In life, you cannot know everything. The beauty of life is that it is not constant in which life always gives you the space to grow into something better and have memories that you can talk about with your grandkids. In order to grow you have to step out of your comfort zone in order to live through accomplishing your dreams. I am going to list two experiences that helped me to grow the most in life.
#1:My parents divorced:
My parents divorced when I was eight years old. It was a very fast paced, yet frustrating experience.
At that time in my fragile little mind, I thought the world was unfair because all of my other friends parents
were together. This experience helped me to grow because this was the experience that took my innocence away.
I started to understand the true meaning of struggle in this world. It was harder for me to focus on school, it
was harder for me to adjust to a different lifestyle such as being in a different neighborhood and making new friends.
This experience was the most important experience that enhanced my growth.
Once I became 10 years old, I learned that change is constant and at times you will have no choice but to adjust.
#2: Quitting my fulltime job in 2017 to go back to finish my bachelor’s degree:
This was another important life experience for me. In 2013, I dropped out of Farmingdale State College
to work full time doing construction. I was an electrical apprentice.
This was probably the worst decision I could possibly made in my life.I hate my fulltime job.
Imagine working at job fulltime that you hate for four years.
I knew since the first week that this job was not for me.
I became complacent and accepted the fact that I need this job for fulltime benefits.
I would get up at 4:30AM everyday, to get on the 5:30AM train for 5 days a week and had school twice a week.
My work schedule was 7:00AM -2:30 PM Monday — Friday.
On top of that apprentices are required to go to school.
On Wednesdays, I had school from 4:00PM — 6:00PM, on Thursdays I had school from 5:00PM — 8:30PM.
So to break this down even more, on Wednesdays I would wake up at 4:30AM and would not get home until
7:30PM at night due to the fact I had to take the train.
On Thursdays, I would not get home until after 10:00PM.
So imagine on Thursdays that you had to get up
at 4:30AM and not getting home until 10:00PM at night and having to get 4:30AM on Friday to get to work.
On top of that, some of the foreman’s I worked for would try to pressure
me to do overtime.
Basically, this job consumed me. From August 2013 — May 2017, my life was a blur do to the fact that I barley remember anything outside of work during this time period.
I wish it was as easy as doing what you love to make money.
I wish it was as easy as when they told me as a child that I could be anything that I put my mind into.
But sometimes you will be in a rock and a hard place and have to take a job in order to support yourself.
I took this fulltime job in 2013 because I was not motivated for school at the time.
I just did enough to past my classes. The major I took at Farmingdale State College was Computer Information Systems.
I was told that it would be
very hard for me to get a job in the tech field.
I allowed this to get into my head so when I saw an opportunity for a fulltime job with benefits during the Summer of 2013, I took a an escape from
school thinking I had found a better opportunity, but all I did was dig my myself into a hole in which to this day, I am still trying to climb out of.
I grew from this because
I learned to never be loyal to a company, never let know one pressure you to take a job you are not 100% sure that you want to do, and to always put your mental health first.
This is only part 1. Within the coming weeks, I will continue this and write a part 2.
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