Living Under an Artificial Ceiling
I came to Italy to study and stayed for the opportunity. Problem is, the opportunity never came...
It didn’t take long to see just how high the barriers rise when you’re a foreigner trying to build a life abroad. Visa rules locked me out of local jobs. And the remote work I managed to find didn’t pay enough to cover a bare bones life.
I didn’t want to leave - my partner was here - but I couldn’t find a way forward either. I was stuck between the life I wanted and the reality I was living.
My family back in South Africa were asking questions I didn’t want to answer. My partner in Italy felt the weight too. And - behind closed doors - I was losing faith in myself.
I’ve always set a high bar for what I expect from myself. But here I was, falling short. Again and again and again.
That’s a hard thing to live with. You feel embarrassed. Like an imposter in your own life. Like maybe you’ll never reach your expectations.
THAT'S what an artificial ceiling feels like.
The issue wasn’t talent or drive or ambition or hard work. It was a passport.
I was stuck. And I needed something - anything - to break out.
Crossover: The 'What If' Spark
Back when I applied to Crossover, LinkedIn had basically become my social media of choice.
I’d spend HOURS scrolling through every job listing it fired my way. Combing through the uninspired mess, hoping against hope for something good.
Then Crossover hit my feed.
Same standard LinkedIn format (🥱), but the content was something WAY different. Fully remote. Asynchronous. Global standard. And pay good enough to make you seriously question every life choice.
Of course, when something sounds too good to be true, you expect the internet to have an opinion. So I dug. And wow, did I find an opinion...
“SCAM.” “WASTE OF TIME.” “STEALING WORK.” “NO PEOPLE.”
That was the chorus online.
And at that point, I didn’t know any better. I didn’t know the process was asynchronous to cater to every time zone. I didn't know the tests looked past degrees, so people could break through the paper ceiling. I didn't know Crossover leveraged AI to evaluate LITERALLY tens of thousands of candidates fairly.
All I had was the listing and those words on the screen.
But one thought kept circling in my head: what if?
And that was enough for me to hit apply.
Entering the Hiring Crucible
I hit apply - and almost immediately, an email landed in my inbox. Screening. I had entered the crucible.
Let me be clear, Crossover hiring is HARD. The kind of hard that makes you wonder mid-test if you’re in over your head. I don't want to speak for everyone, but I definitely doubted myself plenty along the way. But quitting? That never crossed my mind.
And I think that's a big difference. The people I've met who made it through don’t avoid doubt - they feel it, just like everyone else. The difference is, they don’t stop.
And weirdly? The hard part made it exciting.
Every time I cleared another step, it was an 'oh sh!t' moment. I was pushing myself, applying my skills, proving - to myself, more than anyone - that I could do it.
Sure, those reviews still echoed in the back of my mind. But with each stage I cleared, the whispers got quieter. I was focusing on MY journey.
And eventually, I was through.
Holding My Breath
Tests done, I finally hit the interview stage.
That was my first call with Andrew - now my manager. And that conversation was a serious turning point.
At no point did we rehash my CV. Instead, we jumped straight into ideas - my thoughts on content and AI, his vision for where it could go, what he was seeing in the real world. He wanted to know what I thought.
We were equals, tossing ideas back and forth, sketching out how we might redesign knowledge work for the AI-age.
I remember walking away thinking, ‘dang, that guy was smart’ - not because he grilled me, but because it felt like we were already creating something.
Pretty soon, an offer came through, and I signed the contract.
It's kind of funny looking back at it, but even THEN, I wasn’t fully convinced. I held my breath for my first two weeks on the job. Just waiting for something to unravel.
Then payday hit.
The moment that first paycheck landed in my bank account, I laughed out loud. All the stress, the second-guessing, the weeks of tension - it all melted away.
And then it came again. And again. Week after week, without fail.
And more than a year later, I can honestly say with absolute certainty, my experience at Crossover is EXACTLY as advertised.
More Than Competition
With all the talk of 'Olympics of work,' 'Elite level,' 'Best in the world,' I have to say, going in, I expected a dog-eat-dog environment. A team of high performers clawing their way to the top, cutting each other down to get ahead.
And... I was wrong…
What I found couldn’t have been more different. Yes, it’s competitive - but not in a 'me vs. you' way. It’s 'me vs. me.' Everyone is pushing to outdo themselves, and just as importantly, lifting everyone else up along the way.
Honestly, Carla Dewing - my colleague back in Cape Town - has become my North Star for all things writing, SEO and, now, GEO. She moves way past basic feedback, digging into my work to push it to the standard she knows I’m capable of. Every redline comes with context. Every suggestion with a why.
And my manager, Andrew Allen? Constantly stretching me beyond the basic ‘content writing’ label. Pushing me into bigger challenges, trusting me to grow into them, and guiding me whenever I need it.
NO ONE I've met has an ego.
Funny thing about growth, you don’t notice it happening in the moment. But when I look back a year later, I barely recognize the professional I was back then.
The difference is massive, and I owe it to my team.
Reflecting on the Journey So Far
Honest take: Working at Crossover has been HARD.
I’ve made mistakes, at times, spread myself too thin, and have had to learn the hard way where my limits are.
But I’ve also grown more than I ever thought possible. My work is sharper. I've learned to use AI as a genuine thinking partner. I embrace flexibility in a way that makes me more effective. And I’ve done it all alongside a team that’s been there every step of the way.
Guiding and pushing me further than I would’ve gone alone.
Most importantly, I’ve built a life on my own terms.
I get to travel back to South Africa to see my family once a year. My partner and I spend time with her family in Croatia. We take trips into the mountains (I LOVE hiking - something I had to give up when I was scraping by). And yes, even simple things like taking my partner out for dinner no longer come with the anxious mental math of ‘what will I have to cut back on later?’
Crossover didn’t just give me a job. It gave me breathing room, freedom, and the ability to build a life I actually wanted.
I worked hard for it, and it paid me back in abundance.
Why Crossover Works for the Right People
Crossover isn’t for everyone - and it’s not meant to be. It’s tough by design, because that’s what brings out the best in the right people.
As Murray puts it:
“If you’re looking for painless and comfortable, Crossover probably isn’t the place for you. But if you want to grow, to compete with yourself at a global standard, and to work alongside people who won’t let you settle for less than your best - it will be life-changing.”
For those who make it through, Crossover delivers more than a paycheck (although that’s pretty sweet too). It gives you the flexibility to live on your own terms, the opportunity to work at a global standard, and a team that invests in making you the absolute best - because that’s the standard here.
Crossover is demanding. But for the right people, it’s well worth it.
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If you’ve got the skills and the grit, the next story could be yours.
AI-first remote workers.