My Journey to Embracing Change | by Paris Scott
“I finally made it.”
These were the thoughts going through my head as I looked out the window from the 25th floor at my new job. I remember feeling so proud of myself and still in disbelief. Who would have thought someone like me would end up at Google? I certainly didn’t. My journey to Google is what I consider to be extremely unorthodox. I didn’t get here by going to a top university or being a genius. I got here due to failing multiple times but having the grit to keep trying no matter what.
In 2015, I had just graduated high school. I was a top-performing student with high grades but for financial reasons, I was unable to attend college. So for the next few years, I found myself working at multiple different jobs and feeling so unhappy with the direction my life had gone in. I worked at jobs like KFC, Walmart, Target, Burlington, and so many other dead-end jobs. I felt like I had lost control of my own life and I had no idea how to get things back on track. It was strange to see myself turn into a person who wasn’t high-achieving and always receiving praise. All the motivation I felt during my school years had completely left me.
It wasn’t until 2018 that I decided to go back to school. It wasn’t a traditional 4-year degree that I would be seeking; instead, I was going to a trade school. I decided I wanted to be an esthetician or a skin care professional. I enrolled in school and was enjoying things but then again that feeling of still being unhappy crept back into me. So after one semester, I dropped out. Here I was again living at my mothers' house working another job that I hated and not knowing what to do with myself. I could feel my frustration growing more and more every day. During this time frame, I felt as if I didn’t have anything to look forward to and I kept telling myself I just needed to make it to next week to keep myself going.
Things remained this way for me until 2020. The pandemic lit a fire underneath me and I needed to finish what I started. I re-enrolled in school, did my required hours, and took the Georgia State Board test to become a licensed esthetician. I was so proud of myself. I even started a business selling skincare products and providing facial services. I continued down this path until I had the realization that the life that I was creating wasn’t what I wanted anymore. I loved skincare, and still do but it was more of a hobby versus a career for me. This meant I needed to go back to the drawing board.
So here we were in the spring of 2022, Tiktok and Twitter were both running rampant with the #breakintotech hashtags. It was impossible to escape. Eventually, I saw enough videos on both platforms to convince me to do my research and see what all the talk was about. Due to my background, I figured that there were 4 ways for me to join this wave. I determined that recruiting, project management, digital marketing, or customer success would all be areas that I could relate my previous job experience to in any future interviews. To make this transition into tech a reality for me, I was going to have to show recruiters and hiring managers that someone with an untraditional background could have a positive impact on the team and bring a breath of fresh air into the company.
Not too long after, the Google apprenticeship program went extremely viral. I decided to go ahead and apply for the digital marketing track. In the meantime, I was interviewing left and right for multiple recruiter positions. I was so happy with the way things were going that I completely forgot that I had even applied to Google. Imagine my surprise when I received a request from a recruiter for Google to continue to phase 2 of the interview process. I was completely shocked. It wasn’t until then that I started to take the opportunity seriously and obsess over it all at the same time. After speaking with the recruiter and receiving helpful documents from him about how to be successful in a Google interview, it made me want the job even more. I had never interviewed with a company that provides candidates with information on how to successfully pass. I felt like it spoke volumes about what the workplace environment could be like.
After having two 45-minute interviews with separate people, I waited for almost two months to get a response back. Finally one day I emailed the recruiter asking if there were any updates and he emailed me back asking if I would be able to hop on a phone call later that afternoon. Of course, I said yes and I remember my stomach hurting so much as time seemed to drag by. Finally, it was time to get on the phone with him and he happily announced that I was chosen for the position. We then went over my start date, salary, benefits, and all of the other important stuff you need to know when starting a new job. I truly think this day was the highlight of my summer.
So many people ask me what I did to get noticed by Google and if I did anything special that helped me get this job. Honestly, I feel like luck was truly on my side. I also feel like this is just where I am supposed to be at this point in my life. I would love to end this off by saying that I have finally “found” myself but I don’t think that is possible to answer at this time. I can say this is the happiest I have been and I enjoy every second I spend at my job which is a first for me. I look forward to experiencing what doors this apprenticeship opens for me.
Paris Scott is a Digital Marketing Apprentice at Google and writes for the Apprentice Lens as part of the Blogging Team. She is based in Atlanta, GA, United States.
“Hello! My name is Paris and I am a digital marketing apprentice at Google in Atlanta, GA. In my current role, I work with an ads sales team that assists 10+ clients. I look forward to writing for the Apprentice Lens and being able to share my experiences so far. I truly appreciate the chance to express myself creatively since my current position doesn't leave much room for that. What inspires me most is music and my family. Thanks for reading.”