A Career Testimony: How It Started.

How it started.

October 2012 is when I started was my first big girl job, with benefits. I was fresh out of getting my Master’s degree and I was in need of a job. Let’s just say I was ready to make money! Because I did not have much experience on the professional side, I had no clue what I was getting into. To the point that I didn’t even realize the job role I accepted. I had applied to so many jobs, that it didn’t hit me until my interview what the job was.

Let’s walk down memory lane shall we?

I started my career spending 6 months on the phone, getting yelled at by doctors and patients. It was one of the most humbling roles and it also dampened my spirit. I had so many regrets on not knowing my worth and taking the first job that I applied to. You don’t know what you don’t know UNTIL you do. Thankfully, I received a lateral promotion after 6 months, but I was still so unhappy with my company.  I remember complaining about this to a mentor and she told something that continues to follow me in my career, “How can you change the environment?”

And this simple question opened the door to me simply buying donuts for my team at the time, and that changing team morale. From that led to our team having Friday morning pow-wow’s and someone would volunteer to bring breakfast for that week. As much as I truly hated where I was, this story has helped me in every single interview since then. How we can change the environment by a simple act. 

My career journey has been humbling and full of growth experiences. And every role has been a stepping stone to the next. In the middle of mess, sometimes it is hard to see or even want to give your best. But let me tell you, it changes everything. And how you show up has the power to open doors even if it takes longer than you expect.

Guys, it’s October 2021. 9 years from my first role and I am closing out an Emerging Leadership Program that I have been undergoing for 4 months. Within the same company. I went from being hung up on the phone by doctors to training and partnering with Providers and Health Systems. I went from being really timid around leaders to interviewing senior leadership. Had I not allowed myself to go through this journey, I wouldn’t have been prepared or confident enough to do what I currently do. I am not perfect and I am still growing, but this role over the past two years has been life changing.  

My takeaway for you? How it started, doesn’t mean that’s how it will end. Every experience is a building block for the next for your life. Just because you may have started “behind” or “late” doesn’t mean that God cannot blow your mind as you grow. What can you do right now in your current role before the next? How can you change your environment? Who knows, bringing donuts may change everything.

-Des-