“Success is being able to support myself without someone else’s help. I’ve never really been able to do that. Being self-sufficient is so important to me.”
Even though the relationship with her boyfriend was healthy, like so many women, Rachel* found herself reliant on her boyfriend for her livelihood and security: housing, financials, and food. She realized that if her relationship ever ended, she would not be able to provide for herself.
“I relied on my boyfriend; he paid the rent because I couldn’t afford to. God forbid if something ever happened… I don’t have skills or income to support myself. But I don’t want to have to rely on a man. I want my own career; I want my own money.”
When she dug deeper, she noticed a trend amongst the women in her family.
“The women around me in my life, they’re all reliant on their relationships and the man in their life. For some reason, we feel powerless maybe or not good enough to be our own person, we identify with the relationship.”
Seeing that habit in her own family showed Rachel that she wasn’t alone in identifying herself by her relationship status and she dreamed of the empowerment created by self-sufficiency.
“I want other women to know you are your own person and you existed as a person before you met this man. You were here first, you existed before you were ever in a relationship, you are important. It’s important to take care of you.”
Rachel’s desire to find a path to self-sufficiency and get out of her current minimum wage position brought her to Fresh Start’s doors. She was introduced to the organization by her sister’s boyfriend’s mom who worked in service of the unhoused population. She told Rachel that she often referred women looking to upskill quickly to Fresh Start.
“I was looking for a new career and especially to get out of a dead-end job. I wasn’t making enough money and couldn’t pay my bills.”
Since it was her first time hearing of Fresh Start, Rachel did her due diligence and researched all its offerings. Fresh Start appealed to her because she inferred from the website, and the number of free resources, that the organization was genuine in its mission to help women.
“I saw that Fresh Start had so many resources and that they specifically help women, I thought, ‘Oh, they’re serious.’ I felt really stuck where I was and figured I’d try it. I enjoy learning about things and being better.”
With a little bit of experience in finance through an old job and the familiarity to the industry since her older sister works in banking, Rachel decided to apply to the Women in Finance program.
“It’s never really been my dream to work in finance, I always wanted to be a doctor. But I thought, ‘why not?’ I urgently needed to get out of my work situation and do something with my life. I saw the opportunity with Fresh Start as a major steppingstone.”
Rachel was accepted into the Women in Finance cohort that started in February 2024.
During the cohort, Rachel enjoyed discovering commonalities and the shared experiences with her classmates. In their time together, the cohort shared vulnerable moments that they strived to overcome, and Rachel was inspired by their resilience.
“One time, one of the women expressed that she felt overwhelmed, and she was scared. I had also felt overwhelmed, maybe for different reasons, but we still shared that same feeling. It’s nice to know that we’re all in it together, that we’ve all had troubles.”
As the cohort wound down, Rachel appreciated her newfound knowledge of the finance and banking industry. She also valued the career services offered through Fresh Start and utilized the time to spruce up her interview skills.
“Before I started at Fresh Start, I thought I’d always worked in minimum wage jobs, that that’s all I was worth, maybe I’m too stupid, too dumb, I’m not professional enough, I don’t have real career skills. But that’s changed and now, I feel like I can do it!”
To her surprise and disappointment, Rachel didn’t find the passion for a job in banking like many of her classmates experienced, although she found key takeaways and transferrable skills to carry into her next opportunity.
“I’ve really gained self-confidence from being in the program. Of course, I learned about banking and finance but for me that wasn’t really the focus.”
After the death of her mother, Rachel often asked herself, ‘Would she be proud of the woman that I am?’ Rachel recalled that her mom always worked minimum wage jobs, never had a steady career, and always relied on the men in her life to support her.
“Would my mom be proud of me when I’m sad and miserable at my job or would she be proud of me challenging myself and interviewing at these companies and trying to start a career for myself?’ That motivates me to keep going and to do better.”
Rachel is in the application and interview process for her new position, she plans to attend all Fresh Start Career Fairs and is optimistic about her career path. (as of 9-15-24)