After putting in the necessary work to help make my brand come to life, I knew there were some other personal goals I really wanted to work on.
Here are a few of them:
Possibly going back to school for a degree in Nursing
Becoming a Bartender
Becoming a Real Estate Agent
The way I approached this unexpected job loss is as follows-- it happened for a reason, my prayers are literally being answered, so why not do everything I have ever wanted to do?! Whether I fail or win at these ventures, at least I can say that I did the most with my time, and I tried something new.
Research, Make Calls, Write Important Things/Thoughts Down, & Repeat
I have never been a huge fan of extensive research. I have no issues with looking something up quickly, then moving forward, but actually going through different sites, books, and several articles, has never been my cup of tea; this is because I got turned off to how often I had to do research in Grad school. However, this researching skill was vital for me to attain the new goals I have set aside for myself during this time. Therefore I would do as my sub title reads, "research, make calls, write important things/thoughts down, & repeat" the process all over again until I reached my desired result. The end result of this cycle made me proud and proved itself to be very beneficial.
Nursing Degree
After speaking to the correct people and sitting down with a counselor to go through my credits, I enrolled at Essex County College to take a prerequisite course towards my Nursing degree. The class I signed up for was Anatomy & Physiology, and I was terrified! I am not a math and science person, I am a writer and a creative person, therefore I knew that this course was going to be a huge challenge for me. After taking the night class twice a week for a month, I knew there was no way I was going to make it through with a passing grade. Not only because of the workload, but because of the professor having a very heavy accent, and a style of teaching that made it difficult for me to retain the information. For the sake of time, I will just say, you must know when to walk away after giving it all you got. I felt like I gave it my best shot for a month, even passed the first quiz I took, and although I was optimistic, I had to be realistic in knowing that this was not a challenge I was able to take on at this time, so I decided to table it for another time.
Becoming a Bartender
A friend/colleague of mine co-owns a bar/restaurant in East Harlem, called La Fonda Boricua, so I texted and eventually called him to see if an opportunity was there for me. When I spoke to him, I informed him of my current situation, and my experience in hospitality, and he informed me that I reached out to him at the right time as he was in search of a bartender/waitress! I met up with him later that week for a training, and within two days, I was working at the restaurant. My working nights were Thursday- Sunday, where I quickly connected with the staff and customers; they became like family to me in a short period of time.
While working there, aside from being taught a little bit of Spanish during my shifts, I learned how to make both classic and crafted cocktails. I worked at the restaurant for about 5 months, and had to move on due to the toll the commute was taking on my health and safety each night. I traveled back home past midnight every weekend from East Harlem to Newark, NJ, getting home around 2-3am each night. Although I no longer work there, the staff and loyal customers I connected with still remain close to me until this very day! I even had my website launch party/ birthday party at the restaurant in November, which I will talk about at a later time.
Becoming a Real Estate Agent
One late night, I was watching a reality show on Netflix that was focused on real estate agents in California entitled, Selling Sunset. While binge watching this show, I realized that I could do what these women were doing, and instead of me watching them do it, I should google some real estate schools in NYC. I attempted to get my real estate license twice in NJ, many years ago, but for some reason could not pass one portion of the test! I found out through my research that the test in NY is easier, so decided to start there. I found a school that taught you and hired you as well, so I reached out to them via email, and within a day, they emailed me back. A meeting was set for me to be interviewed and to set me up with the class. In order to get the show on the road, I had to invest $100 to buy the book needed for class. Although money was tight for me, I looked at it as an investment where I would receive a high return.
Funny enough, the one week advanced class, was the week of my birthday. Anyone who knows me knows, I do not work or attend classes on my birthday, because I am usually away on vacation. Since that could not happen for me this year, the biggest gift I wanted to give myself was this real estate license. I took the course for the week, made some amazing connections, and my teacher ended up being the broker I decided to work for after attaining my license. I passed the school exam on the first try and passed the state exam on the second try, and now I can gladly say that today I am a Licensed Real Estate Agent at CRUM Real Estate in NYC; this was and still is the best gift I have ever given myself for my birthday, because I made a decision to invest in me!
Moral of This Story
As cliche as it sounds, never give up. Never give up on both your short and long term goals, even if it does not align with all the degrees you have attained. In life, we should all know by now that the road we are traveling down is never straight. Our individual journeys come with speed bumps, forks in the road, and sometimes venturing down a dark path that you do not know how you will make it out of. However, all roads lead you to where you are supposed to be. So while on your journey, take some risks and take those leaps of faith into accomplishing things on what I like to call, "your dream list."
What is on your dream list? Please comment and share with us below!
Chapter 4 of my story will be revealed next Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020.
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Thank you for reading, and stay tuned!