The Confidence Factor: How I Learned to Trust Myself

I moved to Arizona a week after graduating college. No job lined up, no clear plan of what I wanted to do. For the next two months, I applied to anything that remotely resembled my past experience.

• Create a posting schedule? Can’t be that hard.
• Research target markets? We had at least a week’s worth of psychographics lessons in college.
• Experience with Facebook Ad Manager? I’ll watch a few YouTube videos.

I’d apply as long as I could check off at least half the boxes.

Then I saw a listing for Cyber Dive:

• Some kind of relatable experience (okay… I’ve got that covered)
• Knowledge of the Storybrand story framework focused on customers (that one might be tough…)
• Interest in journalism or a degree in such (Check! Thank you, KU Journalism)
• Experience with posts and paid ads on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and/or Snapchat (do mock posts I created for “clients” in college count?)

Two out of four isn’t bad, right? I’d never heard of the company, but their website looked legit, and who better to help kids stay safe online than someone who grew up on social media?

I had no idea Cyber Dive was taking as much of a risk on me as I was on them. Looking back, it’s wild to think I had the audacity to apply for “Marketing Manager” roles three weeks after graduation. But that confidence—or maybe naivety—got me in the door.

I began at Cyber Dive as a graphic designer, creating marketing materials for a product that hadn’t launched yet. I wasn’t leading anything, and that was fine—until May 2022, when my manager left abruptly, a few months before our product launch.

Suddenly, my to-do list expanded beyond design work.

I wasn’t exactly brimming with confidence. Every day, that little voice in my head kept saying, “You’re not ready. You don’t know enough.” And honestly? I didn’t have much experience to pull from. I was overwhelmed. But something inside me knew this was my moment—sink or swim. If I wanted to prove to myself (and everyone else) what I was capable of, I had to step up.

One of my first big projects was creating the packaging for the Aqua One smartphone. I remember staring at my screen, feeling paralyzed by the sheer number of directions I could go. But, piece by piece, I worked through it. Every decision I made chipped away at the doubts that had been consuming my head. And with each success, my confidence grew. That packaging project? It led to even bigger opportunities—like working on a commercial that aired during Nickelodeon’s Super Bowl Slimecast and designing a billboard for Times Square.

The truth is, confidence isn’t something you have; it’s something you build. Slowly. By showing up, even when you feel completely out of your depth. At Cyber Dive, I didn’t just grow as a professional—I’ve learned more about myself as a leader and as a person. Every project, no matter how small, was a step forward. I started to see challenges not as walls, but as opportunities.

So, to anyone who feels like they’re not ready, or like they don’t have enough experience, here’s my two cents: take the risk. Trust that you’ll figure it out. And if you can, surround yourself with people who see the best in you, even when you don’t. Because one day, you’ll find yourself believing in you too.