so, this is it?

Disclaimer: All stories are real experiences, however names have been removed for privacy purposes.

Once Marvin told me the news, I cried the entire weekend.

When I arrived to work on Monday (with the inside scoop), our team received an email about a mandatory meeting at 10am. I looked over at Marvin and he gave me the “look,” so I knew what was about to happen.

While holding manila envelopes under their arms, HR personnel let us know our roles were being eliminated in two weeks and we’d receive one-month of severance. They kept Marvin, but demoted him from a manager to inside sales rep reporting into a new business unit.

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In addition to losing my job, there were a few things happening in my life that I hadn’t quite navigated through yet. A month prior, I ended a relationship with practically nothing and moved into my own apartment. I could move back home with my parents in Jacksonville, but I refused to make that an option. I was 23 and was determined to figure it out and plus, I didn’t fully experience Atlanta yet.

For the next three weeks, I sat in my empty apartment looking for a job. I wouldn’t let people come over because I had no furniture — only an air mattress in the living room. I had to make my last check stretch for the rest of the month, so I was eating ramen noodles and Wal-mart rotisserie chickens like back in my college days (lol).

Although there was a lot hitting me at once, I didn't feel hopeless. Prayer helped a ton and required me to spend more time with God. It gave me a feeling of calmness where I could truly reflect on what I was/was not doing for the past year, and how I was going to make the proper changes. Almost like a purge or a do-over.

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Soon after, Marvin called to inform me he got a new gig outside the company and that he recommended me for his position. They called me in for an interview and gave me an offer the following week -- now with a new salary and uncapped commission. There was a side of me that was bitter I was going back to the job that laid me off, but I channeled that energy into making sure I was on my shit.

I was determined to prove myself because I knew I was at a disadvantage by not knowing as much about technology, but here I am. The only Black person on the team and according to Marvin, the first Black woman in software sales they’ve seen.

Let’s go.