She with No Degree

The concept of having a University degree under our belt is instilled in us from a young age for we are generally told that without one, our chances of success drop significantly.

We are taught to pick an occupation that we feel passionate about so we can study for it at a post-secondary institution, thrive and fall right into the field of our dreams after graduating. This, of course, leads to higher income, a better quality of life, sugar, spice and everything nice!

What happens, though, when your high school graduation is a few months away and you still haven’t a single clue as to what career path you want to take? What happens if you or your parents do not have sufficient funds available to sustain the expenses of a post-secondary education?

What happens if your loan or OSAP application doesn’t even get approved? What happens if the initial financing isn’t an issue but then two years into your program you realize just how much you hate what you’re studying?

Or worse, what happens if you changed your mind after you graduated? That’s thousands of dollars down the drain and yes, I’ve seen it happen.

A couple of weeks ago, a position within our corporate office’s Marketing Team opened up. From what I’ve heard, one would have to be oozing in credentials to even have a remote chance of being considered. Therefore, I had it in my mind that if I were to apply, it would be a long shot because I do not hold a University degree and I do not have any experience in Marketing.

Yet and still, I read through the job description and, as it highly intrigued me, proceeded to conduct additional research to determine whether I can confidently and honestly present my candidacy during a potential interview.

I was advised by one of my leaders that my biggest competition would be those with Ivy League educations who are holding University degrees. I was, however, still encouraged to apply because apparently, my initiative showed that I cared more about the job itself than how it would look on my resume. I was also told that holding a University degree is not reflective of one’s work ethic and passion for without either, the degree is just another piece of paper.

After I reviewed all of the information I gathered and with the support of my current leaders, I decided to apply for it. I didn’t expect much but I thought that at the very least, I am communicating that this is the type of role I’m gunning for.

Surprisingly, I was called and attended my first interview a few days later. It went well considering that later that afternoon I was called again to schedule my second!

The “not expecting much” completely went out the window after I jotted down the date and time. I freaked out due to excitement followed by anxiety of not knowing what would happen next because I never expected to make it after the first round. When I did, it sunk in that I was in the game and I wanted nothing more than to win.

For two and a half agonizing days, I waited for their decision.

My August 31st Insanity Log.

Ever heard the term “silently screaming”? This was a result of that. Forgive my messy handwriting.

Signed September 10th, 2012.

Well, Reader, I must have done something right during those interviews because on September 10^th, I signed the official documents of my transfer to our corporate office. My start date as a Marketing Approvals Coordinator is Wednesday, October 10^th and I. AM. STOKED!

From the first time I verbally accepted the offer on August 31^st to just before I signed the offer letter on September 10^th, everything felt surreal. As soon as I inked my signature on that page, reality dawned on me and man, was it awesome!

After processing my memories of the days passed – all my panic, anticipation and shock – I gave myself a pat on the back and thanked God so much that He probably wanted to tell me to shut it already. It finally sunk in how big of an accomplishment it was. All the hard work and dedication I poured into my previous roles finally paid off and I am finally on my way to an exciting and rewarding career!

I mean hey, out of all the applicants, they saw potential in the high school graduate whose only form of post-secondary education was completely unrelated to the financial industry and decided to give her a shot!

At twenty five years old, with not much but a few years of experience on paper, I made it into, what someone referred to as, the Shangri-La of our company. As Jesse Pinkman (Breaking Bad) would put it, “YEA, BITCH!”

Now, to be clear, I am not at all claiming that a University degree is not necessary nor am I claiming that it is. Each one of us, as we maneuver through life, discover our own paths and passions in our own time. Whether that’s through going to University or going through life, that’s something only you alone can determine. Either way, you’re going to receive one hell of an education.

 

Leslyn

The WTF Decisions I Don’t Regret

Some say I’m an impulsive decision maker and to a degree, possibly a high degree, I am. Realistically, my decision-making process is much more complex than to be simply described as “impulsive”. Sometimes, I can be the most logical person – thinking through every detail, formulating plans, weighting out options, drafting lists – one hundred percent OCD. Then there are those times when my heart, emotions, passion – that fire – takes over, bringing what feels like a surge of electricity through my body, prompting me to decide fast and act even faster. And honestly, those were the decisions that left the biggest imprints – good and bad – in my life.

Let’s start with the list:

Moved out at eighteen years old on a quest for independence and lived in a ghetto apartment at Lansdowne & Bloor that had no kitchen sink. Moved out of there after four months upon the discovery of a mouse. Yes, I’m a wimp.

Attended Seneca College for Makeup Artistry and completed three courses prior to needing to stop due to the next point.

Allowed myself to drown in depression due to a dishonest, unfaithful and a physically, emotionally, financially abusive boyfriend for five years.

As a result of the previous, I lost a great job due to a sharp decline in my performance hence, forcing me to financially ruin myself to, funnily enough, save myself.

Chopped off my previously long black hair shorter and shorter until I decided on a faux hawk. It was bad ass but growing it out – not so fun. In case you had any doubt:

Said ex ended the relationship shattering what was left of my heart & killing any life left in me at the time. Cried too much. Smoked too much despite never having touched a cigarette prior to. Almost went on the rebound until I finally decided to really listen to a friend who advised me to soak in my pain, learn from it and move on from it a stronger person.

Approximately one month after the break up, my Mother helped me secure a new job at her company. I came home one night with no plans and out of boredom, browsed on Facebook (an account I deactivated over a year ago). Low and behold, I landed on my high school crush’s profile on that Friend’s Friends docket thing. Quite literally shifted my eyes back and forth contemplating on whether to add the guy. What would I even say? “Oh hey, you totally never knew I existed but I was a niner and you were in grade eleven and you were like, totally my biggest crush.” Vomit. What would he even think? Add.

Why I regret nothing:

Every single decision taught me lessons I will never forget. The Lansdowne apartment helped me appreciate every little thing, including a functioning kitchen sink, an amenity, almost, that most of us probably take for granted or don’t even notice. I certainly did prior to experiencing the lack thereof. You bet I rejoiced when I moved to another apartment with a kitchen sink and without that tiny, little mouse! Ohh, goosebumps.

I learned that bacon does not belong in a vegetable stir fry, woman! It makes it just… bad. I opened a Chef Boyardee instead that night. When all else fails, grab one of those Beef Flavoured giant Mr. Noodle bowls. Terrible for your health but when you’re in survival mode, who cares! I eventually learned how to actually cook… much later…

Working several freelance jobs as a makeup artist taught me something about myself: I am not built for the service industry. I’m an introvert, remember (see About)? It was never meant to be. Kudos to those who are. You’re all wonderful because I would have shanked a b- never mind.

I learned that I can pull off a faux hawk and I’m proud that I did it at least once in my life. Certainly can’t do that in your late twenties and onward especially if you work in a corporate environment. It’s something fun I can tell my kids one day when I’m wagging my finger telling them not to have unprotected sex or something.

Going through financial ruin taught me to first of all, never let a man take advantage ever again (you’d think that would have been a no-brainer but love makes you really stupid), second of all, study every mistake, recognize the patterns and do a ton of research. Finally, create a budget sheet to track my expenses so as to not fall back down that rabbit hole again. I’ve been tweaking that document for approximately two and a half years and it runs beautifully. It’s something I’m very happy and proud to share/teach to others. I’m not an expert on the fancy Excel formulas but that Sum function suffices for my purposes. It’s one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever done. And yes, it is an ongoing project because the key to financial success is intricate monitoring and record-keeping. The budget sheet is not going to run itself or my money. Only I can do that.

That hell-like relationship taught me everything I didn’t want in a partner. I found the person I was before I drowned in it: a survivor, independent, relentless, tenacious with a dose of vulnerability. It taught me to believe in love even more because I am capable of loving another deeply and passionately. I refused to shut down and hate all men because one or two bad apples don’t ruin the whole bunch. I believed that someone, my someone was still out there.

And that Facebook add? The one and only time I ever personally added someone I didn’t really know in my adult years? He messaged me. We moved in together one month after our first date on August 29th, 2009 (for the record, he knew this date, I didn’t). Shortly after our two-year anniversary, we moved into a rental townhouse together. Fourteen wonderful months after that, we got engaged and now own an eleven-week old female Japanese Spitz puppy. Our wedding day has been scheduled on the day our anniversary falls on a Saturday: September 7th, 2013. Who knew my teenage high school crush would turn out to be my soul mate? Who knew that one Facebook add would change my whole life? Who knew that so much joy was waiting patiently on the other side?

No, I’m not completely on Cloud Nine.

Some scars take a lot longer to heal than others. What I am presently studying and trying to master is love for myself. With a huge amount of help from a friend, I have learned that if I don’t learn to love myself, I will never be able to offer my full potential as a person to others. I can tell you that the road to igniting that passion for who you are and what you have to offer to the world is not easy especially when you’ve experienced things in life that somehow convinced you that you’re not good enough. Appreciating and being thankful for your own unique inner and physical beauty is actually an extremely daunting task at first but with a lot of work, I promise, it gets slightly easier. It’s a matter of processing the pain and finding a way to overcome it by focusing all of your energy on what you think about you. Focus on doing the things that make you happy, keep you healthy, make you laugh, make you strong, make you feel the beauty of your soul.

More importantly, if you’ve been your very own raging bully (like I have been to myself), take the time to apologize to you because everything you did to/negatively thought about yourself was completely uncalled for. Your source of strength should come primarily from you, not others. If you are not on your own corner, you will always lose.

Leslyn