I once took a pay cut of $20,000 when I declined a "promotion" to become the department's manager. I had been with the company all throughout college—the position offered me the flexibility to work and attend university full-time—and once I graduated, I was offered a managerial position; many would consider this the "next step" in their career. But I kept on thinking to myself: What else is out there?

So I left.

My only regret was the manner in which I left the company. With a resignation letter in hand, I marched into my boss's office, and handed him the notice, and calmly explained that I was leaving in two weeks. I wanted to make a point: my mind was made up. I was firm and left no room for ambiguity. I was leaving and would not entertain a counteroffer. It wasn't until I became a manager, many years later, and realized how I blindsided my boss; I should've been more upfront about my ambitions of continuing down the path of engineering and never afforded them the opportunity to carve out a road for me to take.

Ultimately, it was a necessary part of my journey and without it, I would've have ended up where I am now: Amazon.