1999: The World Braced for Collapse—But I Was Planning My Escape
In December 1999, the world was fixated on Y2K. People feared that at the stroke of midnight, technology would fail—planes would fall from the sky, banks would lose all records, and the digital age would come crashing down.
But I wasn’t worried about Y2K. I was planning my own escape.
I was working at my father’s shop—unpaid, surviving on food and shelter, having to justify every dollar I asked for. My first real attempt at an IT career—a warehouse contract job assembling computers—had come and gone. I was back where I started, with no money and no path forward.
By the time Y2K hit, I wasn’t bracing for disaster. I was making my move.
Betting on the Future (Even When It’s Uncertain)
I found an early CareerBuilder job posting for a PC/Network Technician at C.H. Robinson. I didn’t meet all the requirements, but I had:
âś… Hands-on IT experience from my short-lived contract job.
âś… Freight forwarding knowledge from working for my father.
C.H. Robinson was a freight company, so I made my case:
“I know the industry, and I know computers. I can learn the rest.”
That was enough. I got the job.
But taking the job came at a cost.
When I told my mother about the $42,000 salary, she immediately told me to take it—she would handle my father. But when I told him, his response was simple:
“You will come crawling back.”
He kicked me out, gave me a deadline to leave, and we didn’t talk for years.
I never crawled back. But I did return—on my terms, standing alongside my then-girlfriend Aneta, who would become my wife and my greatest supporter.
2025: The Future is Still Coming, and Fear Won’t Stop It
Today, people fear AI the way they feared Y2K.
- “It’s going to take all the jobs.”
- “We’re losing control of technology.”
- “We need to stop it before it’s too late.”
I understand the anxiety. But I feel the same way now that I did then:
âś… There is no going back.
âś… Staying in place is not an option.
âś… The only way forward is through.
The lesson I learned in 1999 is the same one I carry in 2025: The future is always uncertain, but it’s still worth building.
Y2K didn’t end the world. AI won’t end the world either.
What we do right now—how we adapt, learn, and build—is what matters.
What’s Your Y2K Moment?
Have you ever faced a moment where everything felt uncertain, but you knew you had to move forward anyway?
Drop a comment—I’d love to hear your story. 🚀