The Journey of Transforming a Dream into a Career

When Maria was young she did not have a clear mind of what she wanted to do when she grew up. She loved helping people and she knew that she was going to make a big impact in this world. She did not know how or when but she had faith in herself and in her capabilities.

There were three main influences in her life, her move the U.S, her parents, and her love for people. Maria was brought to the United States at the age of 12. It was a difficult journey being removed from her friends, her family, and her native country. Although she felt like this was a big challenge, she found an opportunity which was to become a professional and the first college graduate in her family. Her parents worked very hard to provide a living for her and her two sisters. Her father went from being the owner of a successful distributing company in Mexico to driving 18 wheelers in Texas. Her mother on the other hand switched her social and comfortable life to become part time cleaning staff and part time babysitter. They both worked very hard and long hours to support and provide for their daughters.

This scenario made Maria to push herself to become the best in everything she did. In one year she learned English and was rapidly moved to regular and even AP classes. She graduated with honors in high school and was involved in the schools dance drill team, where she held a leadership role. Growing up she was always a caring and loving person. People came to her to ask her for advice and she was always willing to help and love those needed it.

When Maria graduated from high school her hardest decision was not what school she would go but instead what major she would choose. She always knew she wanted to go to college but she did not know what to major in. Maria asked herself what major fits the best with the qualities that I currently have? and what I would like to do?. She chose to become a psychology major at the University of Houston. Due to the large amount of students who had entered the university that semester, Maria did not get to take her first psychology class that semester.

Maria was never very comfortable being the center of attention, because she thought of herself as being and introvert and instead enjoyed calm situations. She wanted to help her parents financially, so she got a job through a friend as a Sales and Marketing Associate at a cell phone store. Maria was nervous at having to sell stuff to people but as time went on she became more comfortable and began to love the job. She loved the fact that people came to her with needs and she was able to help them make the best choice possible. She created lasting and trusting relationships with her clients and they cared for her.

At this point Maria learned about the Restaurant and Hotel Management program at the Hilton College in her school. It was the second best program for hospitality in the U.S and it possessed the best faculty available for this program. Maria loved traveling and different cultures, she saw herself traveling the world and having an international job. She then became convinced that she could still serve people, become a business woman, and help her clients. Maria then, for the second time in her career, changed her major now to Hotel and Restaurant Management with a minor in tourism.

In order to become part of the program Maria had to not only take classes but also work in the hospitality industry. Her job at the cellphone store had become too stressful due to the long hours and all the time it took away from her studying time. Through a friend she found out about an opening at Chick-fil-A for a position as a cashier. Maria wanted to learn more about running a restaurant or a hotel and this was a great opportunity for her. She was at first skeptical about the job, but as time passed she fell in love with the culture of the company and the people. Working as a cashier was not easy, she had to work shifts of 8 to 10 hours while standing. There were days where she would get home and her feet could no longer stand the pain. She was taking 15 credit hours while handling a job that although she loved, was very exhausting physically. 

Maria liked working at Chick-fil-A because she got to meet new people every day. Sometimes she even had customers come tell her that because of her great service their day was made. They were very flexible with her schedule which allowed her to have a good school and job balance.  Her managers cared for her, her professional growth, and her education. She did not have to work Sundays which allowed her to spend time with her family and recover from the hectic week. She felt like she had chosen the right career and had the goal of one day owning a resort of her own. But things rapidly changed for her. She had to find a new job because the second part of her undergraduate could not be completed if she did not gain experience in another area of hospitality. She was very sad about leaving her job but at the same time excited at what she would learn at her new job.

Maria then found a job as a hostess at an elegant Italian restaurant near her area. Maria’s goal was to become a waitress at the restaurant but because of her lack of experience she had to first become a hostess and then train to become a waitress. She trained for a month, but this was not what she expected. Her managers were not very understanding of her obligations at school and would sometimes have her work 30 hours per week. She was also taking 5 classes at school and this became overwhelming and stressful for her. When she began working with the restaurant they told her that there were certain days that she could not take off. Those days were all holidays ranging from Christmas to Mother’s day. Because of the elegance and because of how expensive the restaurant was, only high income clients visited the venue. The people were not very nice; instead, they were arrogant and careless about the waiters.

Maria rapidly lost interest over this career. At school she could no longer stay engaged in class because she felt like she could learn everything she was learning by working in a hotel or restaurant for 6 months. She thought about the future and the life style that she would have if she stayed in the hospitality industry. She wanted to one day be a mother and a wife and she did not feel like this lifestyle fit the desires that she had in mind for her family. She would be working for most of the special moments such as father’s day and Easter.

Maria went through a mild depression because the career that she thought she wanted no longer motivated her. She was lost and did not know what to do with her life. After serious consideration of her choices, Maria decided to look at the future and work backwards. Maria decided that her love for people had not vanished. She set a dream for herself, she would one day establish her own social entrepreneurial organization. This would not be house of charity but instead a sustainable business that would educate children and help their families out of poverty. 

For the last time she changed her major to Marketing with a minor in International Business. Maria now enjoys her classes and is grateful for the new and amazing knowledge that her faculty pours into her. She is passionate about her what she learns and her major. She does not want to start her organization right out of college, but instead wants to go into the private sector and gain business experience. By being part of the business school and by having numerous jobs and internships, Maria has developed professionally. Maria is still an introvert but she is now more confident in where she is and where she wants to get. She has learned that in order to move up and accomplish her dreams she needs to reach out, meet people and extend her network. She has an offer waiting for her after graduation this December from a fortune 500 company. Maria has an end goal and a starting point already set out but the journey in between is still waiting to be written. 

Maria's Journey Map