I HAVE A DREAM TOO

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "I had a dream." People are still fighting for his dream, but are you fighting for yours? We all have dreams that we push aside because we think we aren't good enough or knowledgeable enough, or we believe we are doing enough when, in actuality, we aren't. I thought I was doing the right thing; I thought I was on the right track.

I was focused on school. I earned my diploma, my associate's degree, and my bachelor's degree in computer science, yet that still wasn't enough. I ventured out, securing a job that paid and certified me as a data professional with a guaranteed placement and a two-year contract, but things never unfolded as expected. The contract got canceled, and I was laid off after training ended. But that's fine, right? I still had my degrees and certification. I was laid off in mid-July and started working again in mid-August for a startup company as an Eligibility Analyst. Initially, I had no idea what it was, but it was paying around the same amount I was expected to be paid after my training. It wasn't easy but it was okay... at first. Financially, it worsened as time passed because the commute to work was almost half of my pay, if not more. Approximately a month and two weeks after I started, there was a company meeting. The IRS had been backlogged for six months; as such, they stopped processing claims. At the time, I didn't know what this meant for me, but this meant the company was ducked with a "D". This was how they got their money. It wasn't hard to do the math; no cash flow made it hard to run and maintain a business.

Soon after, they started with workforce reductions across all departments. They had always treated the Account Executives like they were replaceable chess pieces due to the weekly quota they had to meet. The other departments were relatively stable. Three weeks after that meeting, I was laid off again. I wasn't sad, but I was slightly surprised because the day prior, my department had a meeting that seemingly reinforced our stability and positions within the company. It was a very similar process to the first time I was laid off, where I signed an NDA as if there was anything to share. Yes, I am a bit bitter, but I have ambition and goals, and I'm too fragile for prison or even jail. I tripped on air yesterday, a rough environment is not for me.

These layoffs made me realize I don't like this feeling of being discarded. I worked really hard for my bachelor's degree; I went through many tear-filled nights, and I am determined to put it to use. This blog will be my accountability partner while on my road to my job in tech, ideally as a data analyst or database administrator (I'll probably build up to this). I'm good enough, I can try harder, and I can do it. You can too!

Ultimately, I have a dream too, and so do you. GOOD LUCK!

Thank you for taking the time to read!