Perseverance.

What does this mean to you? Does it mean anything? Does a person come to mind? .. Maybe a loved one, or maybe even yourself? Or is it just a word you use on your resumes to attract employers?

 

Adversity.

How about this one? Does it bring back memories of hard times? Are you currently trying to overcome adversity?

 

This definitely isn’t a vocabulary lesson, but I can’t help but start with these two words.

 

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Over the past two years these two words have shaped my life in many ways.

As I sit here writing this post, I want to stress that my life is not perfect. There have been more disappointments than I can count in the past couple of years, but it’s all part of the journey.

Everything happens for a reason and sometimes you might not understand it, but there is always something bigger for you! This post is proof…

I don’t know about you guys, but I had a vision for my life. The way it would go. Go to college, graduate college, get a successful job, meet my soulmate, get married, travel, have children, etc. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not the type that created a wedding binder with all the things I wanted on my wedding day, when I was six… If you did, then more power to you! I wish I was that decisive. But the truth is, I change my mind like nobody’s business! My plan was a little more broad. It was merely a path that I was supposed to follow, “to live a happy life”.

Well… unfortunately for me, I can’t control everything, so obviously my path strayed a little.

I don’t know what I was thinking, (especially in the competitive workforce today) but I thought the second I graduated with my degree in Business, Marketing, I would have a job in Marketing! HA!

DeAndre and I moved back to the Bay Area from Sacramento in September of 2015. He had just signed with the Raiders and I made the decision to quit my job and relocate with him before securing a new job, here in the bay. I mean, I was a recent Business graduate… who wouldn’t hire me, right?…. again…. HA!

While you think “job galore” when you think of the Bay Area, I neglected to realize the competition that I would face… I mean, it’s the BAY AREA! Home of Silicon Valley! Start up capitol of the world! People move here from across the country and even other countries to work for some of these employers.. People come from Ivy League schools.. Have like five internships under their belts, GPA’s higher than a 4.0… the list goes on.

Let’s just say I didn’t have any of those.. But that wasn’t going to stop me. I knew my work ethic, I knew I had what it took. I was going to get my dream job in Marketing… whatever that may have been.

So about one month after the move I ended up snagging a job in high-tech (shocker!). If you’re a professional in the Bay Area, chances are you work in tech, or you’ve worked in tech before.

Was I grateful? Absolutely! There were bills to be paid, so I was glad to have an income again, but the industry and the title were completely wrong….

Have you ever tried something and you know right off the bat it’s not for you? Well this was it… I was in the cyber-security industry, working as an Inside Sales Account Manager. Again, I was grateful because I know how hard it is to get a job these days, but I had a plan remember? And this was NOT the plan..

I saw DeAndre living his dream, but what was I doing? At the time, I had barely started my blog and wasn’t taking it seriously yet. I was just going to a 6-3 job everyday and coming home… it was awful… But life is what you make it right? I made great friends and got to travel so that was awesome. But again, I felt like there was something missing in my life. Like I was meant for something more.

So obviously I was applying to Marketing jobs left and right.. but nothing… most of the time I wouldn’t even get a response, but sometimes I would get the “Sorry, but we’ve decided to continue with other candidates”, or “Thank you for applying, but we think there are more qualified applicants at this time”.

So one day I decided to sit down and really think about why I wasn’t getting any responses. I remember thinking, I have no experience besides my degree in Marketing (which now days everyone has). Why would someone want to take a chance on me? I knew they wouldn’t be disappointed, but they didn’t. How could they?

It wasn’t until a of couple months later that I realized almost all of the Marketing applications I was applying for had a line at the veryyyyy bottom saying “website:_____”.

A lightbulb went off!! I didn’t know exactly what kind of website they were looking for, but I decided I was going to make my blog more presentable. Almost like a portfolio. Something employers could look at that would represent me and the type of work I can do on my own ( Marketing, Social Media, PR etc!).

So once I cleaned up my website a bit, I started including it on my applications and I started getting a few bites after that. But again, no promising leads. It was before I hired a web designer, so my site was still pretty basic. I knew nothing about coding unfortunately. But I kept at it! All the no’s started to motivate me. Did they make me mad? Absolutely. But did it push me to prove them wrong?… Everyday!

I remember changing my resume every couple of days.. I would add new tasks to my blog’s job description as I learned new things each day.. Soon I took on internships for PR, Marketing and Social Media, which led to getting Marketing and Social Media contract work. I did everything I could think of to build my experience, all the while still working at that same job in high-tech. I was determined. You have to be. So many people get comfortable where they are and just accept being in a job that just “pays the bills”. I never wanted to do that. I knew that I was made for something more..

So once my blog and Instagram really started to get some traction, along with my experience from contract work and internships, I knew I couldn’t be stopped. I don’t take “no” very easily for those of you who don’t know me. I’ll do whatever it takes to get to where I want to be in life! Even if that means early mornings and late nights. Or skipping out on gatherings with friends or family here and there… That’s what makes DeAndre and I so compatible.. we were built the same way. I’m not sure if its the way we grew up, the way we were raised, or the experiences we’ve had, but success is the only option. And succeeding together is just that much better.

You have to think, how bad do you really want it?

It wasn’t until recently that I started getting a ton of call backs and interview requests. Almost a year and a half after moving back to the Bay Area. But it was proof that I was doing something right. That my experience that I gained all on my own was enough!

I’ve been actively looking for the past four months.. and by actively I mean applying to 10-15 jobs a day. Sometimes taking 4-6 interviews a week. It’s a process. I only wanted two possible titles. Influencer Marketing, or Social Media Specialist. And in a way they can both go hand in hand depending on the job description.

So I got probably 100 no’s looking for those titles over the past couple of months. But guess what! I got that one YES, two weeks ago!!! You’re looking at the newest Influencer Outreach and Marketing Specialist!!! My dream job!!! I get to reach out to amazing Influencers each day and gift them our products!!! I couldn’t imagine a better job for me!

My first day was Monday and it was everything I dreamed of…. 🙂 My heart is so happy and it’s proof that God always has something bigger and better than you can imagine! All of those jobs I thought I wanted weren’t the ones for me because I’m right where I’m supposed to be!

So if you aren’t happy where you are and you want to be doing something else, KNOW YOU CAN! Just find those things that set you a part! Find your niche! You can do ANYTHING you set your heart to!!!

And if you’re currently job hunting and you feel like giving up the search, because of the “No’s”, DON’T!!! Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something! Things take time, but I promise you if you put the work in and you want it bad enough, you’ll make it happen!!!! I truly believe that!

I will be doing a follow up blog post, with my interview tips, so stay tuned!! And if you liked this post, you might like this one.

 

Thank you for your endless support you guys!!!! 🙂