How a Twitter Chat Changed My Map

Look, I don’t know about you, but I’ve always found that life has a funny way of ignoring your "master plans."

If you had asked me back in 2017 what my future looked like, I would have described a life in uniform. I was born and raised in the heart of the Amazon, in northern Brazil. At the time, I was finishing my eighth year in the Brazilian Army. Eight years of boots, uniforms, and a very specific kind of discipline.

I loved the military life, but as my final year approached, I felt a familiar itch. I wanted to play the game by my own rules. I wanted freedom, but I had no idea what to do with it.

I did what most people in their 20s do when they’re lost: I started trying everything. One of those things was studying English. It was just a hobby at first, a way to keep my brain busy while I figured out "the big thing."

Then, the universe decided to use Twitter to blow up my world.

The Spark on the Timeline

I was scrolling one day and started chatting with an old school friend - someone I hadn't spoken to since the 5th grade. She told me she was living in Canada.

It sounds simple now, but in that moment, it was like a grenade went off in my head. Living abroad? Canada? A different language? I started connecting the dots. I was already studying English. I had some savings. Maybe a one-month "brainstorming trip" to Canada was exactly what I needed to find a business idea to bring back to my hometown, Manaus.

But then, reality (and my bank account) checked in. Canada was expensive. One unexpected turn and I’d be stranded. So, I went back to the drawing board. That’s when I found Dublin. The promise of being able to study and work at the same time felt like the perfect safety net.

The plan was simple: Go to Ireland, learn English, save some money, and go back to Brazil to start my "real" life.

The "Failure" of the Plan

As you can tell by the fact that I’m writing this from a rainy room in Dublin - the plan failed. Or rather, it evolved.

I arrived in Dublin and was instantly fascinated. But then, 2020 happened. We all know that story. For me, those two years were a blur of "highs and lows."

• The Lows: Uncertainty, insecurity, and that heavy feeling of having no purpose while the world was on pause.

• The Highs: I started picking up skills I never thought I’d need.

In 2021, I decided to go all in. I enrolled in Dublin Business School to study Marketing, Digital Media, and Cloud Computing.

Finding the Lens

Digital Media clicked for me instantly. I already had a background in graphic design and I’d started messing around with photography and basic video editing. But seeing how those creative tools could be powered by Marketing strategy? That was the "Aha!" moment.

I spent my final year of university picking the brain of my Entrepreneurship professor (if you’re reading this, thank you!). I told him I was thinking about freelancing—about telling stories for small businesses that don't have the time to tell their own. He gave me the nudge I needed.

Where I Am Now

Since then, I’ve been working as an independent creative. I’ve traded the military boots for a camera strap and a tripod. I’m still figuring things out—I think we all are - but now I’m doing it with a lens in my hand and a story to tell.

Dublin is a long way from the Amazon. The weather is different, the coffee is different, and the "rules" are definitely different. But I’ve realised that whether you're in the jungle or the city, people just want to connect with something real.

I’m curious—where are you reading this from today? And was it a plan or a "beautiful failure" that brought you there?