Silvia's story: trading corporate despair for continental delight

Silvia was sick of the corporate world and decided she needed something new. We follow her story around the world.
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After moving to London in 2010, Silvia found herself stuck in a corporate job which was ruining both her happiness and health. She left this behind only to find herself in a job which just didn’t quite inspire her. A career change certainly seemed like a pipe dream, but it was time to escape corporate work.

Bored, and not knowing how to escape, she went on to join the Escape The City Career Change Accelerator in 2016. Since completing the Accelerator, she has travelled around the world leading a work and travel programme, and has developed her personal skills and confidence. She’s now based in a fulfilling job in sunny Spain.

We caught up with Silvia to hear about her experience in more detail, the lessons she’s learnt, and what she’s up to now.

What was life like before the Escape programme?

Before Escape, I had been living in London since 2010 (I’m originally from Italy). I joined the Career Change Accelerator after having worked for 3.5 years in a very corporate and toxic environment, which led me to a breaking point where I had to take sick leave and eventually quit.

I joined Escape The City a couple of years after that. At that time I was working in marketing for a private university in central London. I didn’t hate the job, but I took it as it was easy, low stress and paid the bills. I felt bored, and completely stuck!

Where has your journey taken you since 2016? 

In the last 4 years my life has completely changed. After the Accelerator I applied for what I literally thought was a job that was too good to be true… and I got it! So at the end of 2016, I sold all my stuff, packed my life in a 23kg suitcase, said goodbye to London and started my year-long adventure working as a Program Leader for Remote Year.

After almost 2 years travelling the world while working, another dream came true and I moved to Spain. I currently live in a beautiful town on the Costa Blanca, between Valencia and Alicante, working for Sun and Co. – a co-living/co-working space for people who work remotely (or aspire to do so) and digital nomads.

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How has the programme helped you?

I’m convinced without Escape The City I wouldn’t be where I am today. The programme helped me get unstuck, and showed me I wasn’t alone. I quite literally found my tribe and that gave me the courage + tools + confidence to finally leave London, get over my fears, and pursue my dreams.

We [the 2016 Career Change Accelerator cohort] have a WhatsApp chat that is still active and I try to catch up with people whenever I’m in London.

What have you learnt about since the Accelerator?

Escape opened my eyes to the importance of communities, and finding people that just ‘get you’. I’m also a passionate advocate for remote work and its ability to provide a healthier and more balanced lifestyle.

The co-living space where I work has magically combined all these elements together, allowing like-minded people to connect and build communities that change lives! The co-working/co-living concept is still relatively new, and I’d recommend it as much as possible – I can see a lot of similarities between it and the Escape community.

Finally, how can we find out more about your current work?

You can check out Sun and Co.’s website for an overview, as well as our blog, which might be useful to explain the concept of co-living, and what that looks like at Sun and Co. We also organise team retreats, so get in touch with us if you’d be interested in arranging one at silvia@sun-and-co.com