, I also knew I didn’t have the skills to start something of my own.

The skills arrived over time: I started with video editing, learned digital visual effects (VFX), and specialized in photography in various sectors. From there, I explored video-making, embracing the production and post-production of multimedia content. This was my springboard, opening up various paths and offering new opportunities year after year.

My propensity for scientific subjects led me to earn a degree with a combination of humanities and computer studies. I studied programming, computational linguistics (those AIs that are so trendy today), but also Latin, language, and art history. These studies opened doors for me in various fields, building a solid foundation in programming, while also cultivating my natural inclination towards the humanities, becoming a bridge between the technical side and the end-users of services. Thus, I was able to expand well beyond the world of photography and video.

Over time, I took on various roles: event, print, and product photographer; video editor; director; production technician. I explored social media, becoming a YouTuber and then a Creator on Instagram, with pages reaching millions of followers. I also experimented with Twitch, becoming affiliated in just a few months, and worked on brand identity for companies and individuals.

I directed a creative agency for 3 years, saving it from bankruptcy and developing new business lines. I also participated in national and European tenders, and set up photographic and sculptural exhibitions.

I even designed a few prototypes, later realized, as a “product designer” together with F1 and MotoGP engineers and major multinational corporations in the food & beverage sector, with whom I developed an edible printer. I also received a few titles, like in 2018, when I was an ambassador for Universal Picture and had the pleasure of collaborating with industry giants like Disney, Sony, and BMW.

To diversify, I piloted drones for aerial filming, which to this day are jealously guarded as “precious university material,” in 2016 and 2017. And I was part of an editorial publication related to the world of the Holocaust, where I had the pleasure and honor of collaborating and interviewing various witnesses who shared their stories, like Sen. Segre and her travel companion Goti Bauer.

Lastly, to touch on almost all areas but without writing the entire story of my life, I also explored the world of education, where I held several workshops in the past on topics like videomaking, the creative process, the virtual reality of the “Metaverse,” and the role of Web3 in marketing and industrial development. And I held a leased professorship at a university for 2 and a half years, where I taught a course on digital post-production, particularly in video, based on beginner and advanced After Effects.

However, despite this variety of experiences, I find myself facing a constant challenge: the difficulty of having something of my own and focusing on a single field without excluding lateral opportunities. This openness has often led to me being seen as an endlessly exploitable resource. Whenever I try to strengthen relationships within a work environment, I end up being drawn into power games that I thoroughly dislike.

My response to these situations has always been the same: I leave. This attitude has labeled me "the traitor" in the eyes of managers and a coward in those of middle managers or colleagues, who on more than one occasion have urged me to “fight” to achieve more and stay. But I prefer to maintain my integrity rather than trying to convince people who do not respect my ethics.

So, here I am, reflecting on my future as often happens. Despite the difficulties, I do not want to give up on collaboration; I firmly believe that joining forces is much more productive than working alone.

Who knows what the future holds for me, whether I will become a person greedy for money, at the expense of ethics and dreams, or if I will continue to jump from company to company until I inevitably start something of my own, alone.

What would you do in my place?

Thank you for reading this far.

I want to reflect, personally, on my situation and my work environment. Nothing that follows is made up, and I ask those who read this not to approach it with the perception of someone who is merely complaining, but rather as someone who feels alone, professionally speaking, and is seeking engagement with others who have been in the same situation.

Let’s start here: I truly consider myself fortunate. And by "fortunate" I don’t mean in the usual sense of the word, because the luck that has accompanied me has never been a matter of chance (or in various cases, fortunate). Rather, it is the result of deliberate and reasoned choices. To simplify, I'll use the saying, “He knew how to catch the train when it passed by.” Perhaps, likely, but I was waiting at the station for that train, ticket already in hand.

I began working very young, earlier than many of my peers. It’s been 8 years since I started working full-time, but in reality, if I count the odd jobs I did before I registered my own business, I have over 13 years of experience. I have always chosen the path of self-employment. I was afraid of confining myself to an office to repeat the same tasks every day and fall into monotony. I have always preferred the adventure of entrepreneurship to the security of a permanent job, but back then, between the ages of 15 and 16, I also knew I didn’t have the skills to start something of my own.

The skills arrived over time: I started with video editing, learned digital visual effects (VFX), and specialized in photography in various sectors. From there, I explored video-making, embracing the production and post-production of multimedia content. This was my springboard, opening up various paths and offering new opportunities year after year.

My propensity for scientific subjects led me to earn a degree with a combination of humanities and computer studies. I studied programming, computational linguistics (those AIs that are so trendy today), but also Latin, language, and art history. These studies opened doors for me in various fields, building a solid foundation in programming, while also cultivating my natural inclination towards the humanities, becoming a bridge between the technical side and the end-users of services. Thus, I was able to expand well beyond the world of photography and video.

Over time, I took on various roles: event, print, and product photographer; video editor; director; production technician. I explored social media, becoming a YouTuber and then a Creator on Instagram, with pages reaching millions of followers. I also experimented with Twitch, becoming affiliated in just a few months, and worked on brand identity for companies and individuals.

I directed a creative agency for 3 years, saving it from bankruptcy and developing new business lines. I also participated in national and European tenders, and set up photographic and sculptural exhibitions.

I even designed a few prototypes, later realized, as a “product designer” together with F1 and MotoGP engineers and major multinational corporations in the food & beverage sector, with whom I developed an edible printer. I also received a few titles, like in 2018, when I was an ambassador for Universal Picture and had the pleasure of collaborating with industry giants like Disney, Sony, and BMW.

To diversify, I piloted drones for aerial filming, which to this day are jealously guarded as “precious university material,” in 2016 and 2017. And I was part of an editorial publication related to the world of the Holocaust, where I had the pleasure and honor of collaborating and interviewing various witnesses who shared their stories, like Sen. Segre and her travel companion Goti Bauer.

Lastly, to touch on almost all areas but without writing the entire story of my life, I also explored the world of education, where I held several workshops in the past on topics like videomaking, the creative process, the virtual reality of the “Metaverse,” and the role of Web3 in marketing and industrial development. And I held a leased professorship at a university for 2 and a half years, where I taught a course on digital post-production, particularly in video, based on beginner and advanced After Effects.

However, despite this variety of experiences, I find myself facing a constant challenge: the difficulty of having something of my own and focusing on a single field without excluding lateral opportunities. This openness has often led to me being seen as an endlessly exploitable resource. Whenever I try to strengthen relationships within a work environment, I end up being drawn into power games that I thoroughly dislike.

My response to these situations has always been the same: I leave. This attitude has labeled me "the traitor" in the eyes of managers and a coward in those of middle managers or colleagues, who on more than one occasion have urged me to “fight” to achieve more and stay. But I prefer to maintain my integrity rather than trying to convince people who do not respect my ethics.

So, here I am, reflecting on my future as often happens. Despite the difficulties, I do not want to give up on collaboration; I firmly believe that joining forces is much more productive than working alone.

Who knows what the future holds for me, whether I will become a person greedy for money, at the expense of ethics and dreams, or if I will continue to jump from company to company until I inevitably start something of my own, alone.

What would you do in my place?

Thank you for reading this far.