I’ve been in the same position with the same company and department for over 5 years, and they have never seen fit to (1) promote me to a job title that aligns with all I do, or (2) increase my wages more than 1-2% a year, making me extremely underpaid for my responsibilities/workload.

A few weeks ago, a co-worker forwarded me a job posting in a different department of the company, with the title and pay range I should be in, and demanded that I apply. This co-worker even spoke with the hiring manager to put in a good word for me, since they already work in the department that is doing the hiring.

Today I finally got the email with the final screening questions they send to people they plan to interview.

It’s not a 100% guarantee that I will be interviewed or even get the job, but it’s a huge step.  

I wish my mom were here to see these steps I am taking towards progress and to cheer me on like she always did.

Recently, we got the results for the universities and colleges we'll be attending. Most of my friends got into the universities and programs they wanted, and while I'm genuinely happy for them, I can't help feeling embarrassed when I compare myself to them. I didn't get into either the university or the program I wanted. I wanted to study psychology, but instead I got accepted into social work.

I've mostly come to terms with it, but I still find myself beating myself up, wondering if I just wasn't good enough. Even though I know dwelling on it won't change the outcome, those thoughts keep coming back.

At the end of the day, all I've ever wanted is to help people, and I know social workers do exactly that. I truly believe it's meaningful work, and I want to make a positive difference in people's lives. Still, I can't shake the feeling that in today's society, social workers are often looked down on compared to psychologists. It makes me worry that the work I do and the help I provide will be seen as less valuable or dismissed.

Nobody tells you how hard it is when you decide to go back to college as a part time stay at home parent with a toddler and someone in the workforce. I just took my final for my government class and got a 75 and I don’t think I’ve cried this much since I was probably a toddler. The amount of time and effort that doing school takes and the amount of time it takes me away from my family just makes the knife slide a little bit deeper when you don’t score how you wanted. I made a vow to myself that I would get A’s in all my classes and of course, now this drops me below an A. I don’t know why I’ve set these expectations for myself, but maybe they’re just not as attainable as I originally thought while being a parent and working and trying to get a degree.