Breaking Free: My Transition from Retail to Tech

Hey there, I'm Dyana. I'm a self-taught Web Engineer based in Boston, MA. Crafting a captivating intro that doesn't sound like an AI penned it is a challenge. But hey, I'm not here to impress anyone (or am I?).
This is simply a clever ruse to get me to journal every single day. You see, when something doesn't offer immediate benefits, I tend to put it on the back burner. To get things done, I need to see a clear benefit.

Take starting a blog, for instance. I've been toying with the idea for a while. I even made a few attempts on my website, dabbling in random articles and trying my hand at copywriting last year.
But it just wasn't clicking. It wasn't until I discovered Beehiiv that I thought, 'Hey, this could work.' And here we are, in the present. But before we get too comfortable, let's take a step back and delve into some of my backstory.

I was tired of my retail job with no freedom, and I had to work weekends! Despite managing an entire center with a proud little badge and only a raise to $15.50 an hour, I felt taken advantage of. That's what these companies do to hardworking people like you and me. If you're anything like me, you probably have anxiety, maybe a little ADD on top of that. I was too scared to ask for a raise because I was told the company hadn't even broken even in its first decade.

I decided to start educating myself more so as not to get steamrolled and wrung dry because I work hard and don't ask for much. That doesn't make you a good employee; it just makes you a pushover. Turns out most major company giants don't even break even in their first 20 years. I felt bad for my boss at the time; she has been groomed to be this much of a stick in the mud and feel grateful for it.

Fast forward 2 years later, and I started to get back into art, then t-shirt design, and now web development. But with AI, I realized front-end web designs on Figma weren't going to get me far and they would replace me pretty quickly. I realized I had to venture into the dark side—the back-end. But I wasn’t ready for that yet.

I was desperate to find any kind of freelance or remote work so I could escape the reins of this job. To be honest, I liked it. I liked the girls I worked with, but I realized I was just gaslighting myself because it was comfortable. I ended up finding this freelance platform called Remotasks that enabled me to learn more about AI while getting paid for it in the comfort of my own home and schedule. We'll talk more about that later, but if you're interested here’s the link!

As soon as I found this, I gave my four weeks’ notice and moved in with my partner, who I am so eternally grateful to for providing the boost I needed to pull off this kind of thing.

The funny thing is, remember when I said I wasn't demanding enough? Yeah... I was convinced I just wasn't good enough of a manager to get paid for it, but really they were pulling my leg for this very reason. So that when I had enough, they were able to say, "Here, have an extra dollar. Stay, you are so valuable, please stay!" like they did you a favor. But really, you're probably saving them thousands of dollars if you stayed since they won't have to retrain and possibly pay someone else more to do the job I was doing. I laughed in my boss's face; I was worth more than $17/hr. It took me nearly 24 years to realize it. Regardless of where you are in your own journey, you might think I'm fortunate to have this realization so early or perhaps I’m late to the game? Sometimes, I do feel that way, but I also know there's so much room for growth. More often than not, I find myself slipping back into old, toxic patterns of thinking.

I'm still figuring out the direction of this newsletter, but I'm already proud of the journey it represents. This is my space to document and reinforce my learning, and perhaps, it might even serve as a beacon for others on a similar path. But be prepared, as a Scorpio moon (for those who follow astrology), I'm known for my intense passion. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, well that’s up to you!

Stay tuned for more of my journey in the next entry. Talk to you later!

-Dyana