Overcoming Doubt to Land Your Dream Job  

We’re often taught that we’re supposed to know who we are and what we want to do from an early age—however, this is rarely how life unfolds.   

Growing and changing is a life-long process. Whether it’s moving to a new city, trying a new activity, or finding a new job, change can feel quite daunting. Stepping into the unknown, while exciting, inevitably comes with doubt, fear, and risk.   

For Jacqueline Kajiya, one of our Quality Assurance Testers at PTW São Paulo, embracing uncertainty and overcoming doubt were key factors to landing her dream job in Game QA. Read on to get to know Jacqueline and her path into the games industry. 

A new career path  

After graduating from university in 2017 with a degree in nutrition, Jacqueline pursued a career in her field, securing a job in a clinic.  

Yet despite her success, Jacqueline felt like something was missing: “It was exactly what I wanted, coming out of college,” she shares, “but deep down, there was still an emotional void that pulled me toward a big change in my life.”  

Recognizing her dissatisfaction, Jacqueline started thinking of alternative career paths, but quickly realized it would be far from easy. “Changing careers, for me, and I think for many, is a complicated situation. The older you get, the more fearful you are of more intense changes. In my mind, I was at an age where I thought I should be staying in my career to keep growing; leaving felt frustrating, as if I was throwing everything away.”   

First steps  

It’s easy to feel small when considering the monumental tasks that lie ahead of us. In many cases, however, the path of discomfort is the most valuable, and taking our first step just requires a little nudge and support.  

Jacqueline reflects on the impetus behind her career change: “By coincidence, I met a person in her 50s who had overcome cancer, a businesswoman from a successful multinational company who lived in our city’s most upscale neighborhood. She said she wanted to return to college and pursue a career she had always dreamed of—even if she had to leave her current job behind.”  

Feeling inspired by this encounter, Jacqueline started on a new career path by beginning to study programming, while still partially dedicating herself to nutrition. But even at this stage, she still envisioned a future career that was only loosely related to her true passions.   

Referring to programming, Jacqueline says, “I had always been exposed to it as a child, mostly through games, but I thought this topic was out of my league. In my home environment, many people thought that working with video games was just for fun and nothing more. So, I figured I’d end up in a data integration or website/application management company.”  

Thanks to another chance encounter, Jacqueline would be presented with another opportunity that would change her life: PTW opened an office in Brazil while she was finishing her studies and searching for a job.   

“I almost didn’t apply,” Jacqueline admits. But despite the weight of doubt, she chose to bet on herself and sent in her application anyway.  

Landing her dream job  

In the end, her hard work and commitment paid off, as she was welcomed into the QA team at PTW in December 2023.  

The achievement felt surreal: “It took me until the day I started working to believe what was happening, and I was nervous about not knowing what to expect,” says Jacqueline.  

However, her real experience was far less stressful than what she had imagined. She explains, “The environment surprised me—I was very well received, and the people were friendly. I remember when the more experienced team members emphasized that it was okay to have never worked in the field before, and that support would be constant.”  

“We received excellent training, during which the company provided a concrete knowledge base for reporting bugs and adapting to future projects—so in the end, my insecurities lasted less than a week. Once we started working, the company placed veterans alongside newbies so that we would have all the support we needed on the job.”   

Reflecting on her journey  

Since making a change that had a huge impact on her life, Jacqueline has been working as a Functional QA Tester at PTW for the past year. “I don’t regret anything,” she shares. “PTW rescued some essences of my life that I had forgotten—a sense of teamwork, how humans can adapt to new environments, trusting myself more, and understanding how the mind communicates with the body depending on its choices.”   

Change is never easy. But for many, it’s crucial, especially if it means being true to yourself. In Jacqueline’s words, “Forcing myself into a profession that was no longer good for me was toxic, which fed an anxiety and sadness that I didn’t usually have.”   

She continues, “For me, PTW was the gateway that led me to make a wave of other crucial decisions in my life I otherwise wouldn’t have dared to do.”   

Jacqueline's journey into the gaming industry is a testament to having courage and persistence in the face of uncertainty. Fear and doubt are universal and often hold people back. However, sometimes, the biggest risks can lead to the most fulfilling rewards. Jacqueline concludes: