I’ll always remember the day a stranger told me I was wrong, that I didn’t have what it takes, and that I’d wasted my time. I’d studied for four years to pursue this career—four years of hard work, both physical and mental, to live up to my own standards, but above all, the standards I believed my future employers were looking for. Four years of training, studying, and stepping out of my comfort zone to become the best version of myself in this profession I believed I was meant for.
Deep down, I knew I had the intelligence, the logic, the sensitivity, and the personality to do great things for this profession—a profession that would give me as much as I intended to give it.
Yet two men who had never seen me work, who had barely ever spoken to me, and who had only read my application on paper told me I wasn’t good enough. What’s more: they dared to tell me I didn’t have what it takes to do this job. Period.
I was devastated for several days. Maybe, deep down, I’d never really had what it took. They were the bosses, so they must have known what they were talking about and could easily spot an employee who lacked potential. In school, I wasn’t as outgoing as the others, nor as academically strong. But one thing was certain: I was more determined than the others and certainly not a quitter. So I decided to reapply for a job in my field, but somewhere else. I was definitely not going to give up just because ONE employer thought I didn’t fit their mold. I’m convinced that two employees doing the same type of work don’t need to do it exactly the same way for it to be effective.
Shortly after that, it seemed I was a good fit because I found a job in my field. There, I found a coworker who apparently thought I was competent, since we worked together for almost 10 years. Today, 11 years later, I believe I have what it takes to do this job—and even more—because I was promoted to a position involving more complex tasks, greater responsibilities, and more demands, but one that’s so much more rewarding!
I believe that all my efforts and my emotional roller coaster weren’t in vain because I’m now in the position I’ve always dreamed of, surrounded by coworkers who appreciate me and inspire me to the highest degree. It crossed my mind to call my former employers just to rub it in—to “show off” that not only did I manage to find a job again, but I even managed to stand out enough to climb the ranks—but I don’t hold it against them. On the contrary, they simply pushed me to surpass myself even more and steered me—very clumsily, let’s be honest—in the right direction. I shouldn’t have given up—I should never have given up.