Woman who lost her job and was asked to cancel her “business trip” has a brilliant idea

An Ohio woman was able to turn a major negative into a life-changing positive after being suddenly laid off from her job.

Many of us live in constant fear of being fired without notice. A survey of 1,000 U.S. workers in 2023 commissioned by online resume and cover letter writing platform Zety found that 58 percent fear being fired.

Mariah Witzberger, 25, of Columbus, experienced this nightmare scenario a few months ago when she was suddenly fired from her marketing job without much warning.

“I was completely taken by surprise,” said Witzberger Newsweek. “The day before, there was a meeting in my calendar and I asked my boss what it was about, but she wouldn't tell me. I went to the meeting and they told me that my job was being relocated to Poland with immediate effect.”

What made the situation worse was the way it was handled. “They asked me if they wanted someone to pack my things for me. This upset me because they didn't want me to tell my friends who were sitting next to me what happened because they didn't want to 'make a scene,'” she said.

It's a scenario that most people would be afraid of, but where some would have only seen doom and gloom, Witzberger saw an opportunity. “I love life and people and always try to make the best of every situation,” she said.

As part of her dismissal, she would have received severance pay. HR also asked her to cancel the flight she had booked to a business event in Switzerland. There was a small problem with that last point, however. “The flight was non-refundable,” she explained.

After some back and forth, her former employee backed out. “So I was allowed to keep it. Since my schedule was now completely free, why shouldn't I go?” Suddenly Witzberger flew off to spend the summer of her life.

“I have a lot of friends all over Europe from my previous business trips and travels, so I was lucky enough to be able to spend most of my trip with them,” she explained. “I traveled to Italy, Switzerland, Norway and Malta! And I even got to see the Taylor Swift show in Zurich.”

It's no exaggeration to say that being laid off changed her life for the better. “Being laid off was honestly a real blessing because I really didn't like my job and this was my chance to be free and find something that I was passionate about,” she said. “Now I'm moving to Barcelona to do my master's in branding.”

This decision to seek new adventures and follow her passion was also motivated by some difficult times in her family life. “My father died last September and that really showed me that life is way too short to do something that doesn't set your soul on fire,” she said.

“So I looked within myself and wanted to take my career in a more creative direction. Finding a program abroad was perfect for my interests.”

Witzberger regularly posts updates about her adventures on TikTok under the name Mariahwitzberger. She hopes her story inspires others to realize that they are so much more than just their jobs.

“I hope people are inspired to use everything that happens to them in this life to make the most of it,” she said. “Life doesn't happen to us, it happens for us! And when we change our mindset to see the positive side of every situation, that's when things get really interesting.”

Have you had a dilemma at work? Let us know at [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice and your story could appear on Newsweek.