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HBCU Careers Magazine
74
It’s been over 12 years since I entered the work force and one thing that I’ve learned along the way is
that you have to take risks to be successful. I’m sure you’ve heard that before, but it’s critical to your
success. I’m going to share two risks that I took during my career with you and hopefully they will
provide some valuable insights as you begin your journey.
I had a successful job and career in Seattle. I was making good money and I enjoyed the work.
However, I was spending over three hours a day commuting. I wanted to work closer to home, but the
opportunities where I lived were limited. I’d always had a passion for coffee and decided that I would
step away from everything that I knew to pursue my dream of running my own coffee shop. My goal
was to work my way up from barista to manager. Unfortunately this didn’t work out and I found myself
laid off a few weeks before Christmas. This is something you will more than likely have to experience at
some point in your career. My advice, don’t let it define who you are as the next opportunity could be
right around the corner.
This was new ground for me. I have years of
experience assisting others find employment. Now
I had to put those skills to work for myself. My goal
was to be unemployed for as short a period of time
as possible. I quickly registered for unemployment
benefits and went to work finding my next job. I
began by tapping my extensive LinkedIn network,
joining the local job club, and scouring the web for
opportunities. Even though my contacts didn’t have
anything local for me, they did provide great advice
regarding my tactics and resume which were very
helpful. Ultimately it was the job club that brought
me to my current employer. In one of our meetings I heard that T-Mobile was hiring and I immediately
applied with them.
T-Mobile was also a risk. I knew that I would have to swallow my pride and start at the bottom. Starting
out on your career journey will be challenging; having to reboot your career can be even more difficult.
I decided to take a chance and restarted my career at the bottom as a call center rep with T-Mobile. I
quickly learned the other departments in the location I was at and mapped out my long-term career
goals. I knew I wanted to work with the government/corporate accounts team. To get there I had to put
in at least six months with regular customer care. I came to work each day and did what I needed to do
to get that promotion. It took nine months, but I did it!
Don’t Be Afraid to Take Risks
By: Sean Lynott, MBA, CPRW
Field Sales Recruiting Coordinator
T-Mobile