Have you ever been at a point in your career where you knew that you had come to a standstill, there were limited opportunities for promotion and upward mobility and you needed to take stock, set new goals and be responsible for your own destiny? When I was in the administrative field and saw that there were attorneys my age, and in order to get promoted beyond the administrative assistant field I would have to go back to college and complete my bachelor’s degree.
My dilemma. I was already working fulltime with two young children and I didn’t have the money to pay for tuition. I dared not quit my job, but I went to talk to a college guidance counselor at the University of Maryland College Park, and was told there were limited loans and grants available for women who wanted to return to school, with the caveat I had to go full time. The decision had to be made in less than two months. I stepped out on faith and confidence, and knew this was the one chance I needed to get the opportunity to finish my college undergrad degree and move up the ladder to a better paying professional career.
In 2 1/2 years, I completed my B.S. in business management at UMD College Park, while working 30 hours a week, got a promotion 6 months afterwards, and went on to attain my Masters certificate at Johns Hopkins University in Business Management, Leadership Development Program with a 4.0 GPA, while working fulltime in a very stressful job.
Can we push ourselves to do better, be better and excel in life? Yes, we can. Is it possible to be more determined and focused when your back is up against the wall and you have no where else to go but up?
Yes!
Can you tune out naysayers and your environment and progress on your own merits?
The answer is a resounding, Yes!!
It’s your life and your future.
Take control and create the vision and person you want to be.
-Connie Amos-Parsons, Owner and CEO
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Connie Amos-Parsons: Speaker. Author. Educator 