The toughest obstacle I had to overcome to get to this point was the time when I could not find a job to save my life. I graduated with my 4 year degree and I thought that would be enough to get an entry-level job. Boy, was I wrong!! I made the mistake that many young job seekers make. I marketed myself as a generalist. When I'd meet hiring managers I'd say, "I'm ambitious and I want to learn, I'm happy to file and answer phones and work my way up!!" The problem is, that's what EVERYONE says!! I was not telling the employer why they should hire ME, instead of the other shiny, new, ambitious candidates.

The moment of truth came one day after three particularly grim interviews. I got an eviction notice earlier in the week and I was absolutely desperate. I'm sure that everyone I met could sense the dire situation I was in, because no one was going to hire me. I didn't have money for subway fare so I started to walk from Grand Central to my apartment in the East Village, a 30 block walk. My cheap payless pumps started to shred my ankles so I took them off. There I was, on a 96 degree day in a WOOL suit walking barefoot through the streets of Manhattan. Somehow, I felt that everyone I met KNEW what I was going through. And then, out of complete exhaustion, I started to cry. What was interesting was the reactions of the people I passed on the street that day. Some people LAUGHED because I was such a mess. Others were nice, they said things like, “Hang in there, you’ll find something tomorrow.”