From small school in the Bronx to internship at Goldman Sachs
How a strong self drive and Champions can shape your life!
Over time I have come to realize how fortunate I have been. Of course I have worked hard to be where I am and still continue to progress, but I couldn’t have reach this level without drive and help from some very influential people in my life. I’ll start in high school.
I went to high school in the Bronx, New York, during the late 90’s. This was an fun time because this is when everyone had beepers, CD players of multiple colors and music was great! It was great at many genres from Hip-Hop, R&B and all the great Bachata and Salsa you hear now came from the 90's (haha! I know I’m going to hear it for this!).
Let’s get back on track…
Every since I came to this country, I have made it my goal to make my mother proud. She is a great women that sacrificed her life, twice, to get both my brother and I to this country. Knowing this, I knew I couldn’t let her down. Imagine if I would have failed out of school and been out on the streets. Her heart would have been broken, and all her efforts would have been in vain. I love my mother too much to let that happen.
I had one job, and that was to do my best in school!
I had this drive to not just pass my classes but to do well, because I knew that was the only way to get into a good college. And this had been imprinted in me, just like everyone else. Do well in school, go to a good college and get a good job! Of course things have changed a lot in the past 15+ years, but let’s not get into that now. The point is that I had do all those things for my mother. I had one job, and that is to do my best in school!
There are two main types of motivation, extrinsic, and intrinsic (according to psychology). Of course from above you can see that my motivation to do well was intrinsic (Family) — but to put it more specific, my mother. So I am adding a third category! This type of motivation is one of the strongest because it doesn’t rely on some external reward but instead it is driven by internal means which can persist through many obstacles. This is what helped me during my early years in school. It wasn’t until one person in high school that accelerated me to the next level.
One person made the biggest difference
During my junior year in high school my college guidance counselor started pushing a few of us to get ready for college. She even went as far as getting us out of class if we needed to get something done. She was tough, but it was the right type of attitude and push we needed. She knew exactly what to do, and I had no clue. I had no source of reference of this from any one in my family, since we were the first generation to go through this. She was exactly what I needed, and I trusted her and did everything she told me to do. This definitely paid off, and I ended up getting a great scholarship to go to a private school, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). I am extremely grateful for her, Mrs. Murphy!
At RPI
So I am at RPI, and I have no idea how or what I am going to do. I just knew I wasn’t going to waste this opportunity. RPI is in Troy NY, and it was a complete 180 from being in the Bronx, and I loved it. It was cleaner, tranquil and people where a lot nicer. Not seeing a bunch of buildings surrounding me felt a little weird because now I can see as far as my eyes can see.
Out of most of my peers at RPI I felt like I was the only one enjoying my time there, although classes were tough, I loved the environment. That should have been a clue that I did not belong in a city, anymore!
I joined RPI as part of a scholarship for minorities. I am grateful for receiving that scholarship but also grateful for meeting the people involved in that program including the volunteering students. A person from the staff later became dean of minority student affairs and she looked out for me. She helped me through many things, and that made a big difference in my life — specially while trying to survive college.
From sophomore to senior year I was trying really hard to get an internship and it didn’t happen until my last year. All those failed attempts while going to career fairs was not motivating, but I kept trying. Fortunately I had a good support system, specially from my brothers (yup I had join a fraternity — Phi Iota Alpha). Until one career fair during my senior year where a brother gave me the opportunity to interview with recruiters from Goldman Sachs (GS) and they finally said yes — yet another person I owe a lot to. He opened that initial door and allowed me to show what I was capable of.
At Goldman Sachs
While at GS and up to now, there were people that have been very influential and shaped my life and career. These people I refer to as Champions! These are the people that had a genuine desire to see me succeed. They were either giving my advice, pushing me, or even just opening a door. As you can see, you cannot do things on your own — I am not saying it is not possible but it’s a lot tougher. Having the right people on your side, having those champions is what will take you to the next level. Sometimes it happens with the person you wouldn’t even think of, but you have to keep your eyes open. And always remember to be grateful, because you will only find a few people to shape your life. So when you find them, really embrace them.
Conclusion
There are only so many things you can do on your own to improve your situation, soon you will need to understand that you will need other people in your life to help you get to the next level. Your champions! Be in the look out for them, but don’t let not having one stop you from moving ahead. This is when you need to rely on your intrinsic motivator — remember this type of motivation is stronger and can help you get through really tough times.
If you are a software developer like me and you would like some guidance, I am on Coding Coach where we can connect. You can find me @Omar D.
If you like more technical types of post feel free to checkout my technical post here DevKISS, and follow on twitter @DevKISSList1.
