I Did It Anyways Mila Sanchez - When I Grow Up

I Did It Anyways Mila Sanchez - When I Grow Up This series used to be called  The Recession is Bullhonkey series, where I shared stories of those who had gotten hired and/or started their own businesses (or sometimes both!) since 2008. In 2016, though, it felt irrelevant, so I’ll now be sharing these made-my-dream-career-happen-despite-challenges-and-adversity stories under the title I Did It Anyways, because by golly, they did! Sometimes knowing what you dont want is just as or more! important as knowing what you do want! Milas story, below, exemplifies that so well. Happy reading! I hated high school, and college was the last thing I wanted to do In high school, despite hating school and not knowing what I wanted to do with my life, I was getting pressure to go to college from almost every direction: teachers, classmates, well meaning family friends. So, I went…and promptly failed after only one semester. I decided to drop out indefinitely, to which I heard to nauseum “you’ll never go back,” “you’ll never get a good job,” “how will you get your MRS?” As frustrating as all of these statements were, I stuck to my guns this time, and pulled out of school. I maintained my job in retail, and did some personal reflection. What did I want in life? What was I good at? What do I like in general? Deciding to finally go My conclusion at the end of three years: I definitely knew I didn’t want to work retail anymore and I needed to find someway to get out of it. I knew I liked learning about languages and other cultures and that I had a deep desire to travel. I wasn’t sure what I could do with all that yet, but after years of people reassuring me that if I went to college I would magically find a career, I jumped back in with both feet. With new found motivation, I went back to school, proving everyone wrong that said I would never go back. During my time in school I did fairly well for a person who had previously hated school. After recovering from the one failed semester three years before, I was able to maintain honors status for the rest of my time in school. I truly believe the time off was able to give me a new appreciation for learning and motivation to succeed. Because of my desire to travel, I decided to take a semester to study abroad. I had read about the many benefits of studying abroad and knew it would be a great way to find a new perspective and perhaps help set a career direction. I chose Japan, as I was (and still am) fascinated with the language and culture there. It was around this time that I finally settled on a Linguistics major with a minor in Japanese Studies. Finding a place at my school Once deciding my major and returning home, I got to know my fellow classmates in the Linguistics department. Finding like-minded people who loved languages like I did was a great experience for me, and helped me to find subjects I loved learning about and got me more involved in school activities. I was lovingly coerced into leadership positions and internships, both which I immensely enjoyed and helped me gain important skills and experience. I was taught by arguably the best professors to grace my mediocre University, and got an amazing overall experience. The time came for graduation. Most of my cohort could rest easy at graduation because they knew where they were headed next: off to a new job or onto graduate school. While I was highly decorated at graduation with cords noting honors, first generation status, and student leadership involvement, I still had no idea what I was going to do next. I knew I couldn’t go on to grad school just yet. While I did enjoy school, the mental stress involved with school had taken a toll on my physical health, and I needed a break from school much like the break I needed between high school and college. I knew I had to get to a good place mentally before I could make the huge decision to continue my education. With grad school out of the question, my other option was to find a job. Turns out, though, there is not much you can do with a bachelors degree in linguistics. What am I going to do with my life I took a few weeks after graduation to just relax before I really got into the stress of job searching. Much binge-watching ensued and muscles dissolved. As I started to think about job searching, a facebook friend posted a job opportunity; teaching English in Japan. My study abroad experience mixed with my linguistic expertise made me a prime candidate for the job. I applied, I interviewed, and I accepted the job all within a month. It would be in a little over two months that I would find myself in Japan again. My experience teaching in Japan was enlightening. While the company I worked for was not so great, interacting with my students paired with new travel opportunities and experiences made for an interesting year. I learned a lot about myself, and what I want out of life, and even the kind of career I desire. While I don’t think I want to be a teacher, I know I want to work with international people and stay connected with the rest of the world. I want to be able to travel, though I don’t think I can live away from my family again. I feel I have a little more direction now, and with more life experience, I hope I can one day land my dream job, whatever that will be. Bio: Mila Sanchez is a writer and recent college graduate with a BA in Linguistics. Her ambitions in life include traveling the world, learning languages, and taking pictures of her dog, Baymax. She and Baymax can often be found hiking in the foothills near her town. Follow her twitter and instagram Im almost ready to open up applications to work with me one-on-one, including some exciting new offerings! Learn more + get on the waiting list now to get first dibs. With only 3 spots to fill (and no obligations in filling out an application), the early birds will get the worms!