Don’t give up

Don't give up.

In 2008, I was a people leader with a job that I liked, and I decided that I wanted to do more technical work to make more money and get myself out of debt. I knew that I would need to upskill myself and that the journey would be difficult.

I'm often asked about my debt-free journey. In this article, I'll describe what I did, how I did it, and leave you with some tips in case you also have a big, scary goal like I did.

I was tired of living paycheck to paycheck. I had a fear of losing my job and losing things that I'd worked for all of my life.

I was tired of being chained to my debt. I wanted more freedom. I wanted to be able to have peace of mind, to travel more, to do more of the things I had been putting off.

I was tired of being scared to make a job change. I felt that I needed to stay where I was because I was comfortable and competent in the role, and it paid the bills.

Fear kept me stuck for a long time. I knew that I would need to put the work in if I was ever going to get what I wanted.

I went back to school.

I invested a significant amount of time and money.

I read thousands of pages of books.

I studied, learned, and honed my craft for thousands of hours.

I passed and failed many certification tests. Thirteen (13) to be exact.

I worked two full-time jobs (80 hours per week) for 2.5 years.

I found and communicated a win/win for me and the organization, which allowed for creative scheduling.

I sacrificed time with myself and my friends and family along the way.

I had to say no to myself—a lot.

Here's a timeline of my journey:

2008:

May - I finished my undergraduate studies earning a degree in Computer Information Systems. I decided that I wanted to get out of debt. I met with the VP of IT in my organization for advice about getting into the technology space. I decided to go the Cisco route. Cisco Systems is a leader in the IT networking space.

May - I bought three (3) Cisco training books and began my studies (This was the beginning of my new study regimen: I would go to work 2 hours early and study in the cafeteria before my shift each day).

2009:

August - I passed my first Cisco exam attempt (ICND1).

November - I started a part-time IT job (my first engineering job).

2010:

March - I failed my first Cisco exam attempt (ICND2).

March - I retook it and passed my next Cisco exam attempt (ICND2).

March - I bought two (2) Cisco training books.

July - I bought two (2) Cisco training books.

September - I left the part-time IT job.

September - I bought one Cisco training book and one video guide.

2011:

January - July - I completed three (3) Cisco training courses at the local community college.

March - I bought another Cisco training book.

March - I bought thirteen (13) used network switches from eBay to create my home lab and gain more hands-on experience.

July - I failed my next Cisco exam attempt (SWITCH).

July - I retook the exam and passed (SWITCH).

2012:

January - I passed my next Cisco exam attempt (ROUTE).

January - I passed my next Cisco exam attempt (TSHOOT).

February, March, June - I bought six (6) Cisco training books.

July - I began a network engineering job as a contract employee (This was when I began working two Full-time jobs, 80 hours per week). I met with my leader and proposed to work on both weekend days. Most of my colleagues didn't want to work on the weekends, so it was an easy win/win.

2013:

March - I was promoted from a contractor to a Full-time network engineer.

2014:

December - I failed my next Cisco recertification exam attempt (ROUTE).

December - I retook it and failed it again (ROUTE).

December - I took a different recertification exam this time and failed it (TSHOOT).

December - I passed my next Cisco recertification exam attempt (ROUTE).

November - I became 100% debt-free (Student loans, Credit cards, House, and Car).

2015:

January - Dad passed away from Cancer.

February - I was promoted to a Lead Engineer role.

April - At my people leader position, I won an award and trip to the Bahamas for leading the team with the best productivity numbers in the Southwest region.

June - I left the organization where I was a people leader.

I did it. It took seven years to do. I failed a lot throughout the journey. I spoke to people who had more wisdom than I did, I developed a plan, ensured that my leader was on board, and assured that I had a way to stay encouraged, energized, and motivated. Upskilling myself and getting out of debt were the hardest things I've ever done.

There were many times that I wanted to give up. I was tired of working towards something that felt so far away. I sometimes doubted that it would be worth it or that I could even see it through.

After I did it, I realized that it was definitely worth it. There's a huge weight that was lifted off of my shoulders and freedom on the other side. I felt like I could take more risks towards making a bigger impact. I felt more in control of my finances and more financially powerful. I felt that it would be easier to leave a legacy for my family and that my story could help others.

There was no way I could see the ending from the beginning. I had to let go of fear and trust in myself and that God would help me through it and step into it.

Here are 10 tips for you to create and sustain yourself throughout your journey:

1. Visualize what you want

What's your purpose? Why did God put you here?

What's your goal? What do you want?

What impact do you want to make?

2. Understand who you need to get buy-in from

Your leader

Your partner or significant other

Family

Friends

Yourself (Believe that you can do it!)

3. Get clear on what you're willing to invest and sacrifice

I invested money and time.

I sacrificed time with family, friends, and loved ones.

Are you ready to say No to some of the things you usually say Yes to?

4. Communicate what you're doing and where you're going to other people

Colleagues

Friends

Family

5. Become more self-aware

How do you usually sabotage yourself?

What are your goto excuses?

6. Create a plan of action to implement when you're sabotaging yourself, in excuse mode, or not taking action

What's one small thing you can do to kick yourself into imperfect action?

I will typically tell myself to start with 5 minutes. Most of the time, I end up putting in way more than that. The key for me is starting. What's the key for you?

What's an affirmation you can tell yourself to kick you into action?

One I use is: "I am courage. I'll never make the impact I want if I'm not courageous enough to do what I know needs to be done."

7. Motivate yourself as needed

Revisit your vision and purpose.

Inspiration/Encouragement folder:

I have a folder titled "thank you" containing emails, posts, and other notes that lift my spirits on-demand. This will come in handy when you're having a tough day.

Find articles, quotes, videos, podcasts, and books that give you energy and refer back to them regularly.

8. Track your progress and celebrate along the way

While on my debt-free journey, I had a drawing of a thermostat on both of my desks. The bottom of the thermostat showed zero, and the top had my debt of $160k. Every two weeks, I would shade in a little more until I reached the goal.

Every time I reached a milestone, I would celebrate. Sometimes I would celebrate by resting, and other times I would treat myself to something. Do what works for you.

9. Community - Find a community of people where you can be safe, judgment-free, supported, encouraged, celebrated, and accountable

My Courage to Impact Community.

Church, Community Center, Radio, Podcasts, Videos, etc.

10. Recharge your batteries.

You know yourself. Ensure that you take time to recharge your batteries when needed.

Everyone is on their own journey. Don't give up. Stay the course.

I'd love to hear from you. Tell me about your journey. Respond to this message with what you're working towards/the impact you want to make.

God bless you.

Shermain

PS. Sometimes I'm asked about the schedule I worked throughout my debt-free journey. Here it is for those of you that are curious:

My schedule:

Network Engineer position:

Mon - Fri 6am-3pm (40 hours)

Tue/Thurs evenings for network changes

People leader position:

Mon, Wed, Fri: 3:30pm - 8:30pm (15 hours)

Sat, Sun - 7am - 8pm (25 hours)

Initial publish date: 3/24/2021