The moment I decided to always learn

We all have definitive moments in our life when we make the decision to be better. I am going to share one with you today which fundamentally changed my life but, at the time I didn’t know how much.?

I was a 20 year old High School drop out who worked as a Teamster loader in the back of 45 foot dusty trailers building box walls on the twilight shift, 5pm - 11pm. This was a perfect schedule for a person who stayed up all night. I would return home every night take a shower to wash all the grime off me. I remember when I blew my nose the tissue was smeared with black soot. After one year I noticed when I woke up my hands were gnarled stiff in which I would peel each finger straight because I was unable to open my hands. I was a top performer in regards to accuracy of loaded packages into the correct trailers therefore I was approached by management about a supervisor position to operate my own dock. At the time I thought it was a honor because I no longer wanted to be in the back of trailers as a box chucker. I was offered a salary which I never had before. My tenure as a “part-time” supervisor; the quotes on part time because it was a salary position based on 20 hours a week but, I worked more than full-time; I learned a lot about leading a team, persuading people to work together, and a lot of paper work. It was difficult at first because Teamsters did not appreciate people who “crossed the fence” therefore were treated as a traitor. Nonetheless I was able to earn the respect of all my employees because I was upfront, honest, and no BS. If you did a great job I’d let you know. If you did a terrible job I’d let you know. When my team out performed other teams I rewarded them with a pizza party at work to show my appreciation. It quickly became apparent I was out performing other supervisors therefore I was moved around to underperforming docks to work my magic. I don’t think my superiors ever realized what my “magic” was which to me was simple. Treat people with respect and dignity. It goes a long way.?I operated this way for two years. During my last year the company decided to hire a new round of supervisors off the street with no experience. They were given higher salaries than existing supervisors. This made myself and many other supervisors angry because it showed us how the company did not value us. At that point I knew if I were to stay here I would go nowhere. It appeared to me the culture was if you work hard you are rewarded with more hard work. If you worked less you were rewarded with less work. I wanted nothing to do with it. The memory of my last day is still a vivid as ever. It was a warm Tuesday in June. The sun was still shining lazily hanging over the horizon. It was beginning of my shift where I was assigned the lowest performing dock in the hub. I went through my daily routine of gathering all my materials for work, setting up paperwork, and greeted my team as they clocked into work. We had our daily huddle after which I sent everyone off to their assigned positions. I stood at my station thought to myself, “Is this how it’s going to be? Working everyday for a company who doesn’t value me. Working at a job I don’t like. I need to get my GED so I can go to college and learn something I like. If I don’t walk out right now I will be stuck here forever.” At that moment I gathered my things, walked to each member of my team and told them, “I am leaving and I’m not coming back. See ya!.” With the same respect my superiors showed me, none, I walked right out the building without a word to my superiors. I remember when I looked back to give a final wave goodbye I saw heads peaked out the back of the trailer’s watch me walk away with a confused look on their faces while I smiled right out into the sunshine.

The next day I enrolled into my community college to complete my GED. I earned my GED in two weeks which I enrolled in the next semester at my community college. From that day forth I've never stopped learning. I enrolled in 20 units every semester and I mean every semester even summer for 5 years. I had no idea what classes take therefore I followed my gut which led me into a multimedia certificate program which introduced me to the world of digital media. From that moment on I've worked in the creative arts ever since whether it was graphic design, photography, illustration, video production, dancing, or music. I dabbled in at all but in the end I chose video production and post-production because it was what I loved. To this day I continue to learn something new everyday through reading books, talking to people, podcasts, courses, communities, and so on. The reason I dropped out of school was not because I did not enjoy learning it was because I prioritized fun with friends more which prevented me from attending classes. What I learned from that moment was to value yourself even if others do not. Listen to your gut, heart, or instincts it will let you know when something is off. You will be much happier pursuing what you love!