Feelings of a Career Shift: From IT Business Analyst to an Unskilled Worker
Life’s path is a tapestry woven with peaks and valleys. True achievement is marked by confronting and overcoming challenges, emerging unbroken and undeterred.
Upon dedicating four intensive years to studying computer science, I embarked on my dream career — a journey to empower my community with the help of latest information technology.
However, life’s course often defies anticipation. Despite our best-laid plans, unforeseen events demand shifts in direction. While my homeland, Sri Lanka, boasts breathtaking sceneries, tantalizing cuisine, and my own cherished memories, the burden of societal judgment and limited opportunities compelled me to seek horizons beyond my geographical roots.
Was I excited about this change? Certainly. Did my departure weigh heavily on my heart? Not as much. Though I long for my parents’ presence, my inability to physically care for them is the true ache. Nevertheless, our hearts remain connected, stronger than ever.
Coming to Canada as a self-funded student brought forth a formidable challenge. The struggle for survival, contemplation of the future, and the necessity to escape my comfort zone cocooned me in isolation. Fortunately, a friend facilitated my first role at McDonald’s, positioning me as a cashier and at the front of the store. “Having spent most of my life working from home, adapting to a 4.6 km trek through -40 Celsius winters to reach my workplace was initially bone-chilling but evolved into a sweet memory to cherish.” The initial confusion at the Canadian accent, fast speech, and the ubiquitous “eh” eventually subsided. The endurance of extended hours, a fast pace, and noisy supervisors have become tales to share.
Do all my 4 years of university and 2.5 years of IT career validate this? No. Did I study IT to wash dishes in the future and get yelled at in front of others? No. “I have to stand for my own decisions.” I was repeating to myself.
Entering the IT job market often involves enduring rounds of interviews, presentations, and documentation processes. Yet, my transitions — from McDonald’s to Save On Foods, and later to Walmart (my current part-time position) — unfolded relatively smoothly. Surprisingly, the catalyst for these shifts wasn’t my skill set or reputation; it was the network of acquaintances in the community who could directly advocate for my hire. Many IT leaders I encountered spoke grandly but acted meekly. Their directives purportedly targeted societal sustainability and workforce well-being, yet their ultimate aim often revolved around impressing superiors with performance metrics.
Contrastingly, my time at Walmart in a small town allowed me to genuinely contribute to society. I met familiar faces addressing me by name, habitual shoplifters in the town, and my amiable Punjabi companions. Despite having worked in prominent IT corporations that proclaimed diversity as a mission, I truly experienced diversity in my unskilled roles. My social circle predominantly consisted of individuals from Punjab, India, and the Philippines. As a Sri Lankan, I learned to temper culturally embedded judgments and refine my language to avoid causing unintentional offense. For instance, while “stupid” might be negligible in my culture, it could shatter a Filipina colleague.
My time here has molded me into a gentler version of myself. Isn’t this evolution of personality a positive shift?
Another milestone arrived when I secured a full-time position as a Financial Sales Representative at Money Mart Financial Services. For the first time in my life in Canada, I faced KPIs and sales targets head-on. This role provided a profound sense of purpose — whether cashing social assistance checks, processing Child Tax and Pension loans, or aiding fellow Canadians in grappling with mounting expenses.
Do I feel proud of where and what I am? I am and I will.
Life imparts wisdom through two avenues: learning from history and embracing personal sacrifices. History comprises books, research, and the collective experiences of humanity. Ideally, both approaches are needed to leave a lasting legacy and lead a fulfilled life. As a sales representative, I engage with a diverse array of customers, paradoxically sharing striking similarities. Unlike my IT encounters, where an individual delegated a whole company, the situations are similar. Despite accumulating knowledge over time, much proved inadequate in handling human dynamics. Here, experience and adaptability prove invaluable.
This journey has underscored the value of being dumb and openness to experiences; often, unlearning surpasses leveraging preexisting knowledge. Situations serve as potent teachers, refining our skills and building our confidence.
Unlike my IT career in Sri Lanka, my lifestyle here is always on the go and active. If I compare what I earn here in a month and what my sister earns as a Senior Project Manager working from, I definitely earn way more thousand dollars in a month.
But there is a colossal difference. I’m always working, mostly long hours every day. Yet I try to work out every day and complete all my household chores to keep up my lovely apartment lively and tidy.
Is it hard? Extremely. Not every one of us gets to face life equally. Life would be the last to be flat ground for all of us. Nevertheless, we can pick battles wisely. The hope of the future would be better impulses me to push myself forward.
I’ve discovered the essence of life an individual should never be complacent, whether it’s an intrinsic drive or an external goal. Settling stifles growth and narrows the stories we can pass on to future generations. Therefore, engage fully, 24/7. Loitering through life is not an option.
Yet, never make the mistake of chasing after individuals.
Until next time…..
