Let’s take a trip down memory lane, back to my senior year of college. I remember being totally open to all kinds of jobs I might take after I finished school. I applied like crazy, and ended up landing a gig at Target Corporation Headquarters. It was located in Minneapolis, Minnesota—a place I had never been to before and knew absolutely no one. I had lived in the south all my life and never experienced snow before. I hesitated a bit – I had never lived so far from home (Texas) before. However, it was a dream job opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.
My friends thought I was crazy. Everyone asked: “Why are you moving to a random state where you know no one?” I was just ready to take a leap of faith for my career and go on a new adventure, completely out of my comfort zone. I was the first (and only) one out of my entire friend group and family to move this far away, to an unknown place, without anyone I know. I’m not going to lie—I struggled my first year living in Minnesota. I missed my hometown friends, family, and overall support system. It was challenging being a new place that you’re unfamiliar with, but I navigated my way through. I threw on a winter coat, worked extremely hard at my job every day, and met incredible lifelong friends and the best mentors I’ve ever known. Looking back, I realize it was the right decision and one that I never will regret—it guided my career path and led me to where I am today, happily living in New York with an amazing career and network.
We all navigate firsts, and with a little help, anything is possible. I wish I knew about Forté during my first year I was living in Minnesota. Forté is an incredible resource for early career women who are navigating firsts. The organization supports women through its experiential programs & resources, MBA process + support, and workshops + job center access for all career stages. Forté is such a groundbreaking and motivating organization, and I couldn’t be happier to spread awareness to my followers and showcase everything that they do! Forté also has FREE MEMBERSHIP – join this strong community and amazing network of 100K+ other women who are committed to equality today. For those looking to pursue their MBA, Forté has an MBALaunch 10-month guided program that can help you build your best business school application. #MoreWomenLeading Check out more HERE.
A huge thanks to Forté for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
