Ya’ll, I needs a new job…

Here’s the catch, I will not settle for the bullshit. I have grown up bills. My husband is an excellent provider but we are not living in the 90s and the cost of living in the DMV area is not for the faint of heart. I gotta work. Ain’t no way around that. I’ve been at this job since 2011…it’s 2019. How’d a millennial outlast the rotating door of management in her position?

So boom, check it…

I got this job right out of college after relocating to the DMV area; making great money for a new college grad. I was in a 3 year grad program that required a crazy amount of internship hours to graduate. My job was super flexible. I would come in late or leave early every day of the week and just made sure I hit 80hrs in a pay period. I graduated with my MS in Counseling. Six months after graduating I was pregnant….on purpose. Why I decided to get pregnant right after graduating is a story for another day….it deals with women’s health and the ever so presence biological clock.

Anywho…no one wants to hire a big ole pregnant lady right. I showed mad early for a first pregnancy. There was no hiding it. In fact, I went on an interview and trying to hide it in a plus size dress was a complete debacle. So, I stopped the search. During the three years of grad school I got new duties in my position every year and  an increase in my salary twice a year…shout out to the state of Maryland! While on maternity leave with Marleigh (baby number #1), I continued to look. Then I had a convo with another new mom and decided, taking on a new job as a first time mom would be more difficult than just doing my current position with my eyes closed.

I got a few offers from other organizations along the way but the pay was NO BUENO!! I wasn’t about to take a pay cut when I knew I had the student loans to prove I had a master’s degree. Time went on. Got married. Seven months later, Caleigh was in my womb. During the time between both pregnancies I aggressively looked for a new job. The money and commute was not conducive to my work-home balance and I wasn’t going to settle.

Here we are, 3 months postpartum. I had a great interview earlier this year. It ended with me telling the guy my salary requirements. His response, “Yeah, that seems to be consistent with what I am hearing from others with your experience. That’s a bit higher than we can offer.” I ended that call knowing that I wouldn’t be moving forward, regardless of the fact that he pretty much wanted to pick my amazing brain regarding the freshmen course I use to teach.

I used to be super annoyed, depressed, and I questioned God. Why the hell couldn’t I find a job, any job, paying more? Why was I still in the same office? I would be a bit embarrassed when new hires asked why I was still here. Then I realized, I’d rather work for the devil I know while I focus on my OWN goals. These people don’t bother me. I get to work on things I need to for myself while on the clock (don’t tell my bosses). My grad school professor told me a few years ago that I wasn’t going to find a new job because I was supposed to work for myself. I shrugged it off.

Here’s the thing, in 2019 my generation is now required to pay out more than any previous generation. Our cost of living is crazy. Black women are the most educated demographic, yet we consistently make less than our white counterparts. We are taught to be exceptional when mediocrity is tolerated for the masses. Guess what though, I’m not settling. I have far too much student loan debt from these degrees to settle for some bullshit pay and a job that has no potential of growth. At this point, I am hellbent on making my own lane and pursuing a career that will lead to financial stability for my offspring. My girls will be taught that working for a company that doesn’t care about it’s employees is not the way to go. We will leave them a legacy; an inheritance. They will own the company and they will manage it with empathy, carissma, and a business sense that is unparalleled. We are building a dynasty and my husband has planted the first seed with his business.  

Ya’ll, I needs a new job… I will create my own PATH!

Alexa, play Watch Me Work by Melanie Fiona