My journey into tech and what’s next.
TLDR:
- I wanted to be in the entertainment industry
- Majored in Fashion
- Worked many jobs
- Decided to pursue a Technology career
- Now I’m starting a wellness organization that utilizes tech and helps us build wealth
I have never known what I wanted to be when I grew up. When I was a child, I used to love role playing – as a teacher, as a singer or dancer. I was outside playing almost as soon as I opened my eyes every morning. But that question of “what do you want to be” never really resonated.
In elementary school, I just knew I’d be a singer, actress and a fashion designer on the side. By middle school, I thought I’d model. It wasn’t until freshman year of high school (or even later) that I sat in on a computer science class. Although interested, I may have been intimidated or at the very least, unsure. Who else did I know that was working in this field? There was also no path from my creative pursuits to technology (or so I thought). It seemed more of a random career choice. Even at that age, I was trying to be strategic. What path would allow me to pursue entertainment and have a stable, more structured and financially abundant life? Other than helping my friends access the internet, debugging etc. nothing pointed to “technology career.”
High school was a time of trying absolutely everything. I knew that it would be much more challenging to simply explore interests and find my passion. I was oscillating between free lunch and bringing my own, taking a metro bus to school and walking the rest of the way, and barely having enough money to keep up with school expenses. Was I expecting it to be more of the same after graduation? Maybe. I knew I had to take advantage of whatever opportunities to find my thing, while I still had the freedom to.
Compelling careers often have complex origins that reject the simple idea that all you have to do is follow your passion. – Cal Newport, So Good They Can’t Ignore You1
After changing university majors from Psychology to Communication at one school, and then transferring to another to pursue Fashion Merchandising, I later realized my career would not be a defined role, but something I was. I was an organizer, a communicator, a writer, a planner. I connected people, built processes and cultivated relationships. What I thought I wanted to be e.g. Fashion Buyer, Fashion Show Producer, Boutique Owner, encompasses all of these skills.
Through all of this, I’ve worked many jobs, mostly in retail. Retail is great for a lot of things, meeting new people, growing in leadership, learning operations etc. Over time though, it had become unsustainable. It’s physically taxing and financially draining. Plus, my goal was to move into corporate and I couldn’t quite get there starting from the sales floor. I also was never ready to move to NY or LA so, I worked at these jobs until I decided to go back to an old interest, and pursue tech.
To make a long story short, here’s my journey from that decision to where I am now: I joined MyComputerCareer, a fast-paced technology program learning computer basics, security, servers etc. I then joined TechForward to get started in Salesforce. I attended the DC World Tour and met who is now my good friend. After venting to her about challenges I was facing with breaking in, she sent me a post about ServiceNow’s NextGen Professional Program (now ServiceNow University2) and have been a ServiceNow professional ever since.
What I love about ServiceNow, and about anything, is that underlying infrastructure that enables you to do the thing. Similarly, this infrastructure, this foundation, is how I move through ebbs and flows. In life, I had to constantly rework my foundation, pivot, and begin again. But having that foundation was always key.
Being first-gen anything, means there is a lot of “figuring it out” and often times, failing has no safety net. And yet, I am building a wellness organization that will utilize technology, and help us all build wealth. I am building in public with this one, and I’d love for you to be there for the ride. More to come!
