This is a question I have wanted to ask for a while.
What is your biggest personal accomplishment? (Excluding kids and marriage).
For me it is my college degree. I remember in high school hearing everyone talking about college and I knew I just wanted that piece of paper. (hindsight, I should have put more thought into what was going to be on the paper, but it worked out Ok).
I was the first person on either side of my family to get a degree. I did it all myself, and the last 2 years lived completely on my own without any support from family - first 2 years I was at home. I came from a lower middle class background, mostly paycheck to paycheck and lived in a 12x50 trailer for the first 9 years, then into a little brick home that may parents built that we thought was a mansion.
I knew I wanted more and have worked hard with DH to get where we are. I like my job, and am able to give my kids more than I had, because of that degree. I often think, no matter what happens, no one can take that away from me ever.
One, that is entirely on my own, is my career success. I started out as a super junior copywriter and have now progressed to the point where I'm running my own division of a huge company, have spoken at industry conferences, and been quoted in articles. I don't even have a degree in marketing, I just busted my ass to learn as much as possible when I was still young and had no responsibilities to take up my time.
The second one is buying our home, which is kind of a joint accomplishment with DH. We bought our first home at age 25 entirely on our own with no help from anyone. I wanted to buy a house so badly after we got married, so we saved every penny we could to pull it off. I refused to keep living in an apartment and knew we could do it if we put our minds to it. I am still so proud of the fact that we were homeowners at such a young age. It really helped set us up for success with other things that have happened since then I think.
Post by traveltheworld on Jul 17, 2018 9:52:33 GMT -5
I have two too, both related to my career. One was getting into law school. My parents were immigrants and though both were well educated, they ended up working low level jobs and we were poor. My parents actually tried to dissuade me from going because I got a job offer from a big bank upon finishing undergrad and to them, a job at a big bank was a dream already.
The second was getting my summer internship at a magic circle firm. I didn't do well in my interviews with the top tier US firms and didn't get any offers, so I applied to the firms in the UK. One of them asked for an essay written by hand. So I did that, but kept making mistakes, so I wrote it over and over again until I had 8 perfect pages. I was later told by the HR manager that the only reason I got hired was that I was the only applicant (out of more than 2000) that didn't use white-out and she thought that showed my dedication.
That summer internship changed my life. I was well liked and got an offer to stay on after graduation, but when I said no and I'd like to practice in the States, the managing partner wrote a few emails to the top US firms and I had my pick of offers. Practising at BigLaw put me on the road to financial security.
Post by covergirl82 on Jul 17, 2018 10:05:13 GMT -5
Mine is from high school. I had wanted to be valedictorian since I was in middle school. I took college prep and AP classes, so I didn't just try and skate through with easy classes. My school awarded valedictorian title to any students who achieved a 4.0, so I was one of 9, but I was still super proud of that accomplishment.
ETA: When I wrote my speech and asked my parents to proofread it and let me know if I should change anything, my dad said, "Don't change one word." He still tears up reading it years later. (I wasn't a fan of the "I'm going to remember this person for this, and that person for that" speeches, so I tried to write one that would be inspiring. I wrote about how I hoped my classmates would take their "light" out into the world (I referenced the song "This Little Light of Mine", whatever they do after graduation.)
Maybe it's a tie between being a TA for Spanish and studying abroad in Spain and getting my graduate degree. Probably my graduate degree is a bigger accomplishment because it took 2 years while I worked full time. And I do really like my job now, but living in another country was pretty cool.
The first was buying a condo all by myself. I live in one of the most expensive areas in the country, and I bought a small 2 bedroom condo all on my own. I did it about 2 years after my ex-fi came close to ruining me financially, but I clawed my way back, paid off my student loans, and bought my little 625 sq ft condo with roof deck. I was so, so sad when I sold it.
Second was the last promotion I received. It put me on the leadership team for a Fortune 100 company, and one of the largest money managers in the world. I never thought I would have achieved it, and my boss made sure I knew that I got it in spite of him, not because. I was the youngest person in my dept to get it, and one of very few women (maybe 10% of the leadership team was made up of women).
I’d say friends. For me, I joined Greek life late, but I would not trade that and the amazing friendships I made for the world. At my Dad’s funeral I was shocked to see several college friends - during the work day, and some from hours away - that I hadn’t told about the funeral arrangements. Everyone organized to support me, and it remains one of the most touching moments of my life. Does anyone else look at their year and think about who might die when planning vacation time? I save 2 days a year for “just in case” funerals of friends’ parents, etc, but it always makes me feel super morbid.
Second to that was being brave enough to go to Australia alone, meet my future in laws, apply to a PHD program and buy a home. ExH couldn’t come with me due to return visa issues and we weren’t ready to move.
Getting my PhD and landing a job at a major research university. My parents were the first people in their families to go to college, and they went at night while working. I think that it might still blow their minds sometimes. It's given me opportunities that I never could have imagined growing up, like being on the edge of science and getting to visit crazy cool places.
2chatter, Yes, I do think about that. We have some older grandparents who are in hospice right now, and keep crossing our fingers that when we travel they will not pass at that time.
Post by supertrooper1 on Jul 17, 2018 11:19:24 GMT -5
My career and what led up to my career. I was the first person on either side of the family to go to college. Many didn't even graduate from high school. I didn't grow up with much, but my parents taught me work ethic. And the mean girls from HS made me want to be more successful than they were, which I feel like I have accomplished. I excel at my job and I'm proud of my work accomplishments. I have been the leading seized property officer at my location for several years now.
Mine was going to law school on a scholarship. My dad went to college and had a degree. One of my cousins on my mom’s side graduated from college. Several of my cousins on my dad’s side had degrees. My brother, who is almost 8 years older than me, took 21 hours his last semester so he could graduate one semester before I did. But no one else on either side of my family had ever gone to graduate school. When I got the letter admitting me that included a full academic scholarship, covering tuition, fees, and books, it felt amazing. My extended family always frankly treated me like an expendable bimbo, and my immediate family had drilled into me that I should marry rich for security (“It’s as easy to love a rich man as a poor one, sweetheart!”). So getting outside confirmation that I could be Somebody with a Something Job was amazing. Now my hubs can say in all honesty that he married well since he’s a SAHD and I’m the sole breadwinner. Take that, family!
Post by justcheckingin73 on Jul 17, 2018 11:56:44 GMT -5
I’ve been racking my brain over this one and I think it’s because I have “small” accomplishments. Nothing really big stands out. For example:
Going to college. For a couple of different reasons, I took a year off after high school. I had been thinking about this for a while and mentioned it to my counselor who was totally against it. I ended up doing it and several people told me I’d never go back. I didn’t really care what they said because working in retail with the general public is my personal hell and I was definitely going to college, which I did.
When I was 24, I wanted to learn how to drive a stick shift so I bought a brand new car with manual transmission and my Dad had to drive it off the lot. It was humbling and embarrassing learning but I’m so glad I did.
Getting my son to do things...really anything that he doesn’t want to do.
Running. When I turned 40 I was heavier than I had ever been, depressed, unemployed and started to think about my health and that I needed a long-term exercise plan. I mentally went through all of the excuses and objections I’d had before and eventually landed on running as my exercise of choice. My main goal is to sustain my running - I didn’t want to start and stop something. And it wasn’t about weight loss - it was about my mental health and stress relief. I’ve only missed a week or so of runs at a time because of travel, work, sickness but I’ve always gotten back into it and managed to sustain and add to my running plan for the last 5 years.
I have 3... I did the equivalent of 5 years of college credit in 4 years and 1 term while working 2 part time jobs. I lived at home and was able to pay for all of those credits as I went so I graduated debt free!
The money that was squirreled away for college that I didn't touch I used to buy a house all on my own 6 weeks after graduating college.
I still live in the same house have done ton of improvements and it is really my house and I love that I only have about 16 more years of house payments before it is paid off. I have no real desire to move and originally I bought it as a starter home. FYI DH hates the house and will never consider it home because it isn't in the country and doesn't have a bunch of land which no matter the housing market we never could afford.
Post by justcheckingin73 on Jul 17, 2018 12:41:24 GMT -5
186momx, my husband also wants to buy a house in the country and keeps talking about in 4 or 5 years, we’ll move farther west and get a lot of land so he can have a veggie garden and the kids can ride four wheelers and do all these “things”. Finally one day I said to him - you just made partner so you’ll be working more, if that’s even possible. Currently you don’t go out and play with the kids so when will you have time to do everything you talk about doing? Plus, there will be more yard to mow, your commute will increase by at least 30 minutes or more and in 5 years, the kids will be 19 and 13! Realistically, this doesn’t make sense. I’m not sure if I’ve completely swayed him but I’d rather move closer to the high school that DD will be going to.
Post by erinshelley21 on Jul 17, 2018 12:57:48 GMT -5
I was proud of the fact that I was on track to graduare college in 3.5 years rather than the full 4, and then it became a bigger deal when my last 3 semesters were completed while juggling my dad's business and estate.
Also that I am 8 years down the road and able to make the decision to close this chapter of my life rather than it just crashing and burning. No one in my dads family thought I could do it so it's been nice proving them wrong.
2chatter my sorority sisters really came through for me when my dad died as well. We were right in the thick of our active years, but it was a month into summer and the feeling I got when I saw at least 8 of them filing in was the best.
justcheckingin73, I think I can add running also. I had always played softball and dance team and was active, but had never been able to run very far (still not super fast), but I always wanted to be able to complete at least 5 k running the entire time. I had walked over the years. At age 35, I for some reason started out of my driveway, and started running. I ran less than a mile before walking. I kept building my running vs walking ratio, until I could run the entire way. I have completed several 5Ks. Like you, I don't ever want to loose it. I run 4 days a week, no matter what, except for a weeks vacation, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day each year. And minus the weeks I tied my tubes, removed a gallbladder, and an appendix over the last several years.
justcheckingin73 , I think I can add running also. I had always played softball and dance team and was active, but had never been able to run very far (still not super fast), but I always wanted to be able to complete at least 5 k running the entire time. I had walked over the years. At age 35, I for some reason started out of my driveway, and started running. I ran less than a mile before walking. I kept building my running vs walking ratio, until I could run the entire way. I have completed several 5Ks. Like you, I don't ever want to loose it. I run 4 days a week, no matter what, except for a weeks vacation, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day each year. And minus the weeks I tied my tubes, removed a gallbladder, and an appendix over the last several years.
That’s awesome! I also really hate to walk which I’ve had to do twice in the last month because of running while slightly hungover and heat and humidity. But like you I worked really hard to build up to 3 miles and so I feel like a failure when I walk. Not ever stopping also helps me push through the mental junk that makes me want to quit sometimes. I’ve developed a huge amount of perseverance from running and I wish it would cross over a little more into the rest of my life
Post by helenahhandbasket on Jul 17, 2018 15:28:26 GMT -5
rere, I am giving you all of the kudos. You truly deserve it.
I feel a little bit of an outsider in the sense that I never actually finished college (I am about 9 credits short). I wound up getting a FT job during my internship- it started right away and I was just kind of hungry for it. Looking back it's hard to say if I regret it or not. I hated school, but I doubt a degree would have put me on a much different path career wise. I was also a mediocre student at best so the excuse to not go to school was so easy at the time.
I am also still struggling a bit financially- even now as a married lady again MH and I probably make somewhere on the lower range of combined salaries when it comes to our group (even though combined we do make over 6 figures). So I will say one of the things I feel proudest of is leaving my shitty marriage even though that was by far the scariest thing I have ever done- both financially and personally. I was able to scrape together enough cash to get a small apartment all by myself. I did not ask for one red cent from my folks (who are considerably well off) and my DD has never gone without anything. She would not know any of the struggles. Kind of related, even though my marriage was shitty, I am proud of the co-parenting relationship I have with my ex. We decided early on that DD would not have to suffer from us having a poor relationship. Some situations are harder to navigate than others, but I feel like we have mutual respect for each other and we are both committed to being a collaborative unit.
I also can't think of anything better I have done than my daughter. She is smart, funny, driven, outgoing, kind and just an all around joy. Everyone that meets her loves her. I get compliments all of the time on her behavior and her poise- both from strangers and from people we know well. I would like to think that I have a little bit to do with it, but mostly I think I have gotten incredibly lucky and that I almost don't deserve for her to be my child.
2chatter, I also relate to having a very tight circle of lifelong friends. I wasn't in a sorority, but I pride myself in maintaining those friendships through many life changes. That shit is hard once you start getting married, moving away, having babies... My very best friend from HS- one of my bridesmaids- she and I grew up around the corner from one another but we have not lived in the same state since 1998. We have a pact to not let more than 18 months go by without a face to face visit and so far so good!
I'm very driven by my career so I would probably say everything leading up to it. I graduated summa cum laude from college with double majors in 4.5 years while working multiple jobs to pay for it all by myself. I earned an internship and later a full time job with the firm of my choice and then had my CPA license within 6 months of graduation. I then worked 70+ hours per week but it all set me up for my current leadership position and financial security.
When I look back I do wonder if I should've spent less time working and studying but I'm grateful that I don't have to work the long hours now that I have kids.
Echoing many of you, it is also my degrees and career.
At the time I finished college, neither of my parents had gone past eighth grade. (My mom has since gotten her GED and nursing degree). They were super supportive but poor so I went to a state school and worked as a waitress to pay for everything beyond tuition. I somehow miraculously got accepted into a good graduate program to get my PhD. Continued my education and work in a top notch academic research lab after that. Then broke into industry in a fortune 100 company.
I went from a home where we lived paycheck to paycheck without savings or health insurance, begging to get extra shifts folding laundry, washing the dishes or working the drive-through to doing really cool science in an amazing company with out of this world benefits for a sweet paycheck.
I had so many employers when I was 14-21 that were beyond disrespectful and ridiculously presumptive about me, my abilities, my work ethic and my circumstances. I also had a pastor that told my father that I was not bright enough to go to medical school. Yet I taught med school classes for four years. Would love to show them how wrong they were.
So many great accomplishments here - wow, this board has lots of impressive educational accomplishments and careers.
I'm also proud of my career. I'm a partner at my firm and was just asked to join our Executive Committee, which is a big thing since it historically only included the firm founders/largest owners. It's nice to feel like I'm succeeding work wise while I have 3 little kids (and my husband also works full time in a demanding job outside the home).
Also earning my CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) charter. It's three 6-hour exams you can only take once a year (except the first level that's offered twice). Pass rates are low and you spend months studying for one day, and have to wait a year if you fail. It was a huge undertaking but once you earn it, you have it for life. I feel like as a young(ish) woman in the investment industry it just immediately shows people that you have a basic level of understanding.
Non-work-wise, we lost our much-tried-for first pregnancy at 21 weeks (we made the incredibly difficult decision to end the pregnancy, on a ton of medical advice, given that the baby wouldn't have survived outside the womb). It was devastating and I think it likely caused some PTSD for me - making it through that time in our lives within the first couple years of our marriage was a big accomplishment in my mind as well.
Post by freezorburn on Jul 19, 2018 2:45:56 GMT -5
My parents were/are very controlling, so figuring out in my 20s that I didn't have to live my life to fit their ideals or to fix their issues, was a pretty big deal for me. Also learning to set boundaries and not let them manipulate me. And learning to hear my own inner voice. Without these things the rest of my life would have taken a very different path, and I hate to think where I would be if I had played by their rules. I would be far less happy than I am now, less able to adapt to the ups and downs of life. So in that sense, I think figuring out how to live my life on my own terms is my greatest accomplishment (and continues to be a work in progress).
Professionally, I'm really proud of finishing my master's, especially since I had a few roadblocks through that process. I think I've done some good work in my field and I hope to get back into it soon so that I can do more.
I love this thread! I have two: the first is my career. Six years ago I was working at an organization I loved but the position I had was incredibly stressful. I interviewed for a grants and contracts position because I had good writing skills and I wouldn’t be on-call. I had no experience but they took a chance and gave me the position. I have worked really hard over the last six years to become a great grant writer and will hit a huge funding milestone this year. The second is the complete health and fitness transformation I made 11 years ago. I realized that I needed to make some changes when I was at the Great Barrier Reef and wouldn’t scuba dive because that meant I had to wear a swim suit. I joined Weight Watchers, started running, and lost 65 lbs. I could barely run a minute the first day and never thought I’d be running half marathons one day.
I have a few. The first is getting my BS in electrical engineering. I was the first to go to college in my family. It was a difficult road, but I'm glad I did it. The second is getting my black belt in karate at the same time that I was working on my Masters in EE for 3 years in my early 20s. I was accepted into my company's engineering leadership program so it meant I was pretty much working full time and going to school full time. Karate was my outlet for all of the stress I was dealing with. It also taught me that I can do hard things. I was able to push my body and mind to do things that I never thought possible - intense training 4x a week including running, mastering weapons, breaking boards, running 8-minute miles. At the same time, digesting a 4-hour lecture enough to solve a problem and write a 30-50 page paper each week on top of a job. Looking back, I don't know how I did it or how DH dealt with me. But I would do it all again in a heartbeat. The final is changing my career track. I wanted to work in medical devices. I felt it was my calling in life and that I could be good at it. So DH and I gave up my nice stable job and beautiful house to move back home so I could get another MS in bioengineering. We lived like poor college students for 2 years until I got my degree. But when I landed that first job at a medical device company, I felt like I was doing what I was meant to do. Now DH and I have a beautiful home for our family and he can be a SAHD while I work in a field I love.