In this week’s episode of Promoted, Merit America alum Daniel Sanchez opens up about overcoming a major career setback—losing his job—and how it fueled his journey to becoming an IT Help Desk Specialist. Hosted by career coach Pat Reynolds, this episode explores the value of persistence, feedback, and seeking support during challenging times.
Key Takeaways
Whether you’re new to the industry or thinking about switching roles, it’s highly likely that you’ll experience some form of rejection in your career. Regardless of how it happens—whether through unsuccessful job interviews, internships, or even being ghosted via email—rejection is something everyone encounters at some point. It’s how you respond to it that matters most.
Some positive ways of dealing with career rejection include asking for feedback, letting it motivate rather than discourage you, keeping track of your achievements instead of dwelling on fears, and not taking it personally.
For Merit America alumnus Daniel Sanchez, overcoming rejection became a pivotal moment in his career journey. With the guidance of his career coach, he transformed setbacks into actionable steps for growth. In this week’s episode of Promoted, Daniel recounts his personal experience of bouncing back after losing his job and the importance of knowing when to seek help.
Tune in to learn:
- How Daniel turned rejection into opportunity
- The value of getting feedback from your coach and peers
- How to recognize when to reach out for help
- How Daniel persisted and achieved his career goals
Check out the latest episode!
Tune in to Daniel and Pat’s full chat for expert insights and practical advice on overcoming rejection and confidently moving forward in your career!
Podcast Transcript
Daniel Sanchez: Hi, my name is Daniel Sanchez. I was a community organizer, and now I’m an IT help desk specialist. Today, we’re going to talk about rejection and how I got past that with Coach Pat and Merit America.
Pat Reynolds: You just heard the voice of Daniel, an alum of Merit America’s IT support program. Welcome to another episode of Promoted, a podcast about leaving low-wage work for good. I’m Pat Reynolds, today’s host and a Merit America coach. In this episode, we’ll be discussing dealing with rejection as part of the career journey. You’ll meet Daniel, who shares how he overcame rejection and landed a new career. Daniel, welcome to the show, brother. How are you doing?
Daniel Sanchez: Man, I’m doing fantastic.
Pat Reynolds: Let’s start with your background. Can you tell me where you were before Merit America?
Daniel Sanchez: Before Merit America, I was a community organizer here in New Mexico. I worked around gun violence, police reform, and fighting for better wages.
Pat Reynolds: A community organizer… You know, as a kid, we got those questions adults ask. What do you want to be when you grow up? What were your career aspirations?
Daniel Sanchez: I wanted to be a marine biologist and a paleontologist. I love dinosaurs, love the ocean.
Pat Reynolds: Awesome. And now you’re in the IT space doing big things there. Tell me, what led you to apply for Merit America and what were you hoping to change in your life?
Daniel Sanchez: I’ve always had an affinity for technology. I’ve always been good with computers and experimenting, and I always saw Merit America’s ads on social media. One day, I just clicked on it and it sparked my interest. At that time, I was working for the city as a community educator and youth mentor. And I was ready for a change. But I sat on the Merit America invite for a long time. Part of it was just like a fear of, can I do this or not?
Pat Reynolds: Right.
Daniel Sanchez: Eventually, I transitioned into a community organizing role. And it was incredibly difficult. At that point it was like, you know what? Technology keeps calling me. I ended up being the semi-IT person at work. Whenever people had computer issues, they’d always bring it to me. And I’ve always enjoyed troubleshooting and doing things like that. So I finally just took the leap and went for Merit America and yeah, it was a rollercoaster ride, man.
Pat Reynolds: It’s almost a year ago that we were having some deep conversations about dealing with rejection, both personally and professionally. So thinking back, can you recall any specific instances where you encountered rejection in your career and what happened to you?
Daniel Sanchez: Back then, I had gotten the biggest rejection anyone could get. I lost my job as a community organizer and I was terrified. I have three kids, what was I going to do? And the first thing you said was: I know you’re scared, but do not think of this as a failure. Think of this as an opportunity. Now’s the time to get busy. It was tough because your mind’s going a million miles an hour, thinking about all the things that could go wrong. And then you have Pat here telling you, get to work? In that moment, I actually was shocked. And I remember saying, “You weren’t just fired from your job.”
Pat Reynolds: I saw the type of work you were doing and how you were engaging within the cohort. It made me really believe in you. But like I said, I remember the moment you decided to bet on yourself. Can you share ultimately what happened during that time? How you coped with the moment of rejection? What strategies helped you handle it?
Daniel Sanchez: So in that moment, it was sink or swim, right? I had to accelerate. Because my family and my life depended on it. The bills don’t stop, Uncle Bill keeps coming every month. So I just had to start applying for jobs. Take what I had learned and start applying it. And then just build on my resume, build on my LinkedIn, build on my cover letter. I kept every single version of my resume and cover letters and every week, they got better and better. It was a transformative thing, but yeah, it was necessity. I couldn’t allow myself to fail.
Pat Reynolds: I hear that. So you’ve spoken about the importance of perseverance. You talk about being in the sink or swim dynamic, but at the same time, I recall that we discussed you getting the same type of position that you were already in, but you chose to stay with the program and said, ‘I had my eyes set on this.’
Daniel Sanchez: Right. I wanted a big career with upward mobility. So I was gonna go for that.
Pat Reynolds: So if anyone out there is struggling with rejection, what advice would you give them?
Daniel Sanchez: The biggest obstacle is whoever you’re looking at in the mirror. It’s all the negative things you’re telling yourself, like, ‘Oh man. I’m a failure, I can’t do this. I can’t do that.’ That’s where you have to say, I do get to bet on myself. And I remember you saying, You know what path you want, go on that path. You have marketable skills. Everyone thinks that IT work means you need to be an expert on computers. And that is not what it is. You need to be an expert at troubleshooting and talking to people, and at being patient. And ultimately the willingness to take a risk is the greatest asset that anyone in IT can have.
Pat Reynolds: Every time we catch up, it warms my heart because I go back to that moment, thinking about you betting on yourself. Have you found value in seeking support from others when dealing with rejection?
Daniel Sanchez: Yes. You and my wife were a huge support system for me. And Merit America offers mental health services for free. That was a huge change in my life because felt like I couldn’t carry all this by myself. I sought out therapy and it gave me a place to sort that stuff out. Letting people know, you’re struggling is the hardest first step that you’ll take. But once you do it, it’s easier and easier and it motivates you.
Pat Reynolds: I appreciate you sharing that. And I think that Merit America does an amazing job by offering that service to our learners. I want to hear a little more about what you’re currently doing now.
Daniel Sanchez: I found an awesome company here in New Mexico called Document Solutions. And I am transitioning from being a customer service representative into a help desk role. DSI is providing the training that I need, and the means for me to earn the certificates. We have a saying in my company that if you’re not learning, you’re dying. I live by that. You’ve got to learn constantly, especially in this field because technology is constantly evolving. So we have to constantly evolve.
Pat Reynolds: How has your life changed as a result of your new career? How has it impacted your family?
Daniel Sanchez: For one, it’s given me a path that I want to walk. In social work, there’s an earning plateau, and I was pretty much at the limit of what you can earn doing that. And now I’m in a field where the sky’s the limit. My family has a happier dad. I’m not so grumpy getting off of work. I think being freed from my old job opened up so much more in my life. I enjoy going to work every day.
I credit Merit America for a lot of things, like the opportunity to provide a better life for my family, and further my education. And honestly, I don’t think it would have been possible if I had just continued to stagnate.
Pat Reynolds: I love hearing that you’re staying on that path. I know you’re about to get that CompTIA Plus certification. What’s next for your career? Any specific goals or aspirations you’re aiming for?
Daniel Sanchez: Right now, the world is my oyster and I have a thousand goals. I’m going to do my best to achieve them. After certification, you can get into networking or cybersecurity or systems administration. Programming and development are also options. And one day I want to start a managed services business for smaller network environments. People who have small businesses with less than 20 computers, that don’t necessarily warrant a big expense to manage their services. Technology is becoming more and more vital to operating a business. When things go wrong you need to get back up and running. And I want to help alleviate some of that burden for small businesses.
Pat Reynolds: I love that! Brother, thank you for sharing your incredible journey with us, your willingness to share your experience dealing with rejection is ultimately going to help other learners on their career journey.
Daniel Sanchez: Me and my wife were talking about it the other day, and we’re like, ‘Wow, like a year ago, we were in a whole different boat,’ It’s just been blessing upon blessing, and I credit Merit America for a lot of it. And when Coach Pat says it’s rigorous, it’s intensive, high-speed, high-gear – it is. But it is so, so, so worth it.
Pat Reynolds: Thank you to our listeners, and if Daniel’s story resonates with you and you’re interested in exploring how Merit America can guide you toward success, visit our website at www.meritamerica.org. Until next time!