Hi there! I’m Alexandra, Recruitment Marketing Specialist at Yardi Romania, and I’m back with a new blog article.
When we talk about career growth, we often imagine changing companies, starting over, or taking a leap into the unknown. But sometimes, the biggest changes can happen without ever leaving the place where you started.
Ana, Vlad & Călin are three of my colleagues who took different paths. One followed a lifelong passion, one turned a hobby into a career, and one took a chance on an opportunity at exactly the wrong time. Let’s discover their stories together!
What if your dream job is closer than you think?
Ana: From Research to Creative Writing
When Ana joined Yardi in 2019, she was still trying to figure out what she wanted from life. She was studying at the University of Letters and considering very different futures for herself. Maybe a PhD. Maybe teaching. Maybe something else entirely.
At the time, becoming a writer felt more like a dream than a realistic career plan. Then, a few months into her role as a Market Researcher, she discovered the Marketing department. She learned there were people whose job was to write. Suddenly, a possibility she had never seriously considered started feeling real. So, when an internal mobility opportunity appeared, she decided to take her shot.
The funny part? She applied before telling her Process Leader (sometimes the excitement just gets the better of you). But despite the surprise, he was incredibly supportive throughout the entire transition process.
The difficult part came later. Getting the role should have felt like a victory. Instead, Ana found herself overwhelmed with emotion:„I remember crying on the phone with my mom after I got the okay for the new position.”
Not because she regretted the decision, but because she loved her initial team. She had built friendships, routines, and a sense of belonging. Leaving all of that behind felt much harder than she expected. But she trusted herself, and that decision changed everything.
Years later, after another internal mobility move and countless hours spent learning marketing, copywriting, SEO, and product knowledge, Ana is now a Creative Writer. When she talks about her career today, there is a simple sentence that captures the entire journey:
I am a writer like I always wanted to be.
Aha! moment #1:
Your dream career might already be closer than you think. Sometimes, all it takes is discovering the right opportunity and giving yourself permission to pursue it.
Can a hobby become a profession? 
Vlad: From Customer Support to IT
When Vlad joined Yardi in 2015, he wasn’t searching for a career in technology. In fact, before joining the company, he worked in retail and sales. He was simply looking for a change and a role that would be less physically demanding. That’s how he ended up joining the Call Center as a Customer Care Representative.
What he didn’t know was that a conversation during his very first month would completely change the direction of his career. The colleague who had tested his language skills during the interview process happened to work in IT. The two started talking. One conversation turned into many. And the more Vlad learned about what working in corporate IT actually meant, the more intrigued he became.
Technology wasn’t new to him. Growing up, computers and electronics had always been two of his biggest interests. The difference was that, until then, he had only seen them as a hobby. For the first time, he started asking himself: „What if I could actually do this for a living?”
The answer didn’t come overnight. Over the next three years, Vlad took on different roles, built new skills, and learned how to navigate an entirely new professional environment. By 2018, he had successfully transitioned into the IT team. Today, he works as a Senior IT Helpdesk Technician. And when he looks back at the decision to take a chance on himself?
No regrets. This I can tell you.
Aha! moment #2:
Your future career doesn’t have to match exactly your past experience. Sometimes the things you enjoy doing outside of work can become the opportunities that change your life.
What if one decision changed everything?
Calin: From Market Analysis to Marketing Leadership
When Călin joined Yardi in 2017, he was balancing two worlds. By day, he worked as a Real Estate Market Analyst. Outside of work, he was studying Advertising and becoming increasingly fascinated by the world of digital marketing.
The more he learned, the more he started wondering: „What if I gave marketing a chance?”
But curiosity and confidence are not the same thing. Like many people considering a career change, he wasn’t sure whether he had the right skills or enough experience. Instead of letting that stop him, he prepared. He spoke with people already working in the field, learned what the role involved, and invested time in understanding the industry before applying.
Eventually, in March 2020, he decided to take a chance on himself. And it paid off.
Then, just two weeks after joining the REACH by RentCafe marketing team, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. The office emptied. The world slowed down. And suddenly, instead of learning a completely new role surrounded by new colleagues, he was trying to build relationships, develop new skills, and adapt to an unfamiliar job from behind a screen.
It wasn’t the start he had imagined. There were moments of uncertainty. Moments when everything felt more difficult than expected. But he kept learning, adapting, and moving forward. And in the end, it was worth it.
What began as an interest in digital marketing grew into a long-term career. Two years later, he moved from Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC) to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), continued developing new skills, took on greater responsibilities, and eventually stepped into a leadership role.
Today, he leads a large team of SEO and PPC specialists.
Aha! Moment #3:
You don’t need perfect timing to make a career move. Sometimes growth happens during the most uncertain moments. And those experiences end up shaping you the most.
The takeaway, please?
Ana, Vlad, and Călin followed quite different paths. None of them knew exactly where the journey would lead when they took that first step. They simply saw an opportunity, followed an interest, and decided to see where it could take them.
What they discovered along the way was more than a new role, it was a career path they genuinely enjoyed. And that’s often how growth happens: not through grand plans, but through small decisions that gradually change the direction of your career.
So, I leave you with a question:
If an opportunity appeared tomorrow, would you be willing to take a chance on yourself?
If your answer is yes, why not explore what opportunities are waiting for you today? Discover our open positions and find the opportunity that could change the direction of your career.
