Believing in yourself and finding your professional voice

Seven years ago, I was working as a delivery driver for a local sub shop, driving a 20-year-old car around town and depositing my cash tips into the bank after each shift so I could pay upcoming bills. I remember thinking I had just wasted thousands of dollars on an education that didn't amount to anything. I thought going to college and taking on student debt would provide me with tons of opportunities, but entering the workplace as a first-generation college student was challenging, and it felt like a never-ending task to find a full-time job in a competitive market with peers who always seemed to be a step above. How could my future have turned out this way? Did I miss a key internship flyer or job fair? Was I supposed to be in a different place at a different time?

Questions of self-doubt clouded my vision persistently and were relentless in their pursuit to eliminate my confidence.

After what seemed like ages, I accepted a full-time job in a field that supported my degree. It was an hour each way by train and I had to be at the office at 6 am each morning, but I was destined to make the best of it. Instantly, I met so many people in similar situations: drowning in student debt and taking any job we could get. We were placed under enormous pressure to deliver on work responsibilities and had a very specific schedule to adhere to each day, with impossibly low salaries. I remember journaling and reflecting: is this what the real world is really like? Do I just do this for the next 50 years until retirement? That can't be right.

I started to take my professional career more seriously to see what else was out there for me. I began subscribing to newsletters, reading research papers, and reaching out to people (sometimes complete strangers) asking if I could get coffee or have a call with them to better understand their roles and responsibilities. I knew I wanted to work in transportation and planning, but I had no clue how to get there when my current job was not related to the field and I had no direct lines to anyone in the market. I was banking on a few coffee conversations and phone calls to provide me with insight and direction. One conversation led to another, and in a few months, I found myself completely releasing all of my passions and dreams to acquaintances who knew nothing about me. Each conversation unlocked another path I could walk down, and eventually, I found myself interviewing for roles in transportation.

The next five years that followed took me on a rollercoaster ride through projects in different industries, ecosystems, and networks faster than I could keep up. I was accustomed to having a monotonous checklist of tasks I needed to complete, but suddenly I was advising federal, state, and local government agencies on decisions so they could tackle some of the largest transportation challenges they faced - sometimes being the only voice in the room. I had hard conversations with my managers about my interests and wrote down so many notes I was buying a new notebook every six months.

Each conversation set me up for even better conversations down the road. Yet, there were still so many days of self-doubt, confusion, frustration, and imposter syndrome . How could I, a kid from a small rural town be giving advice and direction to hundred-year-old agencies? Who could possibly be trusting my judgment when I myself felt like I didn't understand all of the transportation hurdles in the world? How was I ever going to learn enough to understand the intricacies of this environment?

I learned to appreciate my own gap in knowledge and lean on others for clarity, understanding that I will never be able to truly know everything about everything (and that's ok!).

As I continue to grow and evolve into a more confident and efficient professional, I want to continue to be challenged. I've had so many opportunities fall into place just because I stood up and raised my hand, even if I didn't know if the outcome would be beneficial in the long run. I've also been lucky to be surrounded by mentors and leaders who take chances on me, even when I didn't deserve it or feel prepared to take it on. I want to be that for others, continuing to merge humility with hard work.

Growing into your professional voice is a marathon, not a sprint.

There will also be many, many setbacks! Do not give up on yourself or your journey - each step you take is a step forward into who you want to become. The world around us continues to spin, whether or not we are happy in our careers. If there's one thing I learned during the ongoing pandemic, it's that life is short. Now is the time to go after what you've always wanted to do.

Last week, someone I look up to shared with me how proud they are of me and what I've accomplished. After I hung up, I thought to myself, I'm proud of me too.