How Pamellah Rebuilt her Career After Starting Over

Podcast Transcript

Pamellah: It doesn’t matter how you speak. It doesn’t matter who says yes to you. In a 100 nos, you get one yes. So I always believed and continued to believe in my strength, continued to build my confidence, and hoped that one day the yes was going to come, and it did come.

Bekah: Welcome to another episode of Promoted, a podcast about leaving low-wage work for good. I’m Bekah Thompson, today’s host and a Merit America coach. Today, we’re talking about navigating the workforce and career transitions while also navigating a new country. I’m excited to introduce today’s guest, Pamellah, who, after moving to a new country with her husband and family, entered the workforce and started a career transition into a new field. Welcome to the show, Pamellah.

Pamellah: Thank you so much for having me. I’m excited to be here and talk about my journey. Hopefully, it touches someone else, you know. So, thank you for having me.

Bekah: I remember a bit ago when you joined Merit America. It’s actually been really incredible watching your progress. You’ve been very resourceful and adaptable. You’ve had to navigate quite a bit. You shared with me that you’ve had to navigate immigration, learn a new language and a culture, and find your way into the job market. And I even remember in one of our first meetings, you shared that you like to figure things out first before asking questions. And it’s been very obvious from day one that that’s been evident throughout the program. So do you think you could share a little bit about what you were doing before the program and what you’re doing now?

Pamellah: So before the program, I wasn’t really working. I was home, a new mom, you know, trying to navigate through the country, learning the culture. I actually tried to do a couple of programs, like on Coursera, but there was something kind of missing, so I stopped. I was searching on the internet, like, “What can I do? What can I do?” I landed at some other institutions, and the reception wasn’t really good until I landed at Merit America, and my story changed.

Bekah: I love that. I want to kind of dig into a little bit more about where you’re at and how you got there. So let’s talk a little bit about your background. Can you share with the listeners where you were before Merit America? Like what kind of work you did.

Pamellah: Before Merit America, I had just moved here, I think maybe a year or so. Before moving to the USA, I was working as an operations manager, but I also had a manager above me. Growing up, I had aspirations for a stable career, and that kind of drew me to data analytics because after my graduation and having a bachelor’s in records and archives management, it did not describe me, but it opened doors for data and a love for data. So I did database, but something was still missing. I did that before moving here to the USA. At the time, I was living in the UAE—United Arab Emirates—and I lived in Dubai City. When I did database. I didn’t feel like my needs were met, but still, doing that, along the way, I met so many challenges, but I found a way of getting through them, and here we are.

Bekah: That’s awesome. What would you say were some of your biggest obstacles that got in the way of getting to your main goal with work?

Pamellah: My biggest obstacle was the recruiters, you know, decision makers, having to hear my accent. So for me, my biggest obstacle was someone taking me up because of the skills and the experience that you have, but rather how I speak, and not having the US experience. So that kind of eliminates me. For me, that was the biggest challenge. Even on the entry-level jobs that I was looking at, they didn’t want me because of my accent, but I had the skills and experience. Another thing was that I had reached mid-level—closer to senior level—but now it’s brought me back to entry-level jobs, which I also did not get. So that has been my biggest obstacle. But like I would wake up in the morning and tell myself, “It doesn’t matter how you speak. It doesn’t matter who says ‘yes’ to you. In 100 nos, you get one yes. So I always believed and continued to believe in my strength, continued to build my confidence, and hoped that one day the yes was going to come, and it did come. I had obstacles, yes. But at the end of the day, I’m happy here.

Bekah: Yeah. I love that. I appreciate your openness, honesty, and transparency about your experience navigating a new culture and country and some of the challenges that came with it. Especially coming from a background within operations management, you had a ton of work experience, but sometimes when you relocate, you have to gain new skills to make yourself accessible to the new jobs that are there. What was that like, navigating a new country while also being a parent?

Pamellah: Yeah, I mean, starting a new career and being a mom and in a new country, it was overwhelming. I felt like those days were like balancing learning and responsibilities at work. I know we discussed this when I was in the program, and you kind of wanted to know how I do it. It was really challenging, but at the end of the day, I kept reminding myself why I was in the program in the first place. I did some scheduling, and then my husband was also there helping me. It was challenging, yes, but at the time, I needed to plan. I would set time with him, and then he would help me. So, reminding myself why I was in the program and also having family support. It really helped me, and he kept encouraging me and also kept saying, “Just take it one day at a time to achieve your goals. It will eventually pay off. And it did pay off. So yeah, it was challenging, but I kept reminding myself of the support that I had.

Bekah: Yeah. I remember even during the program, there were times when you didn’t have someone to watch the kiddo at home, but you still made it work. And so those are some of the challenges I think a lot of parents run into, “How do I navigate the workforce? How do I look for a job? How do I pursue some additional learning so I can find a job when I have a little one at home? And you managed to do that. And I know it wasn’t easy. Now, I know you had been looking for a job for a while, even after the program. So, I want to know a little bit more about how you handled things like rejection or setbacks in your job search. You’re very tenacious, but what were some things that helped keep you moving forward and gave you encouragement or motivated you?

Pamellah: Looking for a job is never easy, especially when you’re in a new country and the only person that I know is my husband. So, you’re trying to build new connections, getting to know people, and then, of course, you have to look for a job. So I think job searching all over the world is not a situation that anyone wishes to be in. So it’s not easy. So, for me, handling the rejection, I kept telling myself, “You’re either comfortable now, or you go out and keep looking, and that will define you tomorrow. But if you feel sorry for yourself today, this situation is not going to end. It’s going to strain you forever.” And I kept telling myself, “You’re not doing it only for you. You’re also doing it for your family. Your family is also looking at you.” So, I kept telling myself, “Look at where you’ve been. You did not just come this far to reach this far.”

So, for me, the rejections do hurt, but you have to still go back and talk to yourself and let yourself know that you either choose comfort now and keep suffering, or go out and deal with the situation and you’re happy tomorrow. So, for me, yes, that’s how I handled rejections. As I said, no rejection is good, but you take it as positive feedback. Otherwise, you may never know what your weaknesses are. So, I kept working on myself, didn’t give up, trained myself more, practiced more, prepared for interviews, and talked to myself in the shower.

Bekah: You definitely put the work in. And that resiliency, it sounded like it’s deeply rooted in your ‘why’, which is, “I’m here to support my family. This isn’t just about me. It’s about other people.” And so maybe having that motivation not just placed for yourself, but within your family, I think that’s a really cool thing to share. What advice would you give to someone–maybe they’re in a similar situation—who might be struggling with starting a career transition? What advice would you give them?

Pamellah: Starting a career transition, there are a lot of things that you have to go through, and there is also a lot of talking to yourself, like, “Am I doing the right thing? Is it going to pay off?” But what advice I can give to someone is that it doesn’t matter when it happens. But when that moment comes, and you realize that you need a career change or transition, just do it. Don’t be discouraged. Find your support system. A career transition is inevitable. When you talk to yourself and realize that this is the time that you’re thinking about it, and you feel like it is the time to switch careers, just go for it.

Bekah: That’s great advice. We’d also love to learn a little bit more about what you’re doing right now, more recently. Are you able to share a little bit more about your new role and how you landed the job?

Pamellah: So, currently, I am doing something. I’m a life and health insurance agent, and I love the job because I’m passionate about helping people, you know, find what they want. So I like to help people, and I feel like this role is really describing me now. When I started my career early, in those days—I think 2012—I started as a sales agent in insurance. I didn’t like it because it was more like you have to go and tell people they need to have insurance. But now, that’s not this role. The role is that people come to me so I can educate them, you know, come to me for advice, come to me for help, you know. This is what I’ve always loved, like being in a position where I can help someone, where we can figure it out together. So, I love my job. It’s what I’ve always wanted, like being in a position where I can advise someone, where, you know, we can figure it out together. I actually landed the job through my husband. He applied for a job, and then a lady called, and then my husband was like, “Oh no, that’s not the job that I applied for.” And then my husband was like, “But I know a good candidate for you.” But I heard my husband speak on the phone. So before my husband could come and say, “Hey, this is the job.” Then I asked him, “Oh, by the way, with the other job you’re talking about—.” He said, “Yeah. I told the lady, ‘I have a good candidate for you, and the candidate is my wife. She has experience in insurance as an underwriter. She has experience in insurance as an agent. So, she would be good.” They gave me the details. I applied for a job. I went for the interview.

From that interview, I actually didn’t really think my boss would hire me because being in a position where you have to advise people, and then they have to understand your accent, you know. So my boss was kind of worried about that. And like I said, “It’s not until you go through certain situations that your confidence also grows. I remember confidently telling my boss in an interview, “I understand how worried you are about my accent, but I need you also to understand that people have come to me so I can help them find a plan that meets their needs. Don’t mind my accent. You’ve not come for my accent. You’ve come for a plan, and I’m here to help you. My services to you are free. You only pay for your plan, and I get paid by the insurance company. So I’m not charging you for consultation. I’m here to help you. Do you want a plan? You want my accent? I love that.” And I don’t know, maybe that went into his head, and you know, like 5 days later he asked if I was still interested in the job, and I said, “Yeah, I am.”

Bekah: You touched on a couple of things that I wanted to name that really stood out to me. You mentioned that your husband kind of helped network with you for the job that you got. That’s something that I think folks often forget—how important it is to utilize your network, and sometimes that’s family. That could be somebody who knows somebody. So I love that it opened a door for you. And I also love that you advocated for yourself despite any concerns about your accent. Like, “I know the product. You come to me for information about the product and to get advice on this thing. You’re not coming to me because I have an accent.” So, I love that you named that and you called that out and that self-advocacy because I think sometimes we need to be reminded that you bring a lot to the table, and so you’re highlighting all the skills that you bring. Thank you. Looking ahead, what would you say is next for you? Are there any career goals or projects you’re excited about that you want to that are part of your career path goals?

Pamellah: Looking ahead, I’m thinking—Jill and I shared this, and I think I told you before, and we kind of laughed about it, but I believe that one day I’m going to be a staff member at Merit America. I think at the moment, I’m settling into my job, learning the culture, interacting with people, getting to know people here, and making my connections. I’m also not doing this job just for doing the job because there is love there, and I’m thinking if I know this business properly. I’m looking at it as my retirement. So, opening my own agency, and continuing to help people. But also, I believe years from now, I’m going to be part of Merit America.

Bekah: I love that. You would make a great coach. Well, I appreciate you sharing so much about your journey of resiliency, pivoting when you needed to, and advocating for yourself. It’s been an absolute privilege working with you. So, I appreciate the time that you’ve put in at Merit America and here. So, thank you, Pamela, for sharing your story. I know it’s going to inspire other folks who are thinking about making their leap into their new career. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Promoted. If Pamellah’s story resonated with you, and you’re interested in exploring how Merit America can guide you toward a rewarding career, visit our website at www.meritamerica.org. Stay tuned for our next episode.