“At times, success seemed absolutely impossible but then I repeated Nelson Mandela’s quote: ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done.’”
“I migrated to the U.S. from Afghanistan, along with my wife and child, in 2014. In Afghanistan, I held various important positions in treasury, accounting, and administration. My work involved accompanying my foreign coworkers including Americans to different parts of the country, even to the most volatile provinces like Kandahar, a.k.a. the heartland of the Taliban. With the deterioration of the security situation in the country, threats grew to a level that I kept getting death threats from unknown callers.
In the midst of our fearful life we were able to migrate to the U.S. That was one of the happiest days of my life. The U.S., my second home, is where I feel safe and for me, that’s more important than anything else. Within a few days of our arrival, however, I came to know the biggest challenge for me would be finding a job back into my profession. After continuous failures, I was extremely disappointed and started looking for survival jobs. I got three of them and worked seven days a week on a minimum wage. Even then, at the end of each month I fell short in paying for my rent, utilities, and other bills.
After starting the [job search] training I realized why I had failed at my interviews. I found that my method for answering tricky interview questions, dressing, body language had all been wrong. With new skills, I felt more confident in applying for jobs. Eventually, we made it. I secured a full-time job and with my family took a sigh of relief. Now, we are in a better position to plan for our life, contribute more to this great country, and work for making a better future for our kids.”