Sharing Something That Will Never Make It To The Site

Hi {NAME}, Last week I spoke about how our view of success is skewed by the fact that we are flooded with stories of rapid successes while the stories of struggle are left in the shadows. Thus far, I've spoken a lot about offers at top companies and large raises. I even shared my salary when I accepted my job at Microsoft. That's all well and good, but today, I want to share the other half of the story.The part where I submitted new applications every day and no one called me back. The part where every interview I had ended up with me losing sleep over a call back that would never come. In my article [How To Get A Job With No Connections](), I wrote about the 12 months after I had moved up to New York. This is the story of the previous 8 months leading up to that: June 1st, 2013 The first day of my first job. I had just moved to North Carolina after graduating from college. My first gig was in medical device sales. As is true with most new jobs, it was exciting. Our company was doing well and a new president has just stepped in to run the place. I was looking forward to my new career. Fast forward 2 months... Most everything I was told when I signed onto the job turned out to be the complete opposite. I was putting over 1,000 miles on my car each week, waking up at 3:00 am every day and wasn't allowed a reimbursement for my meals while I was on the road. I barely made enough to get by after my rent and car payment was due. I distinctly remember looking at my bank account at the end of the month and seeing $28.53. That was all I had to my name. In the mornings, I would microwave some ramen and that would be my breakfast before hitting the road at 3:30 am to be at a hospital 200 miles away by 6:00 am. Then, later that day when I came back to the office, I would have the inevitable meeting with my boss who told me that he "questioned my enthusiasm and whether I really wanted to be there." I knew something had to change. August 2013 Where do I even start? I think a lot of us ask ourselves this question from time to time... I was lucky enough to know what I wanted to do - digital marketing. But I was a biology major with 2 months of work experience for an extremely niche company. How would I ever get a job in digital marketing with those credentials? I did the only two things I could think of doing: I started applying everywhere and I began reading and learning as much as possible about digital marketing. September 2013 After not hearing back from any of the 20+ applications I put out there, I decided to reach out to alumni from my school (I literally had ZERO connections). Two of them were kind enough to introduce me to some of their contacts and set up interviews. One was even at Uber (the first go-around there)!! The next week I was finishing up a great lunch with the contact from Uber. A few hours later, I got an email from him telling me that they were looking for someone with more experience. Same story from the second contact. October 2013 Pissed as hell at the "corporate world" and their hiring process, I decided to try and start my own Search Engine Marketing firm. By the end of the month I had one, single paying client! Still no word back from any of the companies I had continued to apply to. November 2013 I began adding my side business to my resume for some digital marketing "experience." I landed 2 phone interviews! After which I was told that they were moving forward with other candidates who had more experience... I continued to push forward with my side business, while companies continued to turn me down for variations of "you have absolutely no experience." December 2013 Six months after I had started my miserable first job, it seemed like things couldn't get any worse. I was out of contacts and, apparently, entry level positions in digital marketing. Seriously, I think I had applied to every single one in the United States. I started contemplating graduate school. It was only December, I had some time to put together an MBA application, right (yea - definitely Austin - everyone spends one month studying for the GMAT and then applies for their MBA on a whim)? On top of that, I hadn't heard back from any of the prospects I reached out to for my side business... Then, out of nowhere, everything turned around. January 2014 I spoke to a high school friend of mine whose New York-based promotional analytics firm was hiring. I interviewed with them over Skype (which is weird and I definitely don't recommend), and - to my astonishment - they loved that I was Google certified in search and had my own side business. They hired me 3 days later. On top of that, I got contracted to build an entirely new website through my side business for a few thousand dollars! Two weeks later I sold my car and moved up to New York to start a job in digital marketing. Side Note: In case you were wondering, the best feeling in the entire world is quitting a job you hate. Don't Give Up On Your Goal! That is the moral of this story, and the reason I wanted to share it. Nothing worth doing in life is easy. In fact, life can take you to new lows when you thought you were already at rock bottom. But life also rewards persistence. In my experience, these rewards tend to come in cascades - it's a snowball effect. If you feel like you've tried everything - applied everywhere, exhausted your contacts, taken the courses, read all of the articles and want to give up... DON'T! Hit me up! I've been there, I know what it feels like and I want to help you through it. Best, Austin [Cultivated Culture] Land a job you love without applying online. How Can I Help You? 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